IN just a few hours Chris Eubank Jr will be stepping into the ring with George Groves to fight for the WBA super-middleweight title and a place in the final of the World Boxing Super Series. It is the biggest fight of his career and itโs tantalising to consider how the normally unflappable Eubank is feeling now.
โIโve been fighting my entire life. I was nervous in my first pro fight, walking to the ring my heart was pumping at a thousand beats per second. Now Iโm in my element. This is my home now,โ Junior said. โIโm too hungry. Iโm too committed. Iโve come too far now.โ
Eubank has a simple ambition, even if it is one that will be hard to accomplish. He wants to get to the same level that Anthony Joshua currently enjoys.
โHeavyweights they do have that pull, which is very hard to compete with. But Anthonyโs doing an amazing job. Heโs putting on great fights, heโs doing what he needs to do. Us as British fighters weโre looking at that and everyoneโs trying to emulate it. We all want to get to the position where you can fill up a stadium of 80,000, 100,000 people. I believe winning this tournament would put me in that same pool, well itโs not a pool because itโs just one guy. Itโd put me that same category. The potentialโs there for sure,โ Eubank reflected.
โ[Froch-Groves] was one fight, it was a one-off and it was a controversial fight before, there was the beef and the back and forth and so that created a lot of interest. Whereas Anthony heโs having these fights and heโs not even saying anything before these fights. Heโs shaking the guyโs hand and wishing him the best of luck. Itโs crazy. Iโve never seen anything like it. But the public, they love it. Itโs great. Itโs great for British boxing.
โBoxing is at an all time high now. If there was ever a time for [Eubank seniorโs era] to be replicated, this is it. This is the generation that can do it. The next generation.โ