Chris Eubank Jr
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Christopher Livingstone Eubank Jr (born 18 September 1989) is a British
professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
. He has held multiple championships in two
weight classes Weight classes are divisions of competition used to match competitors against others of their own size. Weight classes are used in a variety of sports, especially combat sports (such as boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and wrestling). Altern ...
, including the WBA
interim An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities. Interim may also refer to: Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept) *Provis ...
middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...
title twice between 2015 and 2021; the IBO
super-middleweight Super middleweight, or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing In professional boxing, super middleweight is contested between the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, in which boxers can weigh between 160 pounds ( ...
title twice between 2017 and 2019; and the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
middleweight title in 2016. As of February 2022, he is ranked as the world's fourth best active middleweight by
BoxRec BoxRec or boxrec.com is a website dedicated to holding updated records of professional and amateur boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a MediaWiki-based encyclopaedia of boxing. The objective of the site is to document every profess ...
, seventh by the
Transnational Boxing Rankings Board The Transnational Boxing Rankings Board (TBRB) is an all-volunteer initiative formed in October 2012 with the intention of providing professional boxing with authoritative top-ten rankings, identifying the singular world champion of every divisio ...
, and eighth by ''The Ring'' magazine. He is the son of former two-division world boxing champion
Chris Eubank Christopher Livingstone Eubank (born 8 August 1966) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 1998. He held the WBO middleweight and super-middleweight titles between 1990 and 1995, and is ranked by BoxRec as the thir ...
.


Early life

Eubank was born in Hove, East Sussex, the son of
Chris Eubank Christopher Livingstone Eubank (born 8 August 1966) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 1998. He held the WBO middleweight and super-middleweight titles between 1990 and 1995, and is ranked by BoxRec as the thir ...
and Karron Suzanne Stephen-Martin. He was a pupil at
Brighton College Brighton College is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 3 to 18 in Brighton, England. The school has three sites: Brighton College (the senior school, ages 11 to 18); Brighton College Preparatory Sc ...
, Shoreham College for one year, and Spring Valley High School in Las Vegas for two years. Eubank featured alongside his father in the reality TV series '' At Home with the Eubanks''. At the age of 16, Eubank and his brother Sebastian (deceased 2021) moved to the United States to live with a guardian named Irene Hutton. It was explained by their mother Karron, as a paper adoption, as a means of gaining the two brothers
dual citizenship Multiple/dual citizenship (or multiple/dual nationality) is a legal status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a national or citizen of more than one country under the laws of those countries. Conceptually, citizenship is focused on ...
without the need to marry, and to enhance their prospects of sporting careers.


Amateur career

Eubank began his amateur career in 2007. With the winning of his sixth amateur fight, he became the Amateur
Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States, where they are awarded a belt and a ring. And the title of nations champion is awarded. The Golden Gloves is a term used to refer to the Nation ...
Champion for the State of Nevada in his weight division of 165 lbs. With his eighth amateur fight he became the Amateur Golden Glove Champion for the Western States of the United States in his weight division. Eubank was 1–1 in the 2008 National Golden Gloves. He ended his amateur career with a record of 24–2.


Professional career


Early career

Eubank turned professional in 2011 and signed with promoter
Mick Hennessy Mick Hennessy is a British boxing manager and promoter. He is the founder and CEO of Hennessy Sports. He was known for promoting Tyson Fury Tyson Luke Fury (born 12 August 1988) is an English professional boxer. He is a two-time world h ...
. He is mentored by his father, and trainer Ronnie Davies who also guided his father. Over the next three years, Eubank amassed a record of 18–0 with 13 knockouts to his name.


