DEGALE vs EUBANK JNR
The story of the rivalry O Interviews with both O Analysis & prediction
Elliot Worsell sets the scene for a fascinating showdown between two men whose careers are very much on the line
WHEN they talk, James Degale and Chris Eubank Jnr can sound both young and old. When they box, they can seem like two men who have both overachieved and underachieved. Similarly, their supermiddleweight fight this Saturday (February 23) feels right on time, the climax of a longstanding rivalry, yet somehow still too late.
These mixed feelings are strengthened by the fact an IBO super-middleweight title will be on the line when the pair meet and that the fight takes place just weeks after George Groves, their common opponent, confirmed his retirement from the sport. Combined, it’s enough to make Degale vs Eubank Jnr a little less significant and highlight a) that it’s not a genuine world title fight and b) the winner won’t be moving forward to rematch George Groves anytime soon.
Based on its individual merits, though, what we have on Saturday is a fascinating all-british grudge match fuelled by an illtempered sparring session that occurred in 2012. That the fight is happening now, in 2019, says more about a lack of options for either man than any great collision course reaching its natural conclusion, but that’s okay and shouldn’t detract from a good story.
“This fight has been four or five years in the making and it’s going to be a painful lesson for him,” said Eubank Jnr. “I’ve been training for years to beat him and I know everything about him. James talks retirement, but that has never even come into my mind.
“That thought process is just not in me. I haven’t thought about what happens if I lose. The fact that he is thinking about it and coming out and saying it in a press conference is embarrassing.
“But, at the same time, it’s encouraging to hear that. When I’m at a press conference all I’m focused on, all I want to talk about, is what I’m going to do to win. Confidence.
Positivity. It just shows you the different mindsets we have.”
Certainly, of the two it would seem Degale, 25-2-1 (15), is the one closest to the exit door. Aside from the fact he’s 33, therefore four years Eubank Jnr’s senior, he has just seen George Groves, his nemesis from the amateur days, retire and will have heard all about Groves’ desire to pre-empt the great decline and get out with his faculties intact. That must register and resonate. He knows, too, that a rematch with Groves, the key to future riches, has now vanished, thus limiting Degale’s future and potentially accelerating his own exit.
Frankly, the signs have been there for a while. Last year he ditched his IBF supermiddleweight crown, which showed he no longer fancied making defence after defence against myriad contenders, and this resulted in mandatory challenger Jose Uzcategui boxing Caleb Plant for a vacant title. Degale distanced himself from the belt to pursue lucrative domestic clashes. Nobody criticised him for it, either.
The decision to relinquish, in fact, was met not with scorn but understanding. As a business move, it appeared to make sense. There were winnable fights at home, alluring ones against fellow Brits, and Degale sensed his window of opportunity, in terms of earning potential, was quickly closing. His body, ravaged by injuries, was the indicator. His tired mind will also have let it be known.
The last two years have been tough for Degale. In December 2017, he was embroiled in an almighty battle with Badou Jack, a fight in which he started brilliantly, then faded dramatically, and the damage, both physical and mental, was substantial. Then, to make matters worse, a year later he lost his IBF title in a considerable upset against unheralded American Caleb Truax, the pain of which was also difficult to shake. That night, he couldn’t get off the ropes, nor out of first gear. He looked old; old enough for some to mention retirement.
To reclaim his belt, a determined Degale ventured to America last April, worked a little harder, and did enough to even the score. Yet, admirable though it was, he still found himself cut and hit too often in the return and was a world away from the fighter who viciously bludgeoned the likes of Brandon Gonzales and Marco Antonio Periban in 2014, then dazzled in patches against Andre Dirrell and Lucian Bute in 2015.
Four or five years ago, Degale was fluid and spiteful. He had the unwavering confidence of a man yet to be beaten up as
‘IF I MAKE A MISTAKE NOW, I’LL OWN UP TO IT’
a pro. Now, though, since going through the ringer against Jack and Truax, the Harlesden man has been introduced to the dark and painful truths of a sport that used to come so easy and naturally to him. Fights that were once simple now seem hard; moves he once performed effortlessly now seem a struggle.
“I hope he can bring the best he can bring on the night and give the fans the most exciting and explosive fight that we possibly can,” said Eubank Jnr. “I just don’t think he has what it takes. Would I want to retire him? I want to beat him. He’s saying if he loses then he will retire. I want to beat him, and I will beat him, so, if that’s the knockon effect, then yes, I want to retire James Degale.”
