Dmitry Chudinov vs. Chris Eubank Jr.: Winner, Recap and Reaction

Chris Eubank Jr. (19-1, 14 KO) made a stirring return to the ring on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London. He scored a 12th-round TKO win over Dmitry Chudinov (14-1-2). Eubank's efforts earned him the WBA interim title.

Chudinov took a beating for most of this fight, but he showed a great deal of resolve. He did his best to capture the moral victory by lasting the distance, but Eubank poured it on in the 12th round and forced referee Leszek Jankowiak's hand.

The Fight Buzz and others believed the one-sided fight should have been stopped sooner.

The early rounds were competitive, as Chudinov proved to be a tough customer who didn't want to relinquish his title without a fight. In the first two rounds, Chudinov was effectively countering Eubank, but the Russian's power shots weren't having any effect.

By the third round, Eubank's size, power and quickness began to take over the fight. His hard right hands smashed against Chudinov's face, but to the Russian's credit, his legs didn't buckle.

While he was able to stand against the onslaught, Chudinov's left eye began to break up. The blood streamed into his eye and seemed to impair his vision. Boxing Memes captured this highlight of an ultra relaxed and confident Eubank doing work.

From the fourth round on, it looked like just a matter of time before the fight was stopped. Eubank controlled every serious exchange between the two fighters.

Each of the rounds in the second half of the fight were like a carbon copy before Eubank earned the stoppage win in the 12th. 

This was an impressive performance by the second-generation star against a tough opponent. It was especially encouraging considering Eubank lost his last fight against rival Billy Joe Saunders.

Per Nick Parkinson of ESPN, prior to Saturday's bout, Eubank expressed a desire to rematch Saunders and then challenge WBA Super, IBO and interim WBC champion Gennady Golovkin.

While he dominated Chudinov, there are still some troubling aspects to Eubank's game. He took a lot of shots from Chudinov over the course of Saturday's fight. A solid chin is one of Eubank's best assets, but he tests it too much.

Against a more powerful opponent like Golovkin, this tendency could be a major problem. He also tends to fight in spurts. Golovkin won't give him the opportunity to rest and prepare to launch an attack.

That said, Eubank is still just 25 years old. There's time to improve.

As for Chudinov, his heart is bigger than his talent. He could potentially have some success against a smaller and less gifted middleweight; but he hit his ceiling hard on Saturday night.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.