Middleweight

On 19 February 2014, Eubank signed a deal to appear on
BoxNation BoxNation was a British dedicated boxing subscription television channel, operated by Viaplay. The brand is licensed from George Warren's Queensbury Commercial. History BoxNation was launched by Frank Warren Promotions as a free-to-air channe ...
, with his first fight being at the
York Hall The York Hall, officially known as York Hall Leisure Centre, is a multi-purpose indoor arena and leisure complex in Bethnal Green, London, and is situated on Old Ford Road. The building opened in 1929 with a capacity of 1,200 and is now an inte ...
in London on 22 February. Eubank stopped Alistair Warren (0-4-2), after Warren retired on his stool before round 4. Eubank next fought at the
Copper Box Arena The Copper Box Arena is a multi-sport venue built for the 2012 Summer Olympics, located in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, England. Previously known as the Handball Arena, it was renamed because, aside from handball, it hosted mo ...
in London on 12 April against Hungarian boxer Sandor Micsko. Eubank landed a big uppercut in round 2, which dropped Micsko. The referee waved the fight off. In the post-fight, Eubank said, "I'm the next generation. I worked on the uppercut in the gym and I connected beautifully tonight. When I connect with these guys I'm taking them out, no one can stand up to my power and I'll only get better and stronger. I'm ready for a title fight now." On 10 May, at the
Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...
in Liverpool, Eubank dropped Polish boxer Robert Swierzbinkski (13-2, 3 KOs) seven times, eventually stopping him in round 7. Eubank was then added to a 7 June card, two days prior to it taking place at
Metro Radio Arena The Utilita Arena Newcastle (formerly the Newcastle Arena, Telewest Arena and Metro Radio Arena) is a large indoor arena in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Owned and operated by ASM Global and sponsored by Utilita Energy, it hosts m ...
in Newcastle. It was said that a win would move Eubank closer to a potential grudge match with
Billy Joe Saunders Billy Joe Saunders (born 30 August 1989) is a British professional boxer. He is the first fighter from the Travelling community to win world championships in two weight classes, including the WBO middleweight title from 2015 to 2018 and the W ...
, who was challenging for the vacant European title in July. Czech boxer Štěpán Horváth (12-3, 4 KOs) was his opponent. Eubank dropped Horváth four times, stopping him in round 6. This was Eubank's eighth straight stoppage win. On the Saunders vs. Blandamura undercard on 26 July at the
Phones 4u Arena Manchester Arena, currently referred to as the AO Arena for sponsorship reasons, is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, immediately north of the city centre and partly above Manchester Victoria station in air rights space. The arena has the ...
in Manchester, Eubank stopped Croatian journeyman Ivan Jukic (19-2, 12 KOs) after just 2 minutes and 40 seconds of the opening round.


Eubank vs. Saunders

On 15 September 2014, Frank Warren announced that Eubank would challenge fellow unbeaten British rival
Billy Joe Saunders Billy Joe Saunders (born 30 August 1989) is a British professional boxer. He is the first fighter from the Travelling community to win world championships in two weight classes, including the WBO middleweight title from 2015 to 2018 and the W ...
for his British, Commonwealth and European titles on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs. Derek Chisora II on 9 November at the
ExCeL arena ExCeL London (an abbreviation for Exhibition Centre London) is an exhibition centre, international convention centre and former hospital in the Custom House area of Newham, East London. It is situated on a site on the northern quay of the Roy ...
. The fight was not officially signed as Warren was waiting for Eubank to sign the contract. Warren gave Eubank until 5pm on 25 September. On 3 October the fight was confirmed, but would take place on 29 November instead and would also be a WBO final eliminator. Eubank fought at the Echo Arena on 25 October in a scheduled 8 round fight. Eubank knocked out German boxer Omar Siala in round 2 after a right uppercut. Eubank lost his unbeaten record when he lost a split decision to Saunders. The bout went the distance, with the experienced Saunders controlling the first six rounds with his footwork, elusive style and technical boxing ability, as Eubank was mostly inactive, with many speculating to him being over cautious due to nervousness and 'stage fright' as it was his first major title bout of his professional career. Regardless, from round seven onward Eubank took control with a much higher punch output, this resulted in the two young boxers brawling and trading hard shots for the rest of the fight. In the twelfth round, Eubank came out gunning for the knockout but was unable to get it. The early inactivity turned out to be the deciding factor as Saunders was victorious. One judge scored the bout 116–113 to Eubank, while the other two judges scored it 115–114 and 115–113 in favour of Saunders.


