Chris Sr - post-90s suck!

[coghaugen11]

By Sammy Lee


The wise old fox and ‘sheriff’ Chris Eubank Senior turned boxing on its head in the early 1990s, altering the way a boxer and his manager/promoter did business as well as drawing in unprecedented figures to TV outside the United States.

However, when push came to shove, Senior could show courage to spare and sparks of greatness, which legitimises the guy.

He is particularly scathing with modern fighters’ lack of activity and proneness to not go out on their shield like fighters of yesteryear.

Eubank Senior you could say was unfortunate in that at his peak he had most of the world’s best pound-for-pound fighters operating at his weight! In any other era, he might of been an undisputed champion and US superstar.


‘In my day, we fought the very best,’ he stated. ‘We fought the fights the public demanded. Me and Nigel, me and Michael, Nigel and Michael. And Toney and Jones in America. Same ages, (and) unique abilities of each own right.

‘Fighters in the mould of Herol Graham or James DeGale maybe don’t appeal to the public however. They appeal to a purist like myself, if you are to fight like Pernell Whitaker, just not the masses.

‘Nigel, Michael and I, what made us great was we went out of our way to fight the most dangerous men in the world, that nobody wanted to face.’

He points out some examples.

‘Obviously Michael with Nigel and Nigel with Gerald McClellan. In early 1984 in my amateur career, I lost 9lb in a few days to face Mark Breland, who had straight knockouts in all his fights of all his four Golden Gloves wins.

‘In 1997, I lost 20lb in a few days to face Joe Calzaghe when he was knocking all his opponents through the oxygen prior to brittle fists.

‘You aim for the best, you aim for the green WBC; the premiere belt. Unification fights, fighting unbeaten world champions in their own backyard, or attempting to do what is deemed impossible.’


He believes fighters in his time were simply harder men than those today.

‘They are not the cut that we were in the 90s. We never pulled out of fights, be it (if) we were poorly from making weight or had a bad hand or bad leg. Therefore we fought every eight weeks, not every 18 months.

‘Boxing will become a side-show unless fighters toughen up to actually contest fights - which is kind of their job - and fight the best and put themselves in the firing line to actually ride this game and ride this life. Quitting shouldn’t be in the boxers being. You are not a true fighter.’

Chris feels their legacies will be hurt when comparing eras.

‘They won’t be respected like we were in years and decades to come. They’ll laugh back to the bank and (to) the pub with their mates, but they won’t be respected like we were because they aren’t as real. I was pure.’


The former WBO king, unbeaten in 43 fights from ‘85 to ‘95, gives his verdicts on fights that never were for him!

Vs Michael Nunn:

‘All I will say is that I would not take a backward step, I would hold my position. I would step in with the jab, I wouldn’t just flick it out like you see fighters today. I would be moving like a pendulum - not standing straight still to be peppered with right jabs.

‘I had moves that you never saw because it was never brought out of me. Only Herol Graham, Pernell Whitaker and Nunn had the style and ability in boxing then to require particular move sets. But Graham and Nunn were never number-one contender and the public never demanded them.

‘I learned from sparring with Herol that you cannot just swing or you cannot go side-to-side and come in; you have to be calculated in commanding the middle of that four-cornered circle and using maneuvers to get them out of there.’


Vs James Toney:

‘All I will say is that with Jones and Toney, I would be walking around on my heels now if I had taken those fights. We’d of been fighting for our lives in there. They were never number-one contender, so the fights didn’t happen. And neither was I mandatory for Roy’s WBC light-heavyweight title - so he didn’t have to face me. We weren’t suicidal.

‘James Toney had the most fire in his belly, more than even Benn or McClellan. I would be going side-to-side and coming in, meeting for exchanges!’


Vs Roy Jones:

‘Okay, against Roy, I’d be using the great Joe Louis’ strategy of watching the feet because I studied video tape of Roy and noticed he shortened his stance when about to throw a flurry or lengthened his stance when about to throw a power shot.

‘When the stance shortened I’d be covering up, but when the stance lengthened I’d be punching with him; which would’ve been an exceptionally dangerous occurrence.

‘Put simply, I didn’t want another Watson II.’


Vs Julian Jackson:

‘I was ringside in Spain on honeymoon when he took out Herol Graham and I said to Mr Jackson this: “You are a great puncher, and I take my hat off to you because you can floor anybody. But I still think I can beat you.” Don King chose to avoid me.’



Eubank, like many fighters, had some dull showings during his reign. He makes sense of this by needing genuine fear to perform.

‘I did have blunt performances but blowing hot means you are genuinely nervous and so your reflexes are working.

‘Benn, Watson and Rocchigiani had the marks of fighters by just looking at their physiques and hearing their convictions, so I was ‘on’ in those five fights and the violent crowds couldn’t blunt me.

‘Watson couldn’t touch me with his jab in the first fight, and so didn’t bother jabbing in the second fight. Neither could Malinga or Breland touch me with their jabs when my reflexes were on, or Rocchigiani with his southpaw jab. That’s because you don’t think, you just do.

‘What turns you on is good posture that stands tall, and (a) strong handshake, square-shouldered; the cut of a fighter.’

Another fine point on the same topic mentions a sparring exploit in Sheffield and consequences of such, and a sensational stroke of form the night he fought Henry Wharton in Manchester.

‘I knocked down Herol Graham in the gymnasium with a devastating punch and couldn’t land my jab after that, and if you can’t land the jab then nothing else comes off if you are a mechanically correct puncher.

‘I watched Henry Wharton knock his opponent prior to me cold on the canvas, and it’s the worst thing he could’ve done in front of me because I trained with fear and got switched ‘on’, so to speak.’

[Crease]

Do you have a link for this?

