The Big Interview
CHRIS EUBANK JNR will knock the stuffing out of a Christmas turkey tomorrow, despite the fact he’s back in action in just six weeks’ time.
But once he’s a fortnight from his IBO super-middleweight title shot on February 4, against littleknown Aussie Renold Quinlan, it will be the Food Channel nnel he relies on to tickle his tastebuds.
Eubank’s dad, Chris Snr ( right), used to struggle to meet weights and there were times he was spotted smelling pineapples and other r fruits but not eating ng them in the build-up to his fights.
His son, however, does not have the same concerns and he’ll worry more about cranberries than Queensburys for the next 48 hours.
“I am always good with the weight, cutting out foods has never really been an issue with me,” said Eubank Jnr. “I can eat turkey,turkey that is a good,good lean meat.meat But I can’t do all that teasing, I can’t be around food even when I’m with my mates. “It’s, ‘listen, keep away from me, take the food outside’. But once I’m a week or two out and I’m cutting it I do watch the Food Channel quite a lot while I’m eating my sugarless porridge. “It makes it taste better, I don’t know why.” Eubank Jnr returns to the ring fo for the first time sinc since defending his Br British middleweight t title against Tom Doran in June. And after three m months in Dubai p partying with the s stars and re recuperating from an elbowe injury, he looks fitfi and lean as he prepares to make the step up in weight. He added: “Hanging around with people like Paris Hilton softened the blow of not being able to fight, and having needles and electricity shot through my arm every week. It was hyper-extension of my elbow, which meant I couldn’t use my right hand hand, couldn’t throw the straight right.
“I was getting treatment constantly for the three months I was out there, with a top doctor, who looks after the royal family.
“I was getting shockwave therapy – shooting electricity into the muscle and the area which is giving you problems.
“I was also getting dry needling, where they get these long needles, stick them into the area and slowly pull them out.
Devastating
“I put that out there for people to see: this wasn’t a joke, it was very painful.
“The injury occurred when I was sparring, threw my right hand, missed and over-extended and it locked out.
“This is an injury that’s been recurring for years now. It would flare up, go away and flare up. Before the Langford fight it got really bad.”
Eubank was set to face Tommy Langford in October but was forced by the injury to withdraw and vacate his British middleweight crown.
Now he will step up to face Quinlan on ITV in February,February the broadcaster’s second fight following its return to boxing after Robbie Davies and Willie Limond on January 21.
Eubank said: “This is an opportunity we saw and we took it. It’s not saying I’m going to st ay at super-middleweight for the rest of my career.
“There are huge middleweight fights out there for me that I’m gunning for, but there’s an opportunity for me to fight for a world title at super-middleweight, so we take that title, that accolade, move forward and take the best fights.
“There are great fights at super-middleweight too so it’s an exciting time. I’m naturally a middleweight, but at both weights I’m going to be devastating.”
Eubank has been criticised for fighting for the IBO title. But added: “Whatever people say about the opponent, he’s a world champion.”