Eubank vs. Chudinov

On 30 December 2014, Frank Warren announced that Eubank would fight undefeated Russian boxer and WBA interim middleweight champion
Dmitry Chudinov Dmitry Chudinov (born 15 September 1986) is a Russian professional boxer who held the WBA interim middleweight title from 2013 to 2015. His younger brother, Fedor Chudinov, is also a professional boxer. Professional career Chudinov started h ...
(14-0-2, 9 KOs), on 28 February 2015 at
The O2 Arena The O2 Arena, commonly known as the O2 (stylised as The O2 arena), is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of the O2 entertainment complex on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the s ...
in London on the undercard of
Tyson Fury Tyson Luke Fury (born 12 August 1988) is an English professional boxer. He is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having held the World Boxing Council, WBC title since defeating Deontay Wilder in 2020, and ''The Ring (magazine), The Ring'' ...
vs.
Christian Hammer Christian Hammer (born Cristian Ciocan) is a Romanian-German professional boxer who held the WBO European heavyweight title three times between 2012 and 2018. Professional career Ciocan's first coach was Felix Păun. Hammer vs. Gregorin He t ...
. Eubank scored a 12th-round TKO win over Chudinov and Eubank's efforts earned him the WBA interim middleweight title. At the time of stoppage, Eubank was ahead on all three judges scorecards 106–103, 108–101, 107–102. In round 2, an accidental clash of heads caused a cut above Chudinov's left eye. Eubank spent the rest of the fight landing power shot combinations and breaking Chudinov down. After the win, Eubank sought a rematch with Saunders, "This result is redemption and I'm back. And I want that rematch, Billy Joe Saunders. I'm coming for you." Ultimately however, despite given multiple chances Eubank refused to sign the fight which would have earned him close to £1million. On 1 April 2015, it was announced that Eubank would finally meet rival Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan in May at the
Wembley Arena Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-sea ...
in London. The fight however did not take place. After a 2015 that was mostly inactive, Eubank signed to promoter
Eddie Hearn Edward John Hearn (born 8 June 1979) is a British sports promoter who is chairman of Matchroom Sport and Professional Darts Corporation. Hearn is the son of promoter Barry Hearn, the founder of Matchroom Sport. Education Hearn was a student a ...
under the
Matchroom Sport Matchroom Sport is a sporting event promotions company founded by English entrepreneur Barry Hearn and run by Hearn and his son Eddie Hearn. It first came to attention in the sports of snooker and boxing and is also involved in pool (cue sports), ...
banner. Hearn is the son of Eubank Sr.'s former promoter
Barry Hearn Barry Maurice William Hearn (born 19 June 1948) is an English sporting events promoter and the founder and President of promotions company Matchroom Sport. Through Matchroom, Hearn is also involved in many sports including snooker, darts, pool ...
. Veteran trainer Adam Booth was added to the team to co-train Eubank. His first fight following his signing with Matchroom was a bout against American Tony Jeter, making his debut on
Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
on 24 October. After knocking Jeter down in the first round, Eubank was able to knock him down twice in the second round before landing a flurry of combinations to Jeter, forcing the referee to stop the fight. Following the bout, Eubank was stripped of the interim WBA middleweight title due to his inactivity since winning it. Eubank then faced Gary "Spike" O'Sullivan in an eliminator to challenge the ''
de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...
'' WBA middleweight champion, Daniel Jacobs.


Eubank vs. O'Sullivan

Talks resurfaced about a potential fight with Irish boxer
Gary O'Sullivan Gary "Spike" O'Sullivan (born 14 July 1984) is an Irish professional boxer. Between 2009 and 2017, he held multiple middleweight championships at regional level including the Boxing Union of Ireland, Irish title. He also acted and performed s ...
to take on 12 December 2015 at the O2 Arena in London on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs. Dillian Whyte. The fight was well anticipated, as the pair had a history of feuds in the past, with O'Sullivan targeting Eubank on
social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
. The fight throughout had the pace set by Eubank Jr, however O'Sullivan showed great resilience to Eubank's continuous hard shots, particularly uppercuts. At the end of the 7th round, O'Sullivan's corner retired their fighter, who had sustained a
perforated eardrum A perforated eardrum (tympanic membrane perforation) is a hole in the eardrum. It can be caused by infection (otitis media), trauma, overpressure (loud noise), inappropriate ear clearing, and changes in middle ear pressure. An otoscope can be us ...
. Immediately after Eubank defeated O'Sullivan, Hennessey Sports announced that they had won the purse bids and the rights to stage Eubank vs.
Nick Blackwell Nick Blackwell (born 27 October 1990) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2009 to 2016. He won the English middleweight title in 2010, at the age of twenty, becoming the youngest boxer to do so. In 2011 and 2012 he challen ...
for Blackwell's British middleweight title.


Eubank vs. Blackwell

In February 2016, Hennessy Sports announced the fight between Eubank and Blackwell (19-3-1, 8 KOs) would take place on 26 March at the Wembley's SSE Arena in London. The fight was shown live on Channel 5. Eubank dominated the fight to the point that his trainer, father Chris Eubank Sr., began imploring the referee to stop the fight. Following the eighth round, the elder Eubank instructed Eubank to stop hitting Blackwell in the head. The referee finally called a stop to the fight at 2:21 in the 10th round, and awarded Eubank the win, and the title, by TKO. Blackwell was taken to hospital with bleeding on the brain, and was placed in a medically induced coma for treatment. The fight averaged 1.5 million viewers on Channel 5.


