Eubank Sr on Roy Jones, Tyson and Hitman Hearns By Samuel Lee The wisdom of one Chris Eubanks Sr shines through again as he discusses AJ-Usyk, his sons new coach, his time in New York and Hagler-Hearns. Eubank’s indirect Joshua-Usyk prediction: I remember I was told as a teenager in the South Bronx this; a good big one will always beat a little good one. On Chris Jr-Roy Jones Jr connection: It’s a match made in heaven. The truth is I didn’t know Roy was a trainer or he’d of been my first choice for Christopher years ago. Response to some claiming Roy Jones relied on freakish reflexes so can’t make a great boxing coach: It’s nonsensical because you first have to actually learn basics before you can add your own moves and style. If you don’t master the basics first then nothing else comes off because you have no base to work from. It’s why you get many Roy Jones or Naseem Hamed imposters who get nowhere in the game, because they didn’t get the fundamentals down first and simply tried copying a finished product. Regarding Teddy Atlas and others talking down Mike Tyson as being mentally weak: Those comments by Atlas regarding Tyson get my back up. I saw Mike Tyson in April 1984 fight Winston Bent, the reigning Golden Gloves champion, when he was still 17. During an exchange in the second round, Bent jolted Tyson with a right hand to the temple. Tyson punched back with fury. He did not go down. He did not retreat. And in the next round he knocked Bent out. It was a perfect example of what Cus D’Amato meant when he talked about “character” in a fighter. Yes Mike quit in the second fight with Holyfield. But he proved himself a great fighter by allowing Lennox Lewis a ‘clean kill’, much like Roberto Duran eradicated his relent in the Ray Leonard second fight by allowing Tommy Hearns that ‘clean kill’ on him. I spoke to Tyson in 1983 at one of my first amateur fights. His favourite fighter, he said, was Rocky Marciano. “He broke their will,” Tyson said with reverence. “He was constantly coming in. But he swayed low, so the punches hit him on the shoulder. He didn’t get hit as much as people think he did. And we have in common fighting guys with longer reach.” Those were his words. He was big on character and toughness and showed it many times. One of Eubank’s biggest influences: The legendary Tommy Hearns showed me how to be great. On March 15th of ‘85 I drew blood from my opponents flesh with my bottom row teeth in front of 17,000 at the Golden Gloves, because I felt he was getting the better of me. Thomas Hearns was actually in attendance. On April 15th of the same year I watch on television Tommy Hearns and Marvellous Marvin go at it for nearly three rounds, Hagler getting the upper hand but Hearns continuing to stand and fight and go out on his shield, falling forward like an ancient Samurai. It was told to me a year later by a martial arts guru that a noble Japanese gentleman should die falling forwards. Hearns was the real deal. Hagler catches him with a right hand of such force that it twists Hearns’ neck and torso and travels right down to his boots; he doesn’t voluntarily turn his back as the commentators claimed. And it leaves him open for the ‘clean kill’. That inspired me. That’s one reason I won those first Benn and second Watson fights.
Rumour has it when nobody wanted to face Mark Breland in the opening round of the 1984 NYC golden gloves, 156lb Chris Eubank was asked at short notice to make 147 in just his 11th amateur fight. He WON the first round using his jab, before the ref stopped it with Eubank still on his feet in the second round causing Eubank to have the biggest hissy fit ever at the ref for stopping it. Johnny Bos and others used to tell the story.
