Headlining his second pay-per-view show in twelve months, Chris Eubank Jr has two primary objectives: to end James DeGale’s career – and propel himself back into title contention – with a dominant win on Saturday night at the 02 Arena in London
In a bloody battle against George Groves last February, Eubank showcased guts and bravery against a stronger and overtly more seasoned counterpart; fighting through a horrid gash and numerous stinging right hands to ultimately lose on points. In doing so, however, Junior has cultivated a reputation as something of a ‘Great Pretender’; in other words, someone who looks good against a particular type of opponent but who also consistently falls short at the World-class level.
Whether DeGale still can be reasonably deemed World-class is open for debate. Recent performances suggest not; on the contrary, they suggest a steady and interminable decline. Following a narrow victory over Porky Medina in 2016, DeGale was somewhat fortunate to retain his IBF World title against Badou Jack a couple of months later before losing it in a shocking upset to rank outsider Caleb Truax. Despite avenging the loss to Truax in April 2018, DeGale looked decidedly unconvincing in doing so, and vacated his title a couple of months afterwards.
Like DeGale, Eubank has also been forced to lick his wounds after attracting widespread scorn and being excoriated by commentators and pundits for his supposed ‘arrogance’ and non-trainability. The Brighton native has returned to winning ways with a stoppage of JJ Mcdonaugh in September, but the nature of that win really does not reveal much about the adjustments he has made since Groves inflicted him with his second career defeat last February.
Perhaps Nate Vasquez will add a few minor tweaks, but it’s hard to imagine that Junior will start playing his cards closer to his chest. He is unashamedly forthright about his strategy and how he plans to play to his key strengths: a steely toughness – made all the more remarkable by the fact that he is probably a big super-welterweight and has been up against some pretty powerful punchers in the division – coupled with a relentless engine which enables him to crudely overwhelm his opponents with rapid-fire combination punching.
DeGale – a switch-hitter who predominantly fights left-handed – is generally regarded as the one with more tricks up his sleeve. He unquestionably deserves immense respect for his accomplishments and is the far more decorated of the pair. We will see if he can capitalise on his superior skillset; a skillset that he has seemingly neglected in some of his previous fights and paid dearly for doing so.
You have to favour the former Olympic gold medallist to pull it off if, like Groves, he can produce a disciplined, intelligent display to effectively control the pace and neutralise Eubank by keeping him on the end of straight punches – as opposed to becoming embroiled in scrappy kamikaze exchanges. If DeGale recklessly backtracks and adopts the rope-a-dope approach – a perilous habit of his when fatigued – Eubank will undoubtedly capitalise and tee off, and momentum will shift dramatically in his favour as a result.
As the chief support, heavyweight prospect Joe Joyce knows nothing less than a destructive demolition job against former WBC world champion Bermane Stiverne will be able to vindicate the bold declaration of promoter Richard Schaefer – made at the pre-fight press conference – that he is currently the best heavyweight in the world.
Yes, there is no escaping the fact that Stiverne is a spent force after being plagued by inactivity in addition to a violent knockout defeat to Deontay Wilder in November 2017, but he still remains a very respectable scalp for someone’s eighth fight. Ultimately, expect the 40 year-old Haitian to succumb to the pressure and power of the self-styled Juggernaut – a 2016 Olympic silver-medallist at super-heavyweight – inside six rounds.
Also featuring on the undercard is former IBF World featherweight champion ‘Lightning’ Lee Selby, who makes a return at lightweight against Omar Douglas following his bruising decision loss to undefeated rival Josh Warrington at Leeds United’s Elland Road last May.
Article by: Navi Singh
Follow Navi on Twitter at: @DarkMan_______