[coghaugen11]

https://nowboxing.com/

[Crease]

Thank you

[Crease]

What are your thoughts on the interview?

[coghaugen11]

What are your thoughts on the interview?

Doesn’t realise that times change, it’s now a snowflake generation where fighters prefer to quit or stay out of the gym sniffing coke and eating pizza while pretending they had mental health issues.

And to watch a fight you have to pay £100 a month and £30-40 on top, instead of just own a TV. The fighters just want the one or two big paydays because they can get them. Who’s to say Sugar Ray Robinson wouldn’t have done the same today

[JC]

Years ago I remember seeing an interview with Alexis Arguello saying everything post-80s sucked.

Rinse and repeat.

[Crease]

Who’s to say Sugar Ray Robinson wouldn’t have done the same today

Well SRR lived an exorbitant lifestyle when he was active. So he needed to the constant cash flow to keep up with it.

[Crease]

Eubank Senior you could say was unfortunate in that at his peak he had most of the world’s best pound-for-pound fighters operating at his weight! In any other era, he might of been an undisputed champion and US superstar.

Eubank was a superstar and he was paid an incredible amount of money, but he chose (that has to be the important word here) to defend his World titles against very low-ranked opposition - the likes of Dan Sherry & Gary Strectch has no business being in the ring with him. Sherry had only fought in a single twelve rounder and Stretch had not went any higher than British level.

‘In my day, we fought the very best,’ he stated.

And as mentioned he showed no interest in fighting RJJ, Michael Nunn, James Toney or Frankie Liles. And in the British scene he avoided Herol Graham like the plague.
Yeah, I like Eubank senior, but he is trying to rewrite history here and is being disingenuous...

[coghaugen11]

Heck, Hagler literally avoided Graham. Gave up the title. Eubank never gave up a title, and wouldn’t of he says no matter what.

[Crease]

Heck, Hagler literally avoided Graham. Gave up the title. Eubank never gave up a title, and wouldn’t of he says no matter what.

He moved up in weight class and he has already said repeatedly that he would never fight Graham.

[coghaugen11]

Heck, Hagler literally avoided Graham. Gave up the title. Eubank never gave up a title, and wouldn’t of he says no matter what.

He moved up in weight class and he has already said repeatedly that he would never fight Graham.

Graham had his chances. Nothing to offer.

[Crease]

Graham had his chances. Nothing to offer.

Whereas Dan Sherry, Gary Stretch and the likes of Sam Storey did?
Eubank chose the path of least resistance, that is just a fact.

[coghaugen11]

Graham had his chances. Nothing to offer.

Whereas Dan Sherry, Gary Stretch and the likes of Sam Storey did?
Eubank chose the path of least resistance, that is just a fact.

He had no professional obligation to face Bomber? How could he of ducked him? As world champion you get to pick your opponents, you earn that right by actually winning the title.

[Crease]

Heck, Hagler literally avoided Graham. Gave up the title.

Looking at Hagler's run of fights from 1979 onward, it is had to argue that he voided anyone...

[coghaugen11]

Heck, Hagler literally avoided Graham. Gave up the title.

Looking at Hagler's run of fights from 1979 onward, it is had to argue that he voided anyone...

How? He gave up the title! It’s inarguable.

His toughest run of fights was pre-79 for the record.

[Terminator666]

Is Eubank a little over rated then. By some? Based on the fighters he avoided?

[Crease]

He had no professional obligation to face Bomber? How could he of ducked him? As world champion you get to pick your opponents, you earn that right by actually winning the title.

He certainly did pick his opponents, on that much we can certainly agree.

And it's a bit of a shame. Eubank performed to the level of his opponent. (I have said the same thing about Billy Joe Saunders before).Against a mediocre opponent, he can look mediocre in the fight. But when he's up against a top opponent - the likes of Michael Watson or a Nigel Benn - he is forced to up his game because he is in the deep water with them boys...

I would have loved to have seen Chris and Nige in with the best of the Americans... Would have made for fascinating contests.

[coghaugen11]

Nobody is denying Graham would’ve made Eubank look silly. Hell he made everyone look silly.

[Crease]

Is Eubank a little over rated then. By some? Based on the fighters he avoided?

For me, Chris was a great fighter. I just don't appreciate people trying to rewrite history.
One thing I will say is that if Chris ever fought Graham, I would bet on Chris getting the W...
But again - we have to acknowledge that Chris himself has came out on multiple occasions and said he wouldn't fight him.

[Crease]

How? He gave up the title! It’s inarguable.

Didn't he give up the WBA & IBF titles so that he could defend against Sugar Ray Leonard? I'm pretty sure that is accurate.

His toughest run of fights was pre-79 for the record.

Obelmejias, Antuofermo, Hamsho, Obelmejias, Duran, Hamsho, Hearns, Mugabi, Leonard...

[coghaugen11]

How? He gave up the title! It’s inarguable.

Didn't he give up the WBA & IBF titles so that he could defend against Sugar Ray Leonard? I'm pretty sure that is accurate.

His toughest run of fights was pre-79 for the record.

Obelmejias, Antuofermo, Hamsho, Obelmejias, Duran, Hamsho, Hearns, Mugabi, Leonard...

When Graham was mandatory, chose to face a long retired welter for the biggest purse ever.

No - Briscoe, Watts, Hart and rest of the Philly murderers row were his toughest fights. I thought the sharper, counter-punching Hagler of 77-78 was the best Hagler, sitting down on his shots more then.

[coghaugen11]

[cormack]

LOL

he is critising todays fighters for inactivity , look closer to home IE your own pratt of a son !

[coghaugen11]

LOL

he is critising todays fighters for inactivity , look closer to home IE your own pratt of a son !

Total shambles of a career. What is it, one round in three years?

BJS and Fury are kings of taking lazy years off too though.