like father like son?

I remember SRL being asked in an interview whether he would want his son to follow in his foot steps, and Leonard saying no, as his son would always be being compared to him, and that seeing as it would be incredibly unlikely that his son would be as good as he was, it would be hard on him, and he would rather his son find something else that he excelled at in his own right.
And looking at the records of sons that had followed their famous Dads- Marvis Frazier, Ross Minter, JCC jr, Ronald Hearns- it certainly seems that he had a point, which brings me to Eubank and Eubank Jr. Firstly I was mildly suprised that Eubank has so whole heartedly backed his son career choice- remember his "boxing's a mugs game" pronouncements, not to mention his own experiences regarding Michael Watson, and secondly I'm suprised at the level of excitement there seems to be surrounding the kid- sure some of it is promoters hype, but there genuinely seems to be a belief that that junior is the real deal. Due to the fact that I live on a tiny island in the south pacific, with no broadband, I am completely unable to access any footage of him, and have only been able to find limited info regarding his amateur career, so I would be interested to hear what you guys make of him, also wanted to know whether he is still being trained by Mike Mccallum ( shrewd not to be trained by his Dad, - I still cringe when recalling those ridiculous overhand rights, normally followed by a stumble off balance having missed his opponent by a few feet). Cheers

in truth i dont know an awful lot about him, but so far he looks like he is no mug. it always strikes me odd that the sons are rarely anywhere near as good as the fathers, as they would have been exposed at an early age and could begin learning earlier than most and have a close mentor. similar to floyd mayweather with his dad and uncle.

suppose its about the hard work and dedication if its not there then it wont happen. RE: chris eubank jr he seems like a chip off the old block so i imagine he will be dedicated as his old man was a gym rat i think that he may follow in the footsteps and be the same.

it seemed to me that eubank sr had fallen out of love with the sport but if he believes that his son has got it hes either looking through rose tinted glasses with him being his son or jr actually has something. he looks the part so far and having a name creates a buzz and being on terrestrial is smart thinking to build a platform for himself. i think eubank sr has gotten the old juices back and seeing his son perform has reminded him of why he loved the sport in the first place.

i for one will support eubank jr throughout.

It's high in the air at this point. Eubank Jr has stopped his opponent on debut as thousands of other fighters have done, accomplished or not. I would say that inevitably he is at a disadvantage of being born (in boxing terms) into the public focus, something his father wouldn't have had to worry about. Unless he thrives on that attention it's unfortunate but it's the world we live in. If he's at all like his dad, he could still make something of a career. I for one won't allow myself to be pulled into the inevitable current of hype. It's simply too early to say.

Eubank Sr is doing what most good fathers would do in supporting his boy's chosen path, regardless of what he may have said in the past. The point about failing to escape comparisons to our predecessors is interesting but on the other hand the motivation in having a famous old man to look up to and try to live up to could serve Jr well in making him all the more hungry and dedicated. Time will tell.

Eubank was no gym rat. He rarely trained outside of fight camp and often left himself huge amounts of weight to cut in short spaces.

The famous father thing is a double edged sword. Theres more pressure on you but it invariably gives you so much more exposure and opportunities. Would we even be talking about this guy if he was not Eubanks son? Look at how JCC Jr has made a career out of having a name without ever really facing anyone. If he didnt have the father he did he would be far worse off.

Im not sure I would agree with children seldom reaching the heights of their fathers. You are only looking at the very top guys like JCC, Leonard, Hearns etc who were so good that it would be very rare for their children to surpass them. How about Floyd Mayweather for example whos father was good but not great and Im sure many of the great fighters had fathers that were less successful boxers.

Knowsit17 wrote:
Eubank Sr is doing what most good fathers would do in supporting his boy's chosen path, regardless of what he may have said in the past. The point about failing to escape comparisons to our predecessors is interesting but on the other hand the motivation in having a famous old man to look up to and try to live up to could serve Jr well in making him all the more hungry and dedicated. Time will tell.

There is the point. I would absolutely hate for any of my kids, boys or girls, come home and say they wanted to box, but if they did then I would give them my full support. At least Chris Jr can lean on his dad for advice, not just about the physical aspect, but also about contracts and various promoters. Eubank Sr ended up in financial trouble, but made a hell of lot of money in his time, and if Jr can look at him and learn lessons then he should do ok. Whether or not he has the talent to make it is another thing, but I doubt his surname will be a hindrance to him.

Initial reports and certain 'you tube' footage shows he has a nasty side to him. Eubank Snr sent him to the US as he was getting in with the wrong crowd in Brighton. For Eubank Snr boxing was a redemption and perhaps young Chris has few other redeeming qualities other than his fists? He certainly can't rely on his father's pension pot going forward.....

'wrong crowd in Brighton'? Was he sent to the States to what of their 'straightening' camps??

Seen some footage of him training with Mayweather Snr which is a start as he's a pretty hard task master. Be good to see some flamboyant talent on the Brit seen and he's going to be coming up through some very competitive weight classes which could prove the making of him. My only concern would be his apparent impatience with the amateur scene, always think a stellar amateur career provides an excellent foundation for a pro boxer.

TopHat24/7 wrote:'wrong crowd in Brighton'? Was he sent to the States to what of their 'straightening' camps??

