Autobarn wrote:I don’t think Close beat Eubank. I had the first 6-6 with late drama, Eubank salvaging his title with the knockdown, making up somewhat for earlier time wasting tactics of going walkabout and ignoring the actual fight. Close was impressive, nonetheless, in two spirited fights.
In the second, Eubank’s body punching was underrated somewhat and he scored many good uppercuts. The second fight is actually a very good fight, the one successful WBO defense that perhaps required the most work as it went all the way. It certainly demonstrated all of Eubank’s strengths - his immense size and power at the weight - and weakenesses - limited stamina from making the weight too long...
Close performed very well in both fights, clearly following the Watson blueprint of forcing Eubank into a pace he’s not comfortable with. In the Watson epic Eubank had debuted at the weight (168) whereas versus Close he’d been grinding down for years. Close was very tidy, busy and compact and I feel the draw result in the first fight was more than fair to him. That Eubank uppercut which scored the knockdown was a truly beautiful shot. He’d been trying it all night and Close leaned straight into this one.
For me, the strong finishes, that sudden surge of late power, retained the title for Eubank - with a draw and narrow win - both times.
I believe Wharton was regarded as better than Close, and so Eubank’s acclaimed performance against Wharton could be seen as “making up” for the Close fights. Eubank, for all his faults, fought EVERY top Brit or Celt during a very strong era of people from these countries! (Add the two with Carl Thompson at cruiserweight as well) A shame Close didn’t fight some of the other world class super middleweights. He seemed to disappear off the scene, though not as abruptly as Dave Tiberi, whom many feel was robbed against James Toney, down at 160. I am genuinely intrigued what Close and Tiberi were capable of against other top fighters. Eubank and Toney did kind of make them look like Jake Lamotta, Gene Fullmer or Carmen Basilio LOL!
Aye, Ray "Nothing Comes" Close was quality. He failed a brain scan in the run up to Close vs Eubank 3 and lost his licence. I was at Close vs Eubank 2, the atmosphere was something else, it was a cauldron. Chris loved it, strutting round the ring as he used to do.
Thanks for the information. What a shame. He certainly gave Eubank hell, made him work harder than probably anyone else. I think people don’t give these fights enough credit for being as good and dramatic as they are.
I had read McRae’s Dark Trade: Lost in Boxing, a book I was hooked on about seventeen years ago and whose insights I seem to reject more and more every year. He’d maintained Eubank got gift decisions vs Rocchigiani and Thornton, which I’ve since disagreed with. And until very recently I’d accepted his take - that’s if I do recall correctly - that Close was average and got jobbed twice versus Eubank in undistinguished fights.