It’s worth bearing in mind Chris Eubank Jnr has wanted to do many things to many opponents in recent years. There were things he wanted to do to Billy Joe Saunders and things he wanted to do to George Groves and even things he wanted to do to Gennady Golovkin. But with his father by his side, proudly nodding his head, “Next Gen” was later found guilty of outlining these plans with a conviction that belied his actual skillset and capacity to carry them out. James Degale, the latest man on the receiving end, is as aware of this as anyone.
“When he first turned professional, he was calling me out – he’s very deluded,” said the 2008 Olympic gold medallist. “On February 23, I get my chance to deal with this guy good and proper and finish him. After Eubank has lost to me, I don’t know where he is going to go. I’m calling this the ‘retirement fight’ and whoever loses can knock it on the head. It’s game over. He’s got heart and big set of balls but that’s not going to be enough to beat me.”
A big heart and set of balls weren’t enough to conquer Groves last February, nor enough to get the better of Billy Joe Saunders when they clashed in 2014. In fact, the two times Eubank Jnr has required more than a big heart and set of balls he has fallen short. On both occasions, against Saunders and then Groves, he needed to do more than just make loud noises, before and during the fight, and throw punches whenever his target was static. In those fights, he needed but lacked fundamentals, the kind drilled into the likes of Saunders, Groves and Degale when they were children. He also needed some guidance; ideally, the guidance of a respected teacher, someone for whom he had a modicum of respect.
“I trained myself for all these years and it worked. I had great fights and great wins but I’m not leaving anything to chance now,” said the Brighton man.
“I’m at the stage where I need everything to be perfect. I need to be 100 per cent for every single fight now, so having a trainer and having constant sparring with guys that can replicate the guy I’m fighting is important. We’ve made amends and now you guys are going to be able to see the difference in my performances. Looking back now, I’m like, ‘What were you thinking?’ But that was just my ignorance, I guess. Now if I make a mistake, I’ll own up to it.”
What once made Chris Eubank Jnr such a dangerous middleweight, albeit on the third or fourth rung of the ladder, was this hard-nosed stubbornness and ignorance (in addition to physical gifts and an athleticism for which most boxers would donate an arm). It helped him win fights. It created his mystique. Back then, he was bowling over sub-par opponents en route to a fight against Gennady Golovkin – yes, really – and plenty were spellbound by the fancy moves, the
coldness and the cockiness. For a time, it all made sense. For a time, he was more genius than crazy; his father a prophet.
But then Groves came along and proved Eubank Jnr not only had much to learn but that the Saunders result in 2014 was no aberration. It was a lesson – a second one – and, just like before, Eubank Jnr’s demise owed everything to technical deficiencies and an inability to heed advice. Four years had passed but little had changed.
You now start to question how much has changed in the year since Groves dealt with him. Currently, all we know is there has been a third-round stoppage of JJ Mcdonagh in September, which told us very little, as well as the appointment of an actual head coach, Nate Vasquez, which is something at least. More revealing, perhaps, is that Chris Eubank Snr, his vocal father, has been conspicuous by his absence and seemingly taken a backseat for this one. It might mean nothing. Then again, it might mean everything.
One thing is almost certain: Chris Eubank Jnr, despite the hubris and stoic posturing in both victory and defeat, is no fool. He knows a defeat to James Degale on February 23 will mean he has flattered to deceive against his three foremost domestic rivals, all of whom he denigrated pre-fight, and that his journey to become the best in the world – be it at middleweight or super-middleweight – will have ended before the vehicle had even spluttered down the driveway. It will be a bitter pill to swallow for a man whose entire legacy has been built around a father’s fantasy and premonitions of greatness. It will confuse. It will hurt. It will be humbling.
For insight, Eubank Jnr, 27-2 (21), need only ask James Degale how it felt to lose to George Groves eight years ago and then this month learn he would never get the chance to gain revenge. It’s no mere 12-round thing, a defeat like that. It lingers. It festers. It’s the scab that keeps on being picked and will therefore never fully heal. But Eubank Jnr, you suspect, understands this already.
“I’M CALLING THIS THE ‘RETIREMENT FIGHT’. WHOEVER LOSES CAN KNOCK IT ON THE HEAD”