EXCLUSIVE When Chris Eubank Sr confronted Shane McGuigan

Chris Eubank

SHANE McGUIGAN has shrugged off the insults Chris Eubank Sr, and Junior, have slung his way.

Shane, the son of Barry McGuigan, was in the corner of Carl Frampton when he became a two-weight world champion, of course with George Groves for his fourth and first successful world title shot and is doing sterling work with Josh Taylor among others. He is a young trainer but feels little need to defend himself. Instead he believes the comments from the Eubanks are revealing.

โ€œTheyโ€™re threatened. I had an altercation with Eubank Senior in David Hayeโ€™s gym and I feel like that was because senior was so annoyed that David was training with me. Because I feel that deep down heโ€™d probably want to be able to work with David and sit on the side of the ring and mentor a guy like him,โ€ McGuigan told Boxing News. โ€œI was training all the lads and he came up and tried to undermine me in front of everyone. He said, โ€˜Sparring.โ€™ Because we were doing padwork.ย  (It was Tuesday, we do sparring Monday, Wednesday, Friday.) It was [absurd], my dad got offended by it and I laughed at him. Then he came up to me and gave me an apology. I said, โ€˜Chris I donโ€™t want your apology.โ€™ He went, โ€˜Well, Iโ€™m doing it for your dad then.โ€™ So thereโ€™s respect then between him and my father and thatโ€™s nice. I think he was a fantastic fighter and itโ€™s a shame that heโ€™s losing the respect and credibility. Heโ€™s his own worst enemy. Heโ€™s his own on worst enemy. Thatโ€™s the be all and end all.โ€

chris eubank

Frostiness in the build up to the World Boxing Super Series clash between Junior and George Groves therefore is understandable. McGuigan declined to dwell on the Eubank teamโ€™s analysis of the WBA super-middleweight title fight.

โ€œTheyโ€™re not underestimating him behind closed doors. Itโ€™s all a public faรงade,โ€ Shane said. โ€œI think everything you hear is pantomime. They live in this world where they feel like theyโ€™re a lot more intelligent and cultured than everyone. But in fact theyโ€™re not. And everyone can see them for who they truly are. They canโ€™t say these sort of things and get away with. They canโ€™t go and make these brash statements and comments because it comes back to bite you in the arse. You canโ€™t just shake hands at the end of it.โ€

McGuigan continued, โ€œHe [Eubank Senior] says he doesnโ€™t do it for the money, he does it for the love. Come on, letโ€™s be honest. He does it for the money this guy, everything he does is about money. I just hope on Saturday night that he looks after his son. If you have this arrogance and โ€˜warriorโ€™s codeโ€™ or whatever they call it, that heโ€™s invincible. You donโ€™t know. He doesnโ€™t know his son. Everyoneโ€™s got their own brain, everyone takes something slightly differentโ€ฆ Heโ€™s not invincible this kid and neither was Eubank senior. So I hope that for him, as a parent that he does look after him. I hope it never gets to that stage but if heโ€™s taking a lot of punishment, you canโ€™t have this thing that heโ€™s invincible, he can take shots all day long. George Groves is a world class puncher. I think he has to sit back and look at himself. Theyโ€™re definitely phased a little bit. Heโ€™s trying to put me down because maybe heโ€™s a little bit intimidated, a little bit scared. Heโ€™ll say that heโ€™s not but he knows that George has finally won that world title, he knows that heโ€™s on form, he knows that heโ€™s looking happy, confident and back to his best. Thatโ€™s probably phased him.โ€

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