Eubank is a Legend

atberry · Apr 15, 2012

I came up the hard way, I came against all the trickest tasks, from the most relentless punching welterweights I ever saw in Eric Holland and Michael Jutsin, to tackling cruiserweights on a few hours notice a few weeks apart, to the most awkward southpaw stance I ever saw in my fifth fight, and then taking on a world-rated middleweight after just 11 fights. All the while living out of one room and working day jobs to make ends meet. I dug deep and won all my fights and came out and got signed up by the wisest promoter of all, in Barry Hearn.
Click to expand...

I had traded punches around the gyms of New York City with the best amateur boxers in the United States, like Milton and Breland and Ramos and Rivera, as a modest English teenager, and that brings you on, but not only that, but the style of sparring in New York - where gym fights were expected to be life-and-death affairs, where sparring was expected to be fistic warfare on a merciless scale; the only way to truly learn.
When I came back to the United Kingdom, the ABA champions Rod Douglas and John Beckles were physically the strongest amateur-come-professionals in the game and I did sparring with them, I did sparring with Errol Christie who had everything other than durability underneath 16oz gloves and head gear, and Herol Graham who was the best I ever saw at avoiding punches. All this phenonemal sparring was paramount. You learn so much when you pitch your big toes into the canvas, bite down on your mouth piece and throw punches with top gym fighters.
Click to expand...

The toughest man I ever fought in terms of absorbance was Eduardo Contreras from Argentina. I hit his head with two tonnes of force 500 times and he wasn't phased. He was also very elusive and very evasive, and hardly threw a punch; so it was the most frustrating night I ever spent in Brighton or Hove in my life.
Click to expand...

(Nigel) Benn was a phenomenal power puncher, he was taking guys off their feet in a round or two right the way up to the toughest New Yorker in the world in (Iran) Barkley. He became the No. 1 middleweight in late 1990, after the other world middleweight champions struggled with the men Benn blasted out. Barry Hearn got the right fight at the right time for me and I knew the world was my oyster if I beat Benn.
I figured that he could only knock me out, and I figured that since I had never even been put down in my life, I had a better chance than any of enduring any punch he gets in. He had only fought men who stood in front of him; so I used the ring generalship, moving and dancing. I bypassed my jab to earn his respect and kept my hands at stomach-height to throw him off.
It was a tactical triumph and also one of determination, because he hurt me like no man had hurt me before and I battled through the pain barriers to wait for the moment I had subconsciously expected as an exhausted recluse for 80% of the 80s. I was as tunnel-visioned and objective as any young man could possibly be for so many years running that Benn - the playboy and golden boy - really had no idea what he had got himself into until it was too late.
Click to expand...

Dan Sherry and Gary Stretch were tall, young, undefeated guys with fast hands, awkward movement and difficult stances and who had never visited the canvas. But I out-fought and out-strengthed them both. Then came the two (Michael) Watson fights, which we won't go into today. Sugar Boy Malinga was a fine, defensively compact, long-armed boxer whom I out-sped and out-manuevered and also dropped and nearly stopped. Malinga had never visited the canvas.
Over my next five fights, I felt like I had mastered boxing. I was world champion, 35-0-0, and recently purchased a twin mansion, married with two children and a third on the way. I was only 26. I just trained harder than everyone else and had done for 10 years.
Click to expand...

The Benn rematch was a thing where, you know, in my head I have already beaten this man - conquered him. All he can do is punch. I know I can take his punch. What I didn't expect was for him to use tactical maturity and elusive defensive evasions prior to launch. He did good. I came in heavy and sluggish, but that's no excuse for underestimating Nigel that night. 43,000 fans paid millions of pounds to see us in the flesh, when they could so easily have watched for free, and that mass of faces that looked like even more on the night really threw me off. It was a fair draw and I had no complaints.
Click to expand...

Why or how (Steve) Collins threw me off had nothing to do with claims of hypnotism or silly stunts. It was merely a racial thing. He made what I perceieved as a racist remark, and I hated him for it. I had succeeded in all 43 of my previous fights because I let the opponent be subjective as I remained objective. Collins was the first guy to make me go into the ring being subjective and that's why I lost.
Click to expand...

The masses hated me for so many years when I was winning, and it's the way my cookie crumbled that I had to come back and take my beatings and losses to gain the respect I always craved. I liken the (Joe) Calzaghe and (Carl) Thompson fights to that scene in the movie One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest where Jack Nicholson's character tries to pull that heavy, bolted-down sink out of the floor and throw it out the window so he can escape the nut house and go and watch the World Series. You want him to succeed so badly, but as hard as he tries, he simply can't. That was the scene that made him.
Click to expand...

