Much has been made about Chris Eubank Jr’s training situation for his upcoming fight with Conor Benn, specifically who might be taking the reins in camp.
Eubank Jr’s link up with Roy Jones Jr seemed to be going well, and he told the former fighter that he would be in his corner until the day he hung up the gloves. That all changed when the Conor Benn fight was made though, with Eubank saying that it only made sense for his father to coach him. Jones, as it happens, agreed.
But plans were changed yet again as Chris Eubank Sr emotionally tried to have the fight pulled altogether, never mind declining to train his son, citing a dangerous weight cut. Whilst Junior still hopes to have his old man there on the night, training is almost over and he hasn’t had him the gym.
So who is guiding the ever-confident Brighton man in the lead up? Himself, he told Good Morning Britain, which given his style isn’t a huge surprise.
“Actually, I’ve trained myself for this fight. My father kept his distance.”
Despite not approaching the fight in the traditional way, Junior is still well aware of what’s at stake. When discussing the pressure on his shoulders, he reinforced his vow to retire should Benn come out victorious.
“There’s a huge amount of pressure on me for this fight. This is the first time I’ve ever said it throughout my entire career – if I lose this fight, I retire. And I love fighting. I love the sport, I love being a boxer. I don’t want it to end.”
“Losing to a Conor Benn at this stage of my career, it means that I’m not the fighter that I thought I was or that I think I am. I want to challenge for world titles within the next 6-12 months. I can’t do that with a loss to Conor Benn.
There’s a lot of pressure on me not only to win but to uphold the name, the family legacy that we’ve created.”
As Eubank says, legacies – along with his career – will be put on the line next weekend in London, live on DAZN PPV.