After stepping into the ring to seemingly confirm his showdown with highly-rated super-lightweight Adam Azim back in March, an announcement never took place. Now, both men seem set to move on and face alternate opponents and Eubank has decided to break his silence on why the clash will not take place.
This spring, Matchroom Boxing and BOXXER were engaged in a public exchange regarding Ben Shalom’s willingness, or lack of, to put Azim in a fight with British champion Dalton Smith, who had been ordered for a shot at Azim’s EBU European Title.
However, Azim decided to vacate the belt, as Shalom advised that a meeting with Smith would be more fruitful later on in their careers and on the Easter Sunday Wardley-Clarke card, it was declared that Azim would be taking on Harlem Eubank instead, who had knocked out Tino Schwarzkopf in an impressive display a few months prior.
Whilst Smith moved on and knocked out Jose Zepeda in a statement win, Azim-Eubank was never formally announced, despite the apparent announcement that took place live on Sky Sports.
Six months down the line and Harlem Eubank has now spoken out and told Boxing Social that the fight will not go ahead and that this period of waiting has been the ‘most frustrating time in his career’.
“I got the call to be in London on four hours’ notice on that night and I was there I was in the ring, and I liked the fight. We signed the fight in March for the 15th of July, that is when I went deep into camp, preparing for that fight and preparing to make a statement.
“He pulled out with an ankle injury and the fight failed to be rescheduled. It’s gotten to a point where now it is about advancing with my career and not hanging about waiting for other individuals. This is about Harlem Eubank and putting the plan in place to target world title opportunities and fights that take me to them positions.”
“It has been the most frustrating time in my career, coming off of a big statement performance in Brighton in a homecoming show, there was big offers and big opportunities on the table after that. That is what we tried to secure and in doing that, I have wasted a lot of time, time that I can’t get back. Now it is time to put that aside and focus on [myself], I have been out of the ring for over a year now – a year of inactivity after that last performance, it is crazy.”
“I’d like to think that they [Boxxer and Team Azim] was [always serious about making the fight], but who knows, they proposed multiple dates and nothing materialised.”
Harlem Eubank has now signed an extension with Wasserman Boxing and is looking ahead to a move to the welterweight division, possibly eyeing up a grudge match with Conor Benn – who famously failed a drugs test ahead of his scrap with Chris Eubank Jr.
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