Eubank Jnr finally defeats his father

CHRIS EUBANK JNR claims it has been harder to reach the top because of his name.

Eubank says he has had to deal with the pressure of being compared to his famous father throughout his career.

But he finally believes he has now established himself in his own right.

Eubank, below, faces Anatoli Muratov at Wembley Arena tonight as part of Sky Sports’ new boxing line-up and admitted: “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.

Now I am where I am, after winning 30 fights and dedicating my life to the sport, that pressure isn’t there as much. “People know I’m the real deal, this is what I do, it isn’t a gimmick. I definitely think I have 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, 32, has won the IBO super-middleweight belt twice, his goal is to win a world title down at middleweight and he is the WBA’s No.1 contender.

He is keen to make up for lost time, having fought just once in the past 22 months.And he had to deal with the tragic death of his brother Sebastian in July.

He said: “The path is make a statement in this fight, then from December we’ll be fighting again and I want a big name.”