HARLEM Eubank has claimed there is a “false narrative” circulating after his technical decision defeat to Jack Catterall in Manchester last night. It appeared at the time of the stoppage that Eubank’s cut, rather than Catterall’s horror gash, had caused the premature finish. Harlem says otherwise and believes DAZN was complicit in putting out inaccurate information.
“We were up, ready to go. My cut was a minor cut. We were looking at the other corner. The ref went over to the other corner. My doctor approved everything my side,” he said.
“We were raring to go. His corner was told he couldn’t continue. It was nothing to do with me. That was a fake narrative live on the commentary. There were so-called independent commentators in his dressing room before the fight, and coaching him ringside. I’ve not experienced something like that.”
During the post-fight media huddle, former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton was namechecked as a culprit. Harlem claimed he was once a fan but felt that matters had conspired against him on the night. Conor Benn also appeared before the main event, sent in to observe the hand-wrapping procedure of a family rival.
“This is the go-along to get-along gang. You see it in the commentary. You see it in the dressing room, these guys all pretending to be friends, sending Conor in. When Conor came in, when he left, I said, take a ringside seat and watch a display.
“The referee took it out of my hands in me winning in spectacular fashion tonight. Jack is a world-class operator. All the fighters scoring in the fight ringside had it even. I was just warming up.
“If you watch my championship fights, when I take out my opposition, that is exactly how I execute a game plan. The referee took that away from me tonight in not letting Jack Catterall continue.”
Harlem stated that his uncle, Chris Eubank Sr, who was absent due to a trip to Jamaica, had warned him about entering the lion’s den. Regardless, Eubank believed the game plan was on point when the seventh-round technical decision unfolded.
Harlem reckons he experienced, for the first time, the disdain present in British boxing towards the Eubank surname, pointing out that he usually comes on late in fights and forces stoppages. That was the idea here as well. And it was working, at least in his eyes.
“Most definitely. He’s a negative-style fighter. I took it away from him. That was the game plan, to make him pay late. I was starting to make him pay. I was starting to land clean shots,” Eubank concluded.
