“MAY I interject?” asks Chris Eubank Sr. His son, Chris Jr, who was speaking at the time, goes quiet. But his eyes say: “Do you have to? The interview’s going well, I’m saying my piece . . . ”
But this intervention by Eubank Sr actually turns out to be useful; it goes to the heart of the matter, which is how his son, with the burden and benefit of his father’s famous name, Christopher Livingstone Eubank, can make his own way in boxing, can be his own man. And also, of course, whether the peacock father will let him.
“A lot of people say why don’t I step away and let him be his own man,” Eubank Sr declares. “Well, he is his own man, but this is a very dangerous business. Any person who would step away and not give advice about the things he has witnessed in this game would be irresponsible. Training and educating him as a boxer is an extension of parenting. It would be irresponsible for me to step aside and I can’t do that. I’m supposed to be here.”
We are in a gym in Croydon, where Eubank Jr has been training for his contest on Saturday against Tony Jeter, a durable, experienced American, in Sheffield. Eubank Jr, sitting on the edge of the ring after a hard session, resumes what he wants to say. An earnest, serious 26-year-old, he does not attempt his father’s rhetorical flourishes, but he quietly demands attention.
“From day one I’ve been my own man. But having the same name as my father and the same fighting style, people are always going to compare us. I don’t let that bother me. I don’t think about that. I just think about what I need to do in the ring and what I need to do to make myself a better boxer.
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“I listen to him. It’s what every man has to do, to listen to advice and take what he thinks is right. And leave what he thinks is wrong. Actually, most of what my father tells me is right.
“It has taken me 10 years, but people are beginning to understand that this is the real deal, that I’m the real deal, and that I’m doing it for myself, not for my father. There’s no other reason for doing it.”
THERE was understandable scepticism and some mirth when Eubank Jr began his professional career almost four years ago. He won easily against several carefully selected opponents and looked capable enough. His crouching stance, and a tendency to stand stock still, posing while inviting opponents to make the first move, were uncannily reminiscent of his father’s peculiar style. The father, naturally, was inescapably in evidence, preening and pronouncing, predicting a glittering future for somebody who seemed to be presented not just as son and namesake but reincarnation.
It was not until Eubank Jr’s 19th contest, for the British, European and Commonwealth middleweight titles, against the highly-rated Billy Joe Saunders a year ago, that we learnt whether junior could really fight, and whether he might have also inherited some of his father’s extraordinary fighting spirit and courage, especially in adversity. For six rounds against Saunders, the sceptics could nod knowingly. Eubank Jr seemed to be going through the motions as Saunders built a wide lead on points. Between rounds, Eubank Sr entered the ring and addressed his son. You had to feel sorry for him.
Then, glory be and no thanks to the father, Eubank Jr became transformed and fought like a tiger. He stood toe-to-toe with Saunders and bashed him. Nevertheless, he still lost a split decision because he had given Saunders a six-round start, but he had proved that he possessed plenty of power and pugnacity.
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Eubank Jr’s explanation for those first six rounds is that he was inexperienced at the time. “It was my first 12-round fight. I went in there wondering how I would feel in rounds 10 to 12 so I paced myself and I overdid it. I thought that we were neck and neck after six rounds and so I thought now I’ll put it on him, so I did. If we have a rematch I’ll be on him from the first second of the first round.”
The lesson was well learnt, for Eubank went on to stop the previously unbeaten Dmitry Chudinov in his next contest, winning the WBA interim middleweight title, one rung below world-title level.
In the gym in Croydon on Friday afternoon, the notion that Eubank Jr may be a champion in the making and could forge a career to stand comparison with his father’s does not seem far-fetched.
It is a serious operation, especially since the recent recruitment of Adam Booth, who is one of the best trainers around, to supervise matters along with Eubank Sr’s old trainer, Ronnie Davies, and, of course, Eubank Sr himself.
“Adam brings something a bit more new school,” Eubank Jr said. “You can’t get more old school than Ronnie and my father again is old school. But Adam is more this generation of boxing, and I’m a next generation fighter.”
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Davies is a priceless example of the grizzled trainer. “You can fight, or you can’t fight,” he said. “And this kid can fight.”
Booth, best known as the trainer of David Haye, the retired world heavyweight and cruiserweight champion, has long rated Eubank Jr as a potential champion. “I’m just trying to give him some more cunning,” Booth said. When they worked together, with Booth on the pads, he was encouraging Eubank to slip and deliver short, nasty, wind-sapping punches to the body, essential and hurtful stuff.
But most impressive was Eubank’s sparring session with Christopher Rebrasse, a rugged French super-middleweight who retains championship pretensions himself. They went hard at it for six rounds and it was top-class work. Immediately afterwards, Eubank laid into the heavy punchbag, hitting it ferociously for several minutes.
Then, without a break, he worked hard and fast back in the ring with Booth on the pads. At the end of an hour, flat out, Eubank was covered in sweat but was still breathing normally. Eubank Sr, who can be over-critical, applauded his son’s efforts. That was good to see.
“It’s been a hard week,” Eubank Jr said. “I did 12 rounds of sparring on Monday and Wednesday and six today. There’s fitness and fight- fitness. And I’m fight fit now. That comes from good, hard sparring, and I’ve done it all against super-middleweights, strong guys. No middleweight will be as strong as those guys.”
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Like his father, who still looks as if he could make the weight at 49 years of age, Eubank Jr has a perfect boxer’s physique, with strong legs, a narrow waist and broad shoulders. He possesses power and speed. The great unknown for now is whether he will also possess his father’s coolness and resourcefulness when he comes under sustained fire from a quality opponent.
“I think that I can go all the way to the top,” junior said. “That is my ambition: to beat the best and be the best, to rack up multiple world titles at middleweight and then at super-middleweight.”
Just like dad. Maybe.