Eubank vs. Doran

After re-signing with Matchroom Sport, it was announced on
Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
on 18 May 2016 that Eubank will fight on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs. Dominic Breazeale at
The O2 The O2 is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars, and restaurants. It was built largely withi ...
on 25 June. Tom Doran was announced as Eubank Jr's opponent on 19 May. Eubank had continued to climb up the ladder since joining Matchroom, having achieved a ranking of number two by the WBA and number three by the WBC. Eubank won via 4th-round TKO to retain the British Middleweight title. Doran was down once in the 3rd round and three times in the 4th as the referee waved off the fight. Eubank called out Gennady Golovkin in the post fight interview. It was announced on 12 August, Eubank would make a mandatory defence of his British middleweight title against fellow British and undefeated Commonwealth and WBO Inter-Continental middleweight champion Tommy Langford after promoter Frank Warren won a purse bid to stage the fight. Eubank, however, relinquished the title in September after suffering an injury in sparring. Throughout 2016, Eubank made it clear that he wanted to challenge undefeated unified middleweight champion Gennady Golvokin. A potential fight which could see Eubank earn up to £6 million, was only being held up by Sky, who would broadcast the fight on PPV. Eubank Sr. wanted his son to earn a bigger share, due to the risk of fighting a big puncher. By July, Golovkin had signed his end of the deal, only waiting on Eubank. On 8 July, Eddie Hearn offered the deal to then-IBF welterweight champion
Kell Brook Ezekiel "Kell" Brook (born 3 May 1986) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2022. He held the IBF welterweight title from 2014 to 2017, and challenged once for a unified middleweight world title in 2016. At regiona ...
, who took the deal to fight Golovkin on 10 September. Eubank immediately hit out at critics stating he had never been presented with the fight contract. Boxers including Tommy Langford, Martin Murray, Curtis Stevens began calling out Eubank.


Super-middleweight


Eubank vs. Quinlan

On 13 December 2016, Eubank announced via his
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
page that he would be making his debut in the
super-middleweight Super middleweight, or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing In professional boxing, super middleweight is contested between the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, in which boxers can weigh between 160 pounds ( ...
division on
ITV Box Office ITV Box Office was a pay-per-view channel from ITV plc launched in February 2017, and ceased operations in January 2020. The channel was available in HD-only on Sky, and events were also available on demand only on Virgin Media (UK) and TVPlaye ...
. The last time ITV showed live boxing was in July 2015, when
Carl Frampton Carl Frampton (born 21 February 1987) is a former professional boxer from Northern Ireland who competed from 2009 to 2021. He is a former two-weight world champion, having held the WBA (Unified) and IBF super-bantamweight titles between 2014 a ...
defended his IBF super-bantamweight title against Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. In the same post, stated he would be fighting 27 year old Australian boxer
Renold Quinlan Renold Vatubua Quinlan (born 7 July 1989) is an Australian professional boxer of Indigenous and Fijian descent. Best known for knocking out former world champion Daniel Geale, Quinlan held the IBO super-middleweight title from 2016 to 2017. ...
(11-1, 7 KOs) for his IBO super-middleweight title. Quinlan won the then-vacant IBO title defeating former world champion Daniel Geale in October via knockout in round two. The date of the fight was confirmed to be 4 February 2017 with the venue being at the
Lee Valley VeloPark Lee Valley VeloPark is a cycling centre on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, London, England. It is owned and managed by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, and it was opened to the public in March 2014. The facility was one of the ...
,
Olympic Park An Olympic Park is a sports campus for hosting the Olympic Games. Typically it contains the Olympic Stadium and the International Broadcast Centre. It may also contain the Olympic Village or some of the other sports venues, such as the aquatics ...
, in London. Following the announcement of the fight, jnr hit back at fans on social media who claimed the IBO belt isn't a 'real world title', "That title has been held by some of the greatest champions in recent boxing history and it’s currently held by Gennady Golovkin, at middleweight. You can’t tell me anything, it’s a legitimate world title." He also stated his move to super-middleweight was not permanent. He saw an opportunity to fight for a world title and took it. If he can win the world title, then he will negotiate with other champions. Despite having not previously fought at super-middleweight, the December WBC ranking update had Eubank at number seven, previously being number two at middleweight. On 6 January 2017, Quinlan threatened to walk away from the fight. The reason being there was little to no promotion, with the fight being only weeks away. he stated the build up has not been enough to promote the biggest fight of his career, "It’s only a few weeks away and I've got the feeling that it’s going to be delayed. There’s been no media around it and it’s not getting the exposure it should be. I've been training well but I’m not 100 per cent focused now. I have a feeling it's going to get pulled." On fight night, Eubank stopped Quinlan in round 10 in a fairly one-sided fight to win the IBO super-middleweight title. The fight was stopped by referee Howard John Foster, 2 minutes and 7 seconds of round 10 after seeing Quinlan backed up against the ropes being hit with continuous head shots. After a steady start, Eubank started taking control in the fifth round when he started using his speed advantage over Quinlan. After the fight was stopped, Eubank stood on the ropes in the corner in his trademark stance. In the post-fight interview, he gave credit to Quinlan, describing him as a tough fighter, "It was like hitting concrete. Big respect to Renold Quinlan. He flew halfway around the world to defend his title against one of the best in the world. He didn't have to do that." Eubank claimed that he was comfortable making 160 and 168 pounds and wanted to fight Golovkin,
Saunders Saunders is a surname of English and Scottish patronymic origin derived from Sander, a mediaeval form of Alexander.See also: Sander (name) People * Ab Saunders (1851–1883), American cowboy and gunman * Al Saunders (born 1947), American footb ...
or DeGale next.


