HARLEM Eubank believes boxing must do more to protect fighters from themselves.
The 31-year-old spoke to Boxing News ahead of his fight tomorrow night (Saturday) against Jack Catterall. The full feature can be read [here], but Eubank also shared his thoughts on the comeback of Manny Pacquiao, who returns to the ring on July 19.
Both Eubank and Pacquiao compete in the welterweight division, but that’s where the similarities end. Eubank is one win away from changing the trajectory of his career, while Pacquiao, 46, is attempting to win a world title after a four-year absence from the ring.
Pacquiao will challenge 30-year-old WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The Filipino icon once blazed a trail through several weight classes, winning multiple world titles and securing his place among the sport’s all-time greats. However, concerns remain for Pacquiao, who has already fought 72 times in a career that spanned 26 years.
‘Pac Man’ was a whirlwind in his prime, but he absorbed plenty of punishment in both victory and defeat.
“People have to protect these fighters,” Eubank said. “Fighters have that fighting instinct in them, and that doesn’t go when you retire. Someone really needs to be around fighters, and there need to be things in place to protect them, because they’re always going to want to fight on. It’s in them — that’s what they’ve trained for, for so many years, to refine that instinct.
“Manny wants to come back, but I feel like there needs to be organisations in place that protect fighters as well. I don’t want to see Manny Pacquiao taking damage at this stage.”
