Predictably, Chris Eubank Jr. soundly defeated Australian Renold Quinlan in their 12-round super middleweight attraction at the Olympia in London, England. The big surprise, however, is that it took so long, as the Englishman had to beat up on his man for 10 rounds before referee Howard Foster halted the action. The official time was 2:07.

Eubank, currently rated No. 6 by THE RING at 160 pounds, dominated every session and scored with some spectacular single shots, particularly the left hook lead. The former British middleweight champion also hurt his man badly in the sixth and ninth rounds with multi-punch combinations and the stoppage was merciful.

“This is my ticket (referring to the lightly regarded IBO super middleweight title) for challenging the rest of the middleweights and super middleweights out there,” said a somewhat wishful Eubank Jr. “I want the rest of (James) DeGale’s teeth. I want (Gennady) Golovkin. I want (Billy Joe) Saunders. I’m comfortable at both middleweight and super middleweight.”

There is no question that Eubank is an exciting talent. The issue, to this point, however, is opposition. As hyped-up as this fight was by ITV Box Office in the U.K., this was really nothing more than a warm-up bout. There are plenty of tests available for Eubank Jr. at 160 and 168 pounds. Time will tell if Team Eubank is willing to take them.

Undercard

In a highly entertaining heavyweight slugfest, Germany-based Romanian Christian Hammer likely put the finishing touches on the career of David Price, stopping the Liverpool man in seven rounds. The visitor hit the deck in the fifth courtesy of a brilliant right uppercut but even then, Price, as has happened in the past, was running out of fuel. Hammer bravely got up, continued to make his man work and simply outlasted him. The referee halted the bout when an exhausted Price involuntarily fell against the ropes. The official time was 1:22.

In a battle of British super middleweights, John Ryder scored a 12-round unanimous decision over Adam Etches. The official scores were 118-109, 117-111 and 116-112. It was a brutal, high-contact contest with much of the action taking place at close range. Ryder, a southpaw, appeared sharper in most sessions but Etches gave it everything. There were strong rumors that the winner of this bout would meet the winner of the main event.

British switch-hitter Kid Galahad (real name Barry Awad) was supposed to face off against former world titleholder Joseph Agbeko, however the latter was pulled out due to illness. Instead, Galahad (22-0, 13 KOs) took part in a mere tool-sharpener at featherweight against very late replacement Leonel Hernandez from Spain. The bout lacked drama, Galahad looked bored stiff and Hernandez was pulled out at the end of the third with severe damage to his right eye.

Former amateur standout Andrew Selby scored a 10-round unanimous decision over former world-title challenger Ardin Diale at flyweight. Selby, younger brother of IBF featherweight titleholder Lee Selby, is a sparkling talent who claimed the British title in just his fifth contest. The Welshman had to endure some resistance but never once lost control against a vastly more experienced opponent. All three judges scored the bout 100-90. Selby improves to 8-0 (5 KOs).

Tom Gray is a UK Correspondent/ Editor for RingTV.com and a member of THE RING ratings panel. Follow him on Twitter: @Tom_Gray_Boxing

Struggling to locate a copy of RING magazine? Try here or…

SUBSCRIBE

You can subscribe to the print and digital editions of RING magazine by clicking the banner or here. You can also order the current issue, which is on newsstands, or back issues from our subscribe page. On the cover this month: THE RING 2016 Fighter of the Year, Carl Frampton.