Eubank vs. Abraham

Reports suggested on 1 June 2017 that Eubank would make his ring return in July 2017 defending his IBO super middleweight title against former multiple weight world champion
Arthur Abraham Avetik Abrahamyan ( hy, Ավետիք Աբրահամյան; born 20 February 1980), best known as Arthur Abraham, is an Armenian-German former professional boxer who competed from 2003 to 2018. He held multiple world championships in two weight ...
(46-5, 30 KOs) in London. It is believed that Eubank was offered in the region of £3 million. The two potential dates discussed were 15 and 22 July. At the time the fight was being discussed, Abraham was the
mandatory challenger In professional boxing and some other combat sports, a mandatory challenger is an opponent whom a champion must either fight or be forced to vacate their title as champion. A mandatory defence is the opposite of a voluntary defence, where the champi ...
to the WBO title, held by
Gilberto Ramirez Gilberto is the Iberian and Italian version of the originally Norman-French given name ''Gilbert'', used in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish languages. In Galician, it's spelled Xilberto or Xilberte. ''Gilbert'' is ultimately derived from the G ...
, who defeated Abraham in April 2015. It would be regarded as Eubanks' biggest fight since his loss to Saunders in 2014. On 5 June, it was confirmed that the fight would take place at the
Wembley Arena Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-sea ...
on 15 July and televised on ITV Box Office. The official press announcement was scheduled to take place on 7 June. At the weigh in, Abraham weighed 12st 1lb 5oz, which was 1lb 13oz over the limit. He was given two hours to lose the extra weight. Eubank weighed inside the limit at 11st 13lb 3oz. It was said that if Abraham couldn't make weight a second time, the fight would still take place in a non-title fight. Abraham made weight on the third attempt. Eubank won via a unanimous decision with the scorecards 120–108, 120–108 and 118–110. Abraham had little to offer, mostly in defence mode as Eubank out landed and outpointed him. The last time Eubank went the 12 round distance was his split decision loss to Saunders in November 2014, and the last time he won a fight on points was on his 8th professional fight in December 2012. Eubank landed staggering uppercuts throughout the fight, many single and some in combinations, with Abraham only managing to connect a few shots clean, but left little to no damage. Eubank spoke of Abraham's performance, "He's definitely the most durable opponent I've faced. I hit him with every shot in the book. He didn't win a round and I'm happy with the performance." With the win, Eubank advanced into the World Boxing Super Series, where he could potentially meet WBA 'super' champion George Groves in the semi-finals.


World Boxing Super Series

On 7 July 2017, the
World Boxing Super Series The World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) is a professional boxing tournament organised by Comosa AG. Each weight class features eight boxers competing in an annual knockout competition with the champion from each weight class taking the Muhammad Al ...
announced the winner of Abraham and Eubank would be taking part in the super-middleweight knockout tournament.


=Eubank vs. Yıldırım

= At the Draft Gala in Monte Carlo on 8 July,
Chris Eubank Sr. Christopher Livingstone Eubank (born 8 August 1966) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 1998. He held the WBO middleweight and super-middleweight titles between 1990 and 1995, and is ranked by BoxRec as the third ...
, who represented both Abraham and Eubank picked undefeated Turkish contender
Avni Yıldırım Avni Yıldırım (born 5 August 1991) is a Turkish professional boxer. He challenged for the IBO super-middleweight title in 2017, the WBC super-middleweight title in 2019, and the WBA (Super), WBC, and ''Ring'' magazine super-middleweight ti ...
(16-0, 10 KOs). The fight was confirmed following Eubank's lop-sided win over Abraham. Promoter Kalle Sauerland said official confirmation of a venue and date would be announced in the coming weeks. On 8 August, it was announced that the fight would take place on 7 October at the
Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle (sometimes shortened to Schleyer-Halle) is an indoor arena located in Stuttgart, Germany. The capacity of the arena is nearly 15,000 people. The venue was built in 1983 and is named for Hanns Martin Schleyer, a German fo ...
in
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
, Germany, marking it the second time Eubank would be fighting outside the UK since turning professional. Eubank used his hand speed and power shots to stop Yıldırım in round 3 of their fight to confirm his place in the semi finals of the tournament. Yıldırım was forced to take a knee in the opening round when Eubank landed a big uppercut. Yıldırım wasn't hard to hit as he lent forward whilst attacking. The fight came to an end after a flurry of shots, which were unanswered and the final punch was a left to the head which again dropped Yıldırım. Referee Leszek Jankowiak stopped the fight without counting, whilst Yıldırım attempted to get up. Some of the media and pundits felt the stoppage was premature and Yıldırım was recovering, however some felt as though he had taken too many blows to the head. At ringside after the fight, Eubank Jr told ITV, "I am here to dominate this tournament. I am sending a message out there that I am coming." Eubank landed 59 of 201 punches thrown (29%), whilst Yıldırım landed 23 of 91 thrown (25%). Before the fight, a big brawl broke out in the crowd.


