EUBANK JNR: I’M THE DADDY
BOXING BIG FIGHT PREVIEW Chris is aiming to escape old man’s shadow
CHRIS EUBANK Junior reckons he has finally stepped out from his dad’s huge shadow.
Junior feels he is creating his own legacy after spending his whole life being known as “Chris Eubank’s son”.
And he claims tonight’s showdown with George Groves in the semi-final of the Ali Trophy is the career-defining clash he needs to establish himself as an elite fighter in his own right.
The 28-year-old said: “I’ve learned a lot from my father. He has guided me throughout my career but I believe I have stepped out of his shadow, especially with a fight like this.
“Winning a fight like this would write my name in boxing history. That’s what I want – I want to create my own legacy and this is the start.
“I want people to know me for what I do in the ring rather than for who my dad is.”
Eubank insists he doesn’t need his father any more and trains himself with the help of his dad’s former cornerman Ronnie Davies. He said: “I’m 28 and I’ve had 27 fights so I don’t need anyone’s advice.
“My father is my father and you can’t stop him talking. There is always dialogue but his advice is not really there any more. He’s not in the gym every day, Ronnie is. I’m my own man.”
Eubank will challenge for Groves’s WBA super-middleweight title and is predicting victory because he has the more durable chin.
Groves has been stopped twice in his three defeats – both times by Carl Froch – and Eubank claims that shows he is vulnerable.
Eubank, whose IBO title is not on the line said: “He can be knocked out, he can be beaten. My chin doesn’t have an off button, his does. I’ve heard people say quite a few times that my chin hasn’t been tested in my professional career.
“That to me is a compliment. In all the fights I’ve had over six years, not one fighter has tested my chin. That means I’m doing my job.”
Meanwhile, Groves is adamant Eubank Senior’s “disgraceful” claims that tonight’s referee needs to protect him have backfired.
Chris’s dad has caused controversy by urging official Michael Alexander to be ready to stop the fight to prevent Groves from suffering a similar fate to Nick Blackwell.
Blackwell suffered a bleed on his brain when he fought Eubank Junior two years ago and had to be put in an induced coma.
Tyson Fury has led the criticism of Eubank Senior and Groves said: “He’s trying to manipulate the referee.
“He was doing it in a disgraceful way by taking advantage of Nick Blackwell. The fact he has come in for a lot of criticism for being classless has had an effect on him.”
EUBANK JNR