Legacy’s. Some are burdens to carry, such as Marvis Frazier, others can be seen as VIP passes to the higher end of the game, as is regarded with Julio Cesar Chavez jr., some transcend their origins, we need look no further than Floyd Mayweather jr. for evidence of that.
Walking into the squared circle with the surname Eubank will inevitably grab attention, and this Saturday saw the debut of Chris Eubank jr., fighting in the talent-rich Super-Middleweight division. Compiling an Amateur record of 24 wins from 26 contests Eubank Jr. doesn’t have the normal extensive pedigree of many burgeoning prospects, however having spent gym time with the Mayweathers and regular quality sparring with the likes of George Groves and Nathan Cleverly it is clear this won’t be any ordinary path.
In his first bout he was up against Lithuanian Kirilas Psonko, who brought to the ring a losing record of 8-15-1, and whilst not exactly dripping with stellar names he had fought rugged Italian Domenico Spada and reigning British and Commonwealth champion George Groves. Looking ripped and focussed with Dad in attendance, the crowd erupted on hearing the first few bars of the song synonymous to the Career of Senior, “Simply The Best” brought those around the Arena to their feet, and they stayed there as another Eubank trademark emerged as he leapt into the ring over the top rope, before a short period of shadow boxing. This writer for one certainly sat back and smiled, memories of many great Fight nights came flooding back from those halcyon days in the 90’s, when Benn, Collins, Watson, Wharton and the aforementioned strode proudly over one of our great domestic times, a real ‘Golden Generation’. Yet all this would count for nothing without performance.
As the bell rang for round One, Eubank stood rooted to the spot in his corner, beckoning his opponent forward, but the second Psonko got within range Eubank sprung to life, throwing rapid, straight jabs often followed with cutting combinations of right crosses and lefts to the body. For all the style and strength of his work Eubank found a tight, clam shell defence, many of the blows taken on the arms but it was clear from the moments Eubank got through he was by far the stronger man.
Round Two followed a similar pattern to the first, with lots of piston jabs and combo’s coming from Eubank being blocked by the guard of the Lithuanian, who obviously hadn’t been brought in to be the usual first fight Patsy we have became accustomed to over the years. Eubank did get a measured period of success midway through the stanza, Psonko wobbling from the thudding impact of a couple of combinations, but again his obdurate safety-first approach served him well, and he saw the round through.
After some knowledgeable words of advice from his father Eubank took a more considered approach in the 3rd, concentrating more work to the body, taking short breaks to draw the fight from Psonko before getting back to work, his body shots clearly draining the sap from the now massively over-matched pugilist. As the fight entered round Four the end seemed inevitable, through the occasional exhibition of showboating Eubank sustained the pressure, now getting more frequent success to the head, and with so little coming back in way of punches the referee waved the contest over.
So it begins. Eubank 1-0, 1ko. Without doubt, the crowd and the fighter himself were looking for the excitement of a legitimate knock-down stoppage, but in the grander scheme of things the words of his father said all that needed to be said, “It was an almost perfect performance, the opponent was difficult to hit and that will give my son the experience needed.” Few can argue. As debut performances go, taking into account the stylistic nightmare that Psonko offered, few could ask more from the next great Brighton brawler. I earlier alluded to travelling victims that get wheeled out to pad the ego’s and careers of the much-vaunted debutants. In this bout Eubank has strolled through an important test of any young fighter, the dogged pragmatic approach from an opponent which takes care, patience and thought to break down.
Credit must also go to Team Eubank for signing with Mick Hennessey at this stage in his career. No doubt Snr. extolled the virtues of access to the Terrestrial audience, and with Hennessey promotions and British television Channel 5 being regular bedfellows expect to see the development of Eubank in tandem with the fights of Heavyweight prospect Tyson Fury, chin permitting of course…
The search for comparisons between father and son will be inevitable. From the first brief taste, it seems they have a similar level of power, both heavy handed yet more cumulative punchers rather than single blow KO experts. The span, the combinations bear similarity, but young Chris seems to be much lighter, more fluid on his feet, although the defence of Snr. would seem, at this early stage, to be a touch tighter. One thing we never got chance to see was if he has the much-vaunted chin of his father. I will say now, if he inherits that trait, there really could be no limit to what Eubank could achieve. It has been some time since I have seen a fighter perform so accomplished in their first bout, certainly when comparing Eubank to DeGale and, indeed, Groves, Eubank displayed ring craft they never had at the same stage, some would say that Eubank already has more craft and guile about his work than James DeGale. Both these men need to be aware of this first performance, as it isn’t out the realms of possibility they could find themselves facing off with him in the next couple of years.
Simply the Best? Time will tell. But don’t be surprised to see the name of Eubank on Championship Gold sometime in the future.
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