=Eubank vs. Groves

= Due to winning their respective bouts in October 2017, Eubank and George Groves (27-3, 20 KOs) were due to meet in the semi final of the tournament. At first, promoter Kalle Sauerland stated he would try to book the fight for a stadium in either London or Manchester. In November 2017, ITV reported the fight was set to take place on 17 February 2018 at the
Manchester Arena Manchester Arena, currently referred to as the AO Arena for sponsorship reasons, is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, immediately north of the Manchester city centre, city centre and partly above Manchester Victoria station in air rights s ...
in Manchester, Europe's largest purpose-built indoor arena. The winner of the fight would earn his place in the final of the tournament as well as walk out with the
WBA (Super) The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is the oldest and one of four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Council (WBC), International Boxi ...
and IBO super-middleweight titles. Tickets for the fight sold out in seven minutes. Groves weighed 167 pounds, a full pound under the weight limit and Eubank came in at 167.5 pounds. Groves secured his place in the final of the tournament after defeating Eubank over 12 rounds. The judges scored the fight 117–112, 116–112 and 115–113 for Groves. Groves, the bigger man in the ring, used his jab to control the fight after a cagey round and mostly fought on the back foot, occasionally landing the big shot. An accidental clash of heads caused Eubank to receive a cut on the side of his right eye in round 3. The big cut was dealt with by his corner after the round, but as the fight went on to the later rounds, blood was seen flowing copiously. The fight was riddled with a lot of clinches and unclean punches from both boxers. Groves retained his WBA title but did not claim Eubank's IBO title as he did not pay their sanctioning fees. Groves also suffered a dislocated shoulder in round 12. It was said that Groves weighed around 184 pounds on fight night. After the fight, Groves said, "It was about who wanted it most, I think, and I obviously wanted it most. The jab was landing correctly all night. When he had success, it was because I did something wrong. He was strong, he was aggressive, but that obviously wasn’t enough tonight." Eubank replied, "I thought it was close. I thought I did enough in the later rounds to win the fight, but it was a close fight. And all credit to George. You know, this is all part of boxing. You win some and you lose some. Hopefully we can get a rematch. It was enough of a good fight to have another one." Punch stats showed that Groves landed 117 of 398 punches thrown (29%) and Eubank landed 92 of his 421 thrown (22%). Many pundits and former boxers stated Eubank should move forward and hire a trainer. Both boxers earned a base purse of £1.5 million, which could increase due to sponsorship and PPV sales. Four days after the fight it was revealed Groves didn't fight for the IBO belt after failing to agree on sanctioning fees with the IBO's president Ed Levine.


= Reserve fight

= On 9 May, Kalle Sauerland explained that Groves could potentially be replaced by Eubank Jr. in the final of the tournament against Smith, however there would be confirmation on the final in the next 10 days. Sauerland stated, "We're working at the moment on all the solutions and scenarios, where George rovesis fit and where he isn't. We’re hopeful roves will be fit so we’ll see. You can’t start the tournament and then have the final lingering into the next tournament. I’m sorry, that’s not going to happen. We can push a month, but we can’t push it back by three or four months. We have a substitute system. We said that from day one, and that’s the situation. We want Groves in the final, but if that’s not possible and he doesn't declare himself fit in the next 10 days, we have to find a solution." On 17 September, Sauerland announced that Eubank would fight Irish boxer JJ McDonagh (16-4, 8 KOs) on the George Groves vs Callum Smith undercard on 28 September at The Indoor Sports Hall at
King Abdullah Sports City King Abdullah Sports City (Arabic: مدينة الملك عبدالله الرياضية), also nicknamed The Shining Jewel, in Arabic (al-Jawharaa Al-Moshe'ah) (Arabic: الجوهرة المشعة) or simply The Jewel, in Arabic (al-Jawhara) (A ...
in
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's promi ...
. Eubank won the fight via corner retirement. McDonagh chose to stay on his stool after round 3, complaining of a shoulder injury. The crowd booed the stoppage after an entertaining round 3. McDonagh was knocked down in the opening round from a left hand to the head. In round 3, Eubank began to land a lot of shots on McDonagh. McDonagh was willing to stand and trade with Eubank. The high work rate from Eubank eventually backed McDonagh off. Eubank was not convinced McDonagh injured his shoulder and only took the fight on short notice for a payday. A fight nearly broke out when McDonagh heard Eubank's comments.


