Chris Eubank Jr. has vowed to show a different side to him when he returns to the ring next month.
The former IBO super-middleweight titlist will be back in action on February 23, exclusively live on ITV Box Office, when he faces James DeGale.
Eubank Jr., who has been out of the ring since back in September when he retired JJ McDonagh at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, will fight the former IBF champion at the O2 Arena.
And the 29-year-old former British middleweight champion, who lost to George Groves 11 months ago in the semi-final of the World Boxing Super Series super-middleweight tournament that was eventually won by Liverpool’s Callum Smith, says that he will be better than ever.
“This is a huge fight, this is just as big as the George Groves fight,” Eubank Jr. said ahead of his fight with the 2008 Olympic gold medal-winning DeGale. “James is a proven world level fighter and I’m not taking this fight lightly. I’ve got a new team around me and we’ve been working on a lot of new things. You will see a new and improved version of me on fight night.
“I haven’t really had an official trainer. Ronnie Davies has been by my side my entire career but he hasn’t trained me, he’s more of an overseer, he guides me, and I haven’t really had an actual official trainer. I’ve kind of just done my own thing, I’ve pretty much trained myself but for this fight that will be different.”
Eubank Jr. has enlisted the assistance of Nate Vasquez, a former amateur standout and ex-pro from Las Vegas, to get him in the best possible condition for the fight against DeGale, who turns 33 next month.
Vasquez has been under the watchful eye and apprenticeship of Jeff Mayweather as one of the trainers at The Mayweather Experience and is expected to be in the corner of the son of former world champion Chris Eubank on fight night.
“He’s been living with me and it’s good to have a solid guy there that’s with me 24/7, working with me on specific things that I need to do instead of me just going through the motions, getting fit and trying to beat guys using heart and determination,” he continued.
“As fighters, we have to win every fight, so I don’t really see this fight as a last chance saloon.
“I’ll bring the heat, just like I always do. James is talking about retirement, but this is something that has never even come into my mind.
“Now we have strategy involved in the camps and I think this is going to take me to the next level.”
Article by: Elliot Foster