Seen some footage of him training with Mayweather Snr which is a start as he's a pretty hard task master. Be good to see some flamboyant talent on the Brit seen and he's going to be coming up through some very competitive weight classes which could prove the making of him. My only concern would be his apparent impatience with the amateur scene, always think a stellar amateur career provides an excellent foundation for a pro boxer.

Wrong crowds everywhere these days.......

It is funny though. Eubank Snr's father sent him from Peckham to South Bronx for a better life. Not sure how that works.....

To be honest the boxing fathers you mentioned ie. Hearns, Leonard, JCC, Frazier were all legends and it would be extremely unlikely that a legendary fighter in the top 10 or 20 ever would spawn another legendary fighter to be a future ATG top 10/20.

Chris Eubank Senior is a different matter altogther. Eubank was a British world champion who never really proved himself to be a true world champion in the proper sense. He's defined largely by his domestic fights with Benn and Watson rather than being an all conquering world beater.

The older Eubank is not a legend in any way, other than maybe a British "legend" so if his little boy has plenty of ability there's no reason he can't pick up a strap, defend it a few times and be regarded as being on a par with his old man.

Eubank jr impressed me a great deal. He started in a 6 round fight, had great movement and shot selection. He was also just about able to bust apart the pole's defences - and that Pole had sufficient defence to be a pain.

Good debut, more impressive than DeGale, Groves, Gavin and Fury.

Super D Boon wrote:
Chris Eubank Senior is a different matter altogther. Eubank was a British world champion who never really proved himself to be a true world champion in the proper sense. He's defined largely by his domestic fights with Benn and Watson rather than being an all conquering world beater.

The older Eubank is not a legend in any way, other than maybe a British "legend" so if his little boy has plenty of ability there's no reason he can't pick up a strap, defend it a few times and be regarded as being on a par with his old man.

Rubbish. You don't criticise Hagler and Leonard for keeping it in house. Watson and Benn were some of the best in the world at that time.

Eubank is amongst an elite group of British fighters. Above Hatton, and slightly below maybe Hamed Calzaghe etc. He also transcended the sport.

Eubank jnr will be a star if he comes close to replicating his old man's feats.

Am not criticising choice of fighting location. Eubank has a handful of decent wins and no more. He hardly compares to Hagler and Leonard. There were fights out there with the likes on Nunn and Toney and Eubank Snr chiose not to have anything to do with them. Was nothing but a paper champion.

Super D Boon wrote:Am not criticising choice of fighting location. Eubank has a handful of decent wins and no more. He hardly compares to Hagler and Leonard. There were fights out there with the likes on Nunn and Toney and Eubank Snr chiose not to have anything to do with them. Was nothing but a paper champion.

He wanted Toney. I know there was the infamous moment where Toney "jumped" Benn and Eubank on Jonathon Ross - but Eubank Snr said that he had no qualms with fighting Toney - he didn't like his trash talk, but didn't rate him that highly.

Whereas RJJ - he wanted nothing to do with.

Super D Boon wrote:Am not criticising choice of fighting location. Eubank has a handful of decent wins and no more. He hardly compares to Hagler and Leonard. There were fights out there with the likes on Nunn and Toney and Eubank Snr chiose not to have anything to do with them. Was nothing but a paper champion.

I believe he was due to fight Nunn if he beat Benn. Nunn was owned by Don King and King co-promoted Eubank Benn II on the basis that the winner and loser would sign to him after. Funny that it was adjudged a draw.........

oxring wrote:

Super D Boon wrote:Am not criticising choice of fighting location. Eubank has a handful of decent wins and no more. He hardly compares to Hagler and Leonard. There were fights out there with the likes on Nunn and Toney and Eubank Snr chiose not to have anything to do with them. Was nothing but a paper champion.

He wanted Toney. I know there was the infamous moment where Toney "jumped" Benn and Eubank on Jonathon Ross - but Eubank Snr said that he had no qualms with fighting Toney - he didn't like his trash talk, but didn't rate him that highly.

Whereas RJJ - he wanted nothing to do with.

Well don't you know I remember that and watched it just the other day on YouTube as it happens and I see it differently. It was mainly Benn that was verbally sparring with Toney calling him thick and Eubank Snr just went into a strop. Sad to see Toney, despite being stupid was at least lucid back then. He's a fat mumbling wreck now.

I believe he was due to fight Nunn if he beat Benn. Nunn was owned by Don King and King co-promoted Eubank Benn II on the basis that the winner and loser would sign to him after. Funny that it was adjudged a draw.........

-------------

Yeah remember that too, but as it turns out, a draw wasn't a bad result. Thought Benn edged it though to be honest though.

Super D Boon wrote:I believe he was due to fight Nunn if he beat Benn. Nunn was owned by Don King and King co-promoted Eubank Benn II on the basis that the winner and loser would sign to him after. Funny that it was adjudged a draw.........

-------------

Yeah remember that too, but as it turns out, a draw wasn't a bad result. Thought Benn edged it though to be honest though.

Did a bit of research. After Benn Eubank II, of all locations Nunn defended his WBA strap against (American) Steve Little Earls Court in February. I guess he was adding exposure for the Eubank fight. Unfortunately he lost.....

Remember that fight well Sean. Absolutely awful performance from Nunn against a journeyman in Little. I think he was drained really badly but he got schooled by a clown. Even so, I thought Benn beat Eubank in that second fight anyways. Should have been a Benn v Nunn fight. Whatever though I don't think history could ever justify labelling Eubank Snr as over ambitious!