“This is the biggest and most important fight of my career,” Chris Eubank Jr says quietly, rocking gently on a plastic chair in a tiny office tucked away in his gym on the Hove seafront. He nods intently as he considers his battle against James DeGale at the O2 in London on Saturday night. “It’s definitely the one where I have the most to lose. A loss would leave me in no man’s land. DeGale is in exactly the same position. We both cannot afford defeat. We’re both on the edge and someone’s going to fall.”
I have asked just one opening question and Eubank has cut to the heart. He and DeGale are preparing for a bout which will surely leave the loser facing the end of his career. Of course this is boxing and so a controversial decision or a narrow defeat might persuade the defeated fighter that one last shot at redemption is possible. But both men recognise that their future, and long-term reputations, could be decided this weekend.
Written by Donald McRae
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/feb/18/chris-eubank-jr-super-middleweight-boxing-degale-interview under the title “Chris Eubank Jr: ‘Nothing can match the feeling of having your hand raised after a fight’”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
