Chris Eubank Jr won’t want to hear this but he should take a leaf out of George Groves’ book as he bids to get his career back on track following Saturday night’s defeat against the Hammersmith-born fighter at the Manchester Arena.
Groves suffered back-to-back defeats against Carl Froch in 2013 and 2014 and was left heartbroken on both occasions; however, he has shown remarkable strength of mind to keep going and now finds himself back at the top four years later.
Eubank Jr will need to display the same impressive character and desire if he’s to bounce back from this latest defeat and fulfil his potential.
The early signs have been positive: he was gracious in defeat immediately after the fight while his social media posts confirm that he has no intention of following Prince Naseem Hamed’s advice by retiring.
“Last night was a war. Two fighters putting it all on the line for a shot at glory is what boxing is all about,” Eubank Jr posted on Facebook on Sunday morning. “It was close & I feel I was the more aggressive, busier fighