LISTEN UP
Eubank Jnr may already have reached his peak unless he changes his ways
BOXING fans have never been more unforgiving than they are in 2018. And on Saturday night, as Chris Eubank Jnr’s defeat to George Groves was confirmed, they gathered, like slobbering wolves, and turned on the bloodied loser. The Brightonian’s defeat was, on the surface, a spirited and brave yet ultimately futile effort against a better opponent. But it quickly became one of the most savaged showings of recent times.
The reason for the criticism was not the act of losing, it merely provided the fuel. Eubank Jnr, for all his obvious faults in battle, did not stop trying to win and, in a parallel universe, may even have been applauded for having his moments against a bigger and vastly more experienced fighter. Very often, fans turn on the defeated because of a perceived lack of effort, but Eubank Jnr – hurling his weaponry with all his might – could not be accused of that. No, the condemnation was not because of a failure to win, it was everything that came before.
The promises of destruction. The prophecies of greatness and invincibility. The warnings to referees. The comparisons with legends who had long ago proved their worth. And the declarations that he was such a fearsome genius, he could win a fight without a gameplan or a trainer. Most of all, perhaps, it was that last belligerent notion, that Eubank Jnr, who did not start boxing until he was 17, was so good that he could do it all by himself. And when it became glaringly apparent he could not, all that noise, which had been coming from Eubank Jnr and his father over many years, was turned back on them.
And the critics were not just of the armchair variety. Plenty were boxers who Eubank Jnr’s antics had offended and annoyed. Like Frank Buglioni, to whom Junior sent a ‘good luck’ Tweet on the day of his fight with Fedor Chudinov telling him he had little chance of winning. Like Tony Bellew, who – even when several divisions north of Eubank Jnr’s own – was berated in an effort to snare the unlikeliest of showdowns. And like James Degale, who did not take kindly to the Tweets that followed his upset loss to Caleb Truax late last year.
So what of Eubank Jnr now? Well, don’t expect him to go running into a corner and hide away. While he was exposed on Saturday night, his desire and spirit, two unteachable qualities, remain. But unless he knows and understands, really understands, that he cannot defeat fighters as skilled as Groves on willpower alone, his peak has already been reached.
And Senior? Many are now saying that this is all his fault. Of course it isn’t, this fight and the riches it gathered, would not have happened without him. He shouldn’t be criticised too harshly for having faith in his son. Furthermore, he likely holds the key to Junior’s salvation. He too must accept that a different approach is required. Eubank and Ronnie Davies have both admitted that the young fighter does not react to instructions in training. He will listen and decide for himself over a period of weeks if he should take heed or not. Perhaps that’s because they’re too close to Junior, and their words, like parents’ words often do, grate rather than educate upon impact. Whatever the reason, such inherent child-to-parent stubbornness has no place in boxing because, in the midst of a fight, the fighter must listen and react immediately.
One person who did not criticise Junior on Saturday was his conqueror, George Groves. Groves who, not so long ago, got a bit too big for his boots until he was socked out of them by Carl Froch. To achieve his current standing as the premier super-middleweight in the world, he changed and adapted and achieved stability under the guidance of a man he trusts implicitly. Shane Mcguigan, his trainer, outlined the perfect gameplan to defeat Junior and Groves – while doing everything to prevent Eubank Jnr being effective – listened intently between every round.
And Eubank, once so eager to learn when he started out, should be advised that the day a fighter stops opening his mind, is the day he loses his way.