Leddgend!!

Bryn · Apr 15, 2012

I was wondering where you were, Chris. Back from Ireland, now?

GazOC · Apr 15, 2012

What was the remark Collins made?

atberry · Apr 15, 2012

Something about Eubank being ashamed of his African roots

GazOC · Apr 15, 2012

atberry said: ↑

Something about Eubank being ashamed of his African roots
Click to expand...

Right! I can see where Collins might have been coming from with that remark.

Primadonna Kool · Apr 15, 2012

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYkoW0bzuKc[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPbeVBlwE38&feature=relmfu[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP2T9lBD4ok&feature=relmfu[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzA5f_JQXgU&feature=relmfu[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPD_4rVSDc8&feature=relmfu[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIhQvh1jtF4&feature=relmfu[/ame]

teeto · Apr 15, 2012

the man is truly a legend and I don't just mean inbetween the ropes, a great man, all hail Chris Eubank

ApatheticLeader · Apr 15, 2012

teeto said: ↑

the man is truly a legend and I don't just mean inbetween the ropes, a great man, all hail Chris Eubank
Click to expand...

You shouldn't mean inbetween the ropes at all...

This thread's a joke, right?

achillesthegreat · Apr 16, 2012

Eubank needs to go into management like McGuigan. Pick up good talent and help them succeed.

Gooners2 · Apr 16, 2012

'Eubank has forgotten his roots. He is of African origin and seems to have forgotten that - instead he pretends to be an Englishman.' Steve Collins on Chris Eubank

'To be accused of ignoring my roots is pig ignorant. Collins's racist comment has focused my mind on the fight and I will beat him.' Eubank on Collins"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2003/aug/03/boxing.features1

I would't consider this racist, although its not something I would of said had I been Collins. I think Collins is just so proud to be an Irish man that maybe that's the angle he was coming from or something.

Johnny Coyle · Apr 16, 2012

Nice read. Eubanks class, love the way he speaks & presents himself

atberry · Apr 16, 2012

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfvig7qulPo[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6xYrMnV7hw[/ame]

D-MAC · Apr 16, 2012

Just seen Chris on Saturday there.

He was standing outside the Malone Lodge hotel, looking dapper as usual.

I take it he was over for his son's fight.

Went home to grab a camera, and a piece of paper and pen, but by the time I got back up to the hotel he was gone.:|

Primadonna Kool · Apr 16, 2012

Gooners2 said: ↑

'Eubank has forgotten his roots. He is of African origin and seems to have forgotten that - instead he pretends to be an Englishman.' Steve Collins on Chris Eubank

'To be accused of ignoring my roots is pig ignorant. Collins's racist comment has focused my mind on the fight and I will beat him.' Eubank on Collins"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2003/aug/03/boxing.features1

I would't consider this racist, although its not something I would of said had I been Collins. I think Collins is just so proud to be an Irish man that maybe that's the angle he was coming from or something.
Click to expand...

He's of jamaican roots you ****ing ******..? and how has he forgotten his roots..? Because he does not wear a rasta hat...? How should he act..?

Is there a certain way black folk should act..?

You ******.

Jun Fan · Apr 16, 2012

Collins had a way of getting into people's heads, but I definitely wouldn't call him a racist in any way though. Whatever he did, it must've worked twice! As great a boxer as Eubank was, I think Collins always had his number.

Log in or Sign up

Eubank is a Legend

atberry Boxing Junkie banned Full Member

Bryn Boxing Junkie banned

GazOC Guest Star for Team Taff Full Member

atberry Boxing Junkie banned Full Member

GazOC Guest Star for Team Taff Full Member

Primadonna Kool Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

teeto Obsessed with Boxing banned

ApatheticLeader *is bringing ***y back.* Full Member

achillesthegreat FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE Full Member

Gooners2 Archie Solis Full Member

Johnny Coyle . Full Member

atberry Boxing Junkie banned Full Member

D-MAC Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

Primadonna Kool Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

Jun Fan Active Member Full Member

Log in or Sign up

Forums

Eubank is a Legend

atberry Boxing Junkie banned Full Member

Bryn Boxing Junkie banned

GazOC Guest Star for Team Taff Full Member

atberry Boxing Junkie banned Full Member

GazOC Guest Star for Team Taff Full Member

Primadonna Kool Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

teeto Obsessed with Boxing banned

ApatheticLeader is bringing ***y back. Full Member

achillesthegreat FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE Full Member

Gooners2 Archie Solis Full Member

Johnny Coyle . Full Member

atberry Boxing Junkie banned Full Member

D-MAC Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

Primadonna Kool Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

Jun Fan Active Member Full Member

ApatheticLeader *is bringing ***y back.* Full Member