Like his father 30 years before him, Chris Eubank Junior is a fighter who divides opinions. An exciting combination puncher, the sturdy Eubank DNA is certainly evident in the younger incarnation and junior can point to some solid wins in his resume over the likes of James DeGale (W12), Arthur Abraham (W12) and Avni Yildirim (WKO3).
But at 32, time is running out if Eubank (30-2, 22 KOs) is to emulate his famous father and win a recognised world title belt, having lost clearly to George Groves in a WBA title tilt at 168lbs in 2018 and previously being outfoxed by a rising Billy Joe Saunders four years earlier.
Currently rated the No.1 contender by the WBA at 160lbs, Eubank is embarking on one last push to realise his world title potential with the television backing of Sky Sports and co-promoters Wasserman Boxing and BOXXER.
With the great Roy Jones Jr in his corner, Eubank will face late-sub Anatoli Muratov at the SSE Arena, Wembley, on Saturday, believing a major world title opportunity is on the horizon later in the year.
So will Eubank’s lofty dreams of glory be realised, or his achievements fail to match his considerable self-belief? The Boxing Social team weigh in….
Sadly, I think we will forever be a pretender who falls just short of world class level. He’s 32 already and hasn’t been anywhere near active enough. His last performance – in which he unveiled an ersatz Roy Jones Jr style – was not impressive. Eubank Junior possesses a great chin and enviable work ethic and stamina, but at the highest level he doesn’t seem to possess quite enough firepower or boxing ability to secure a defining win. – Luke G. Williams.
Chris Eubank Jr has masterfully become an attraction based not solely on his name, but on his polite brand of trash talking, the facade that he’s willing to face anyone, any time, and his seemingly constant professional approach to staying in shape. I’m fed up hearing how he’d fight GGG/Canelo [insert any other big name] on repeat, and then being served up with something far less appetising. But it’s clever, I suppose. Overall, I think it’s too late for him to become a dominant world champion and maybe his best nights are behind him. We’ll see. – Craig Scott.
In the brilliant dark comedy ‘In Bruges’ Colin Farrell’s character famously remarks, “Purgatory’s kind of like the in-betweeny one. You weren’t really shit, but you weren’t all that great either. Like Tottenham.” Chris Eubank Jr exists in this very same no man’s land of prizefighting; struggling against fighters with a degree of boxing nous while outworking the limited and the depleted, all the while calling out the likes of Golovkin and Canelo from the comfort of his latest garishly coloured sports car. Stylistically. he’s certainly a draw, and few could deny his chin and conditioning are at an elite level. Ultimately, though, it’s difficult to see how even the likes of Roy Jones Jnr in his corner could develop him sufficiently at this late stage of his career.Such a move should’ve taken place immediately after the Saunders defeat, in my humble opinion. I do wonder whether he’ll look back on the shenanigans he indulged in with his father and regret listening to so much nonsense. But then, as Spurs fans will tell you, it’s the hope that kills you. – Phil Rogers.
Boxing is always about timing. Middleweight is hardly a murderer’s row at the moment with Japan’s solid but unspectacular Ryota Murata (WBA), an over-the-hill Gennadiy Golovkin (IBF) and the hot-and-cold Demetrius Andrade (WBO) among those holding belts. Better than many give him credit for, Eubank could find himself in the right place at the right time with no real monsters at the weight. The Sky Sports promotional push could see Eubank over the line, where his achievements finally match his marketability. – Mark Butcher.