For world level boxer standards obviously There was an interview before the Collins fight where he said that he was afraid and wanted to call the fight off. It seemed like Collins had gotten in his head in a way I've never seen at that level.
He knew his limitations he was a humble man. Eubank Snr fought his heart out every time he was called on. Against Carl Thompson did he lose heart? Against Benn? How about Watson? Some of the guys he fought could take you out with one punch. Tell me if you know his beginnings in the gym does he lack heart? People who knew Chris attest to him starving through long camps of always hard sparring. Chris was said to spend the last week before a fight laying in bed. Mr Eubank paid his dues his heart should not be called into question. “It is not the critic who counts; nor the one who points out how the strong person stumbled, or where the doer of a deed could have done better. The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena”
yes, and that is often the trouble with open forums or lengthy discussions about fighters... they were there, they did it. it really is impossible to separate the TOP Men, there is little between them, thousands of them, yes 'some' are very obviously Elite, but ALL the rest are within a spectrum one to the other, often too little to separate. Loads & loads of great fighters over the century of modern boxing, Eubank being among them, though personally I was not really a fan of him. I preferred the excitement of Benn and the 1st Class Boxing of Watson.
This quote might be fitting. “See that’s the part of the sickness in America, that you have to think in terms of who wins, who loses, who’s good, who’s bad, who’s best, who’s worst. We always think in those terms, in the extreme terms. I don’t like to think that way. Everybody has their own value in a different way, and I don’t like to think who was the best at this… what’s the point of it?” - Marlon Brando
I wonder if you may be getting confused. Collins didn't hypnotise Eubank. Collins claimed to have received hypnotherapy with a view to numbing his mind to pain, an obvious attempt at mind games, and Eubank reportedly commented that it wasn't fair. Whether Chris was genuinely concerned or was just playing his part in hyping the fight, I can't be sure. Eubank was/is a strange, complex character and no doubt he has some unconventional ways of thinking. For whatever reason, he's on occasion been keen to portray himself as too refined to enjoy the barbaric elements of pugilism. However, you only have to watch his rematch with Watson and 2 x fights with Chris Thompson to see he wasn't mentally weak. He can be tiresome banging on about the "warriors code", but no doubt Eubank has earnt the right to describe himself as a warrior.
I'd just like to add, Chris is the GOAT entertainer in boxing history. Simply The Best. I know some dudes became actors and some dudes were successful on vaudeville and one could easily out credential Chris's entertainment credentials with a quick IMDB in a very similar way we use Boxrec to discredit a fighter's ability to fight, but I say to you that is Hollywood's failure not Eubanks. Greatest entertainer who ever laced up gloves. He should have been in movies and ****.
I was at his first fight with Carl Thompson, and he was incredibly entertaining and tough as nails. Another example would be his fight with Calzaghe. If he was mentally weak, he wouldn’t have got up after that first knockdown and still be pressing the action in the last round.
He used to frustrate me at times, the distance fights could be snoozers. At times he actually made me laugh, the way he came out with things. But mentally weak... No. Look at him against Benn in the first fight. Benn, the same guy but years older who beat the G man, he wanted to rip Eubank s head off. Watson was also full on trying to KTFO out him. He had heart when he faced a battle.
