Chris Eubank's thoughts on boxing history

atberry · Jun 26, 2011

The truly great fighters like Marvin Hagler, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta were all great fighters because they took their losses and came back.

There have only been two great champions who have retired undefeated - Rocky Marciano and Joe Calzaghe - but it's difficult to pop them in that same bracket because you only see someone truly great in the way they lose.

The career of Floyd Mayweather Jr is a work in progress. He's had 41 fights unbeaten but is not one of the greats yet because he's yet to do both his winning and losing. He's yet to show he can take his beatings like the true greats did.

To become a legend of your own time is another matter. To do that, you have to win a fight you can't win. Nigel Benn did that. He fought Gerald McClellan, got knocked down and battered, yet still won against a vicious opponent. At that point, he was a demigod.
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Floyd Mayweather Jr is the best today but you can't say the best of all time. It cannot be proven. Before him you had Roy Jones Jr. Sugar Ray Robinson was the best of his time and Sugar Ray Leonard the best of his time.

Mayweather is one of the best of all time, but not the very best because it can't be known. They are the most gifted and naturally talented fighters who applied.
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Roy Jones was in a league of his own. He never needed to jab, he threw left hook multiples faster than a strawweight could, won a round without being touched, 20 to 30 punches at a time, knocking a guy out with his hands behind his back... particular stuff like this is not normal. He was a devastating puncher as well.

He said I was the only fighter who could give him a challenge.
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Through constant application, I could move my feet and throw my punches as poetically as you can motion a body, but I wasn't naturally gifted like McCallum or Nunn, who were the most fluid fighters in the world.
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So many people always asked the question about whether Ali would have been the best had he been fighting in this day or that day. This is a nonsensical question in essence, because you cannot mix the eras.

Of his time, he was the most talented heavyweight, the most brilliantly stylish fighter. However, before him you had Joe Louis who was a demigod. Before him you had Jack Johnson, who was also a demigod. And you have heavyweights of the last 10 years who were demigods, their hands moved with more or less the same poetry as Ali's - Lennox Lewis, Roy Jones. The difference is this - Ali took a stand.

Boxing was only his foundation, that gave him his platform. It's Ali's integrity as a man that inspired me most. When I was invited to his birthday party at The Hilton in London, I gave him a card that read: 'This is what you mean to me: Moses, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali. Thank you very much, Chris Eubank.'
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I admired greatly the jab of Thomas Hearns. I knew I could never have a jab like his because I didn't have the same body structure he had, so mine was different.

I would say he had the greatest jab there ever was, but I haven't seen the entire history on footage so it's unfair.
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Against Larry Holmes, Ali took his beating, as any person who practices a quality of integrity does, and in so doing, again, even in defeat, people would say, 'What a guy. You inspired me.'
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PowerPuncher · Jun 26, 2011

Half of what Eubank says he says to make himself look good, the other half he says to make himself sound good

Bokaj · Jun 26, 2011

I've never thought of Nunn as fluid, but perhaps he was in his own way. Effective fighter, just can't really warm to his style.

Nice quotes, btw.

McGrain · Jun 26, 2011

Cheers.

Duodenum · Jun 26, 2011

When a karate publication years ago offered a list of their greatest competitive practitioners, the undefeated Bill "Superfoot" Wallace was not on top of it. Instead, Joe Lewis occupied that slot, and commentators repeatedly brought up his comportment in defeat as a key reason why.

Eubank's mention of this issue reminds me of Billy Conn's saying that, "When a fighter's undefeated, there's something wrong."

Imperial1 · Jun 26, 2011

Excellent stuff ..

Threetime no1 · Jun 26, 2011

I enjoyed that, good stuff. Cheers for sharing.

Vic-JofreBRASIL · Jun 26, 2011

I enjoyed that, but I agree 100% with PowerPuncher !

My dinner with Conteh · Jun 27, 2011

I agree with PP and Vic too, Eubank is full of pony at the best of times, although he does make some salient points here but much of it is waffle. This constant bull**** of 'not a real champion unless come back from defeat' is a joke. Fighters actually come back in the fight they're getting a good old pasting, rather than six months later when: well-rested, new strategy, more motivation (which can equal slightly less motivation for new winner) etc. Not that this doesn't deserved credit but dismissing the former shows what a bonehead Eubank is.

Also, anyone being 'inspired' by Ali vs Holmes needs their head testing. While incredibly sad, it is clearly one of the sports' most uninspiring moments. :-(

Mr Butt · Jun 27, 2011

nice little read , thanks

atberry · Jun 27, 2011

Nice Eubank interview

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

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

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

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

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

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

atberry · Jun 28, 2011

Notice the increase in sweat as the vids progress down - from dry forehead at start

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Chris Eubank's thoughts on boxing history

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