NAME IS MY KRYPTONITE
Chris has come out of dad’s shadow now
CHRIS EUBANK JUNIOR claims it has been harder for him to reach the top in boxing because of his name.
Eubank says he has had to deal with the pressure throughout his career of being constantly compared to his father and former two-weight world champion, Chris Senior.
He felt that was tough when he was trying to find his way as a rookie boxer but believes he’s now established himself in his own right.
Eubank, 32, faces Anatoli Muratov at Wembley Arena tonight as part of Sky Sports’ new boxing line-up and said: “Absolutely it’s been harder for me.
“The pressure has been on from day one, from my first fight on Channel 5 in front of 1.5million viewers, which is unheard of for a fighter making his debut.
“I was being compared to my father and that was comparing a world champion to a novice.
“That’s how it’s always been, I’ve always had this expectation, this pressure to uphold the family name.
“Where I am now, after winning 30 fights and dedicating my life to the sport, that pressure isn’t there as much.
“People know I am the real deal, this is what I do, this isn’t a gimmick.
“I definitely think I’ve created my own path, I’m my own man. People know me for me, not for being the son. I’m in a great position.” Although Eubank has twice won the IBO super-middleweight title, his goal is a world title at middleweight and he is the WBA’s No.1 contender. Muratov is ranked No.7 by the WBA and Eubank believes he will be a world champion within the next year. Eubank is keen to make up for lost time. He has fought just once in the last 22 months and had to deal with the death of his brother Sebastian in July. He added: “The path is get past this opponent on the weekend, make a statement. “Then we’ll be fighting again in December, I want a big name or a world title fight or ideally both. That’s how my fights will be. “That’s the path we’re on and there are so many big names out there and so many big opportunities. It’s going to be a big 12 months. “It’s up to my promoter to target the belts and the championships, but from December onwards, big names or world title fights 100 per cent.”