British middleweight star and WBA 160lb interim champion Chris Eubank Jr (19-1, 14ko) has spoken to “nuffinlong.com” in the UK to promote his “routine” title defence on Frank Warren’s May 9th card in London against unheralded Australian Les Sherrington (35-7, 19ko)
At the same time he used the opportunity to take a pot shot at bitter rival and WBO mandatory Billy Joe Saunders (21-0, 11ko) and to convey his disappointment at being unable to join the Mayweather family out in Vegas for the big fight.
British rivals feature in separate fights that could lead to huge Autumn rematch
British boxing’s biggest rivals Billy Joe Saunders and Chris Eubank Jnr. will joint-headline a massive fight card in separate fights at the SSE Wembley Arena on Saturday 9th May as they close in on a potential Autumn blockbuster rematch.
Undefeated Hatfield ace Saunders will feature in an International Middleweight Contest against an opponent to be announced, whilst Eubank Jnr. makes the first defence of his WBA Interim World title against tough Australian Les Sherrington.
Chris Eubank Jnr. came face-to-face with Interim WBA World Middleweight Champion Dmitry Chudinov in London today ahead of their huge clash on Saturday 28th February at London’s O2 arena.
Eubank aims to rebound from his sole career defeat to Billy Joe Saunders last November by defeating the hard Russian and a victory could see him get a rematch with the Hatfield ace.
Chudinov, in attendance with well respected Russian manager and promoter Vlad Hrunov, says he will defeat the son of the British great and return to his homeland a hero.
Prior to Saturday night, Chris Eubank Jr had never been involved in a boxing match which lasted beyond 8 rounds. Despite having racked up 18 wins, his victories had all come against less than stellar, low level opposition. With a virtually non-existent amateur record, Christopher entered London’s full to capacity ExCel arena, having never come close to experiencing an event of such magnitude.
By the nights end, the fight is lost only by a narrow split decision (one judge had him winning) in a closely fought battle. Considering Eubank was challenging an undefeated Olympian and holder of British, Commonwealth and European titles, many would perceive his efforts as brave and valiant considering the vast gulf in experience between the competitors. However, when you’re the son of an enigmatic figure considered amongst the most exciting middleweight champions Britain has ever seen and when your dad is making proclamations about you being the most talented pugilist seen since Sugar Ray Leonard who will go on to eclipse the achievements of the world’s highest paid athlete Floyd ‘money’ Mayweather, the judging barometer begins to differ from other fighters.
In a close and thrilling chief support, Billy Joe Saunders handed bitter rival Chris Eubank Jnr. his first career defeat with a split decision to retain his British, Commonwealth and European Middleweight titles.
The Hatfield star also made the Lonsdale belt his to keep with the third and most satisfying defence of the title, plus it was a final eliminator for the WBO World Middleweight title.
Saunders started well in the early rounds with Eubank Jnr. struggling to cope with his quick feet and accurate jab, but Eubank did have some success with some strong uppercuts.
Tonight in London, in one of the most heavily hyped and intriguing British middleweight clashes of recent years, Billy Joe Saunders ultimately proved too tough, too skilful and too experienced for a game and always dangerous Chris Eubank Junior.
At the end of 12 hard rounds, southpaw Saunders retained his unbeaten record and his European, British and Commonwealth titles. The scores were 115-114 for Saunders, 116-113 for Eubank and 115-113 for Saunders.
Thanks mostly to his famous father, there was plenty expected of Eubank Jr in the lead-up to this fight. “He beats [Gennady] Golovkin now,” Senior stated of his son. And, “He will be better than Floyd Mayweather Junior.” Such talk now looks foolish, if it didn’t before Saunders took away Junior’s unbeaten pro ledger. Still, Eubank Jr did display real grit, determination and a good chin. Sadly for those fans who hoped the young Eubank would achieve the great heights his father did, tonight’s challenger also displayed certain moves to rival those of a rank amateur, as well as a game-plan that saw him all but give away the early rounds.
Delusional, that’s a word you’ll have heard regularly within the world of boxing in the modern era and one you will hear more and more as we approach a series of grudge matches that has lit a fire beneath British boxing that is likely to see the levels of bluster reach fever pitch. It’s a word that has always interested me, simply because despite its negative connotations it is such a crucial weapon in the armory of a professional fighter.
The manifestations of such behavior is of course dictated by an individuals personality, but believe me, to a man, every boxer, journeyman aside, have convinced themselves completely that they have the beating of their opponent. To me, the only difference between these assertions being considered delusion rather than belief is the manner in which you choose to state it. In an era when self-promotion is as important to a fighters earning potential as skill, delusion has become somewhat of an art form and three of its chief exponents will benefit in the coming weeks.
Billy Joe Saunders has slammed Brighton Baby Chris Eubank Jnr. for failing to show up to yet another head-to-head press conference today to promote their Saturday 29th November showdown at the ExCeL London.
The Hatfield star, who had travelled from his training camp in Marbella with trainer Jimmy Tibbs, was stood up for the third time in a row by the seaside keyboard warrior who was replaced on the top table with a cardboard cutout.
Chris Eubank Snr’s reason for not letting his son not attend the press conference was because he claimed the security provided by promoter Frank Warren was not adequate for the safety of his son, following comments that Saunders would “slap” Eubank Jnr.
#9 WBO 160lb contender Chris Eubank Jr (18-0, 11 KOs) methodically broke down his 25-year-old opponent Omar Siala (23-18-3, 10 KOs) before stopping him in the 2nd round last night at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England.
Eubank Jr landed a tremendous right uppercut that sent Siala reeling towards the ropes. Eubank Jr then followed up with four additional uppercuts before referee Alvin Finch stepped in to stop the fight before Eubank Jr could seriously hurt Siala.
The Tyson Fury vs. Dereck Chisora card just got a whole lot better with the news that middleweight contenders Chris Eubank Jr (17-0, 12 KOs) and Billy Joe Saunders (20-0, 11 KOs) will be facing each other on the undercard on November 29th at the Excel Arena in London, England.
Saunders and Eubank Jr have been taking verbal shots at each other for the past few months and now they get the chance to prove themselves.
Saunders, 25, missed out on fighting for the vacant WBO middleweight crown when the WBO opted to let WBO 154lb champion Demetrius Andrade move up in weight to fight for the vacant WBO middleweight title against #1 WBO Matt Korobov (24-0, 14 KOs) instead of letting Saunders, #2 WBO, get the shot. The logical choice would have been to have Saunders fighting Korobov for the WBO title, because Saunders was the next highest ranked contender for the vacant belt. But Andrade applied for the spot and was given the shot ahead of Saunders.
