The Big Mouths: Chris Eubank, SR & Chris Eubank, JR Stick It In Your Pipe Sideways!

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

In the 2nd round he lost the fight as his eye socket was broken but he kept going. By the time that the 5th round had come around he was fighting no fewer than 5 of the men that he was told was one of the guys who was the best on the planet – and that sentence made sense to him at the time!

Everyone knew it was a massive ask – beat Gennady Golovkin 36-0, 33 KO’s, after bulking up to be two weight divisions above the one in which you are a world champion. It was something that had been done before but as the fight grew closer the enormity of the task was made increasingly real by references to long forgotten fighters in old newsreel who had last managed the jump in weight.

In then end Mr Kell Brook 36–1, 25 KO’s, walked away with his eyesight, dignity and many more who were impressed by a man the judges had ahead after 5 rounds but Carl Frampton who watched the fight in a busy bar with the commentary turned down felt “GGG” was winning. Thankfully he was not a judge!

The loss has been hard but we all knew it was the most likely scenario so what has made it more difficult to take has been the nonsense emanating from the mouths of a couple of creatures we shall call – The Eubanks.

Let me state I was a Benn fan. I was never one who thought that Chris Eubank, SR. gave us anything but a confused message about what he was doing in the sport. A philosopher, a monocled dandy, a former world champion and a chiselled Adonis of a man, Eubank, SR. has many reasons as to why he ought to be respected and revered. His son has come into the same profession and given us all plenty of talking points. The Eubanks have been Box Office because they have the ability to be controversial.

Let us take a look at a few of the things that have happened in the last year or so:

Chris Eubank, JR. changed his name to English to honor his father.

Chris Eubank, JR., 23-1, 18 KO’s, beat Nick Blackwell and Blackwell ended up in a coma.

The Blackwell family were very unhappy at the treatment they received after the fight from the Eubanks.

Chris Eubank, JR. offered his British title belt – the Lonsdale Belt – to Blackwell, but he doesn’t own it so it wasn’t his to give away.

At a press conference with the son of his old foe, Nigel Benn, Eubank, SR. offered advice to the son over the lack of support he saw from his father.

The Eubanks were on the cusp of signing a contract to fight “GGG” but after “GGG” suggested they had lost their pen, the fight was transferred to Kell Brook.

Eddie Hearn called them nightmares with whom to work.

As soon as Kell Brook lost, Chris Eubank, JR. tweeted that he was now ready to fight “GGG” because he was a proper middleweight and his corner didn’t have any towels.

Eubank, SR. compounded the offensive nature of the comment by talking about how boxers were warriors who should continue to fight, no matter what the pain.

Eubank, JR. was forced to tweet an apology for any offense caused.

It all looks like the Eubanks tend to chase the media and we lap it up. The line used by Eubank JR. was actually quite clever but Brook’s trainer, Dominic Ingle stopped the fight to preserve the sight and future career of his fighter – he was doing his damn job! God knows what would have happened if he had allowed the fight to continue..

Kell Brook took this fight; the Eubanks did not. The Eubanks had it but chose not to take it. This might be because they were unhappy over the intellectual property rights rather than any financial deal over purses or whatever. They are one of the trickiest with whom to deal over the minutiae simply because Eubank, SR. knows how much those things are worth as he is never paid each and every time his image is used. You see it’s a complicated life in boxing nowadays.

It is so complicated that Eubank JR. was an interim world champion then faced a farcical situation where his title was withdrawn! The decision Eubank, JR. took to come down a level and go back to fight for British titles when he ought to be fighting for world titles must surely be as much about the bizarre politics of boxing as well as his desire to wear a Lonsdale Belt. He has another defense coming up and if he wins that, the belt does become his as you get it outright after 3 defenses. Then is it “GGG” or a rematch with Billy Joe Saunders, 23-0, 12 KO’s? “GGG” wants Saunders. Will Eubank, JR. wait it out and take the winner?

You see here I am talking about a guy who was not in the ring but managed to grab our attention from outside it. Devilishly clever marketing ploy or cynical advancement? Who cares, we get to talk boxing right?

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