Eubank vs. DeGale

On 3 January 2019, an official press conference took place to announce the
James DeGale James Frederick DeGale (born 3 February 1986) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2009 to 2019. He held the IBF super-middleweight title twice between 2015 and 2018, and regionally the European and British super-middleweig ...
vs. Chris Eubank Jr. grudge match, which would take place on 23 February at
The O2 Arena The O2 Arena, commonly known as the O2 (stylised as The O2 arena), is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of the O2 entertainment complex on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the s ...
in London, exclusively on
ITV Box Office ITV Box Office was a pay-per-view channel from ITV plc launched in February 2017, and ceased operations in January 2020. The channel was available in HD-only on Sky, and events were also available on demand only on Virgin Media (UK) and TVPlaye ...
, as part of ITV's new deal with Haymon Sports’
Premier Boxing Champions ''Premier Boxing Champions'' (PBC) is an ongoing series of televised boxing events connected to manager Al Haymon. PBC was initially promoted as an effort to return boxing to mainstream broadcast and cable television, as opposed to premium chann ...
. The rivalry between DeGale (25-2-1, 15 KOs) and Eubank began a few years ago, after a series of run-ins, from sparring one another in the gym to trading verbal insults across social media. Serious talks around the fight first began in July 2018 after DeGale vacated his IBF super-middleweight title. The last time DeGale fought a fellow British boxer, was the majority decision loss to George Groves in May 2011. The fight was originally slated to take place in December 2018, however a deal had yet to be agreed. The possibility of the fight was first announced in November 2018 with PBC's plans to 'Invade UK Market', it was then stated a pay-per-view bout would be imminent. Eubank revealed he had been training in Las Vegas at the Mayweather Boxing Club alongside former boxer Nate Vasquez, who trains boxers and MMA fighters. Eubank said, "Instead of me going through the motions and trying to beat guys using heart and determination. Now we have strategy involved. This is going to take me to the next level."
International Boxing Organization The International Boxing Organization (IBO) is a US based corporation that sanctions professional boxing matches and awards world and regional championships. It is an independent and well-known organization not recognized by the "big four" gove ...
president Ed Levine confirmed their
super-middleweight Super middleweight, or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing In professional boxing, super middleweight is contested between the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, in which boxers can weigh between 160 pounds ( ...
title would be at stake. On 23 February, Chris Eubank Jr. defeated James DeGale by unanimous decision. The scorecards read 114–112, 115–112 and 117–109 for Eubank Jr. DeGale suffered knocked downs in round 2 and round 10 after Eubank Jr. barraged him with series of blows.


Return to middleweight


Eubank vs. Korobov

On 7 December 2019, Eubank Jr., ranked #1 by the WBA faced former title contender
Matt Korobov Matvey Georgiyevich Korobov (russian: Матвей Георгиевич "Мэтт" Коробов; born 7 January 1983) is a Russian professional boxer. He challenged once for the WBO middleweight title in 2014, as well as the WBC interim midd ...
, ranked #3 by the WBA for the vacant WBA interim middleweight title. Korobov got off to a strong start. However, 20 seconds into the second round, Korobov injured his left shoulder. Shortly after, Korobov couldn't continue, and the referee awarded Eubank Jr. with a second-round TKO win.


Eubank vs. Morrison

After a layoff of almost seventeen months, Eubank Jr. returned on 1 May 2021 to face Marcus Morrison at the AO Arena in Manchester, England, under the stewardship of former four-division world champion
Roy Jones Jr. Roy Levesta Jones Jr. (born January 16, 1969) is an American former professional boxer who holds dual American and Russian citizenship. He competed in boxing from 1989 to 2018, and held multiple world championships in four weight classes, inc ...
as his new trainer. Eubank Jr. was victorious via unanimous decision, with all three judges' scorecards reading 98–92 in his favour. Post-fight, Eubank Jr. reflected on the bout which had gone the full ten-round distance: "I had him
orrison Orrison is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bob Orrison (1928–2011), American film and television stunt performer * Carrol Orrison (born 1929), American politician * Katherine Orrison (born 1948), American set decorator, prod ...
hurt bad in the second round and probably could have ended the fight. But I wanted rounds. I wanted to use some of the stuff that Roy Jones has taught me. Experience the instructions he was giving me. If I see an opening, I usually take it. But I'm here to learn with a new coach. You can't get better by knocking a guy out in the second round. I decided to keep him in there. He's a tough kid."


Eubank vs. Awdijan

On 16 October 2021, Eubank Jr. faced Wanik Awdijan at the Newcastle Arena. The former's shorts and ring-walk robe were adorned by the name of Sebastian, his brother who had died in July 2021. Eubank Jr. won the bout via fifth-round corner retirement.


Eubank vs. Williams

In the biggest indoor arena boxing show in Cardiff, Wales in over 20 years, Eubank Jr. faced his Welsh rival, former world title contender Liam Williams, in a grudge match at the
Motorpoint Arena Cardiff Cardiff International Arena (formerly known as Cardiff International Arena & Convention Centre and later, for sponsorship reasons, Motorpoint Arena Cardiff) is an indoor exhibition centre and events arena located in Cardiff, Wales, and was ope ...
on 5 February 2022. Williams' home advantage ultimately did not pay off, as Eubank Jr. produced a dominant display to emerge as the winner via wide unanimous decision, with judges' scorecards of 116–109, 116–108 and 117–109. In the first round, Eubank Jr. sent his opponent to the canvas when he knocked Williams down with a
jab A jab is a type of punch used in martial arts. Several variations of the jab exist, but every jab shares these characteristics: while in a fighting stance, the lead fist is thrown straight ahead and the arm is fully extended from the side of ...
. He scored another knockdown in the second round, this time knocking the Welshman down with a left hook. Williams was down yet again in the fourth round as a result of a slick Eubank Jr. combination. Although Williams improved in the middle rounds, Eubank Jr. scored a fourth knockdown in the eleventh round, before showboating in the twelfth and final round to cement what had been a dominant performance. Speaking in his post-fight interview, a satisfied Eubank Jr. stated his happiness with his victory in spite of Williams' dirty tactics and pre-fight trash talk: "I am happy with the performance, I wanted to teach that man a lesson, he said some quite menacing things to me in the lead-up to this fight. I wanted to punish him. I didn't want to knock him out in one round, I wanted to punish him. Headbutts, headlocks, I am surprised he didn't get disqualified. But I took it like a man and I punished him like I said I would. It was a fun night."


Eubank vs Conor Benn

In 2022, Eubank Jr. announced he would face
Conor Benn Conor Nigel Benn (born 28 September 1996) is a British professional boxer who has held the WBA Continental welterweight title since 2018. He is the son of former two-division world champion of boxing, Nigel Benn. As of May 2022, Benn is ranke ...
at a catch weight of 157lbs. This fight has been marketed as a grudge match of sorts, considering the fathers of both boxers,
Chris Eubank Christopher Livingstone Eubank (born 8 August 1966) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 1998. He held the WBO middleweight and super-middleweight titles between 1990 and 1995, and is ranked by BoxRec as the thir ...
and
Nigel Benn Nigel Gregory Benn (born 22 January 1964) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1987 to 1996. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the WBO middleweight title in 1990 and the WBC super-middleweight ti ...
, maintained a fierce rivalry throughout the early-mid '90s, culminating in two fights: a TKO victory for Eubank during their first meeting in 1990, and a draw three years later in their second fight. The fight was scheduled to take place on 8 October 2022 at London's O2 Arena. Eubank Jr. later admitted in an interview that he was struggling to reach the required 157lbs weight limit, which proved to be cause for worry with his father, who threatened to pull him out of the fight. Eubank Jr. has also stated that if he did lose the fight, he would retire.Interview itv's GMB morning show 30 September 2022. Benn and Eubank On 5 October 2022, a statement was released from the British Boxing Board of Control declaring the fight was prohibited from taking place on after Benn tested positive for
clomifene Clomifene, also known as clomiphene, is a medication used to treat infertility in women who do not ovulate, including those with polycystic ovary syndrome. Use results in a greater chance of twins. It is taken by mouth once a day, with a course ...
. Benn's promoters, Matchroom Sport, released a statement saying, "Benn has not been charged with any rule violation, he is not suspended, and he remains free to fight." Despite Eubanks' promoter also saying the fight will go ahead as scheduled, it was officially postponed.


Professional boxing record


Pay-per-view bouts


References


External links

*
Chris Eubank Jr - Profile, News Archive & Current Rankings
a
Box.Live
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eubank, Chris Jr. 1989 births Living people Black British sportspeople British Boxing Board of Control champions English male boxers People from Hove English people of Jamaican descent People educated at Brighton College Middleweight boxers Super-middleweight boxers International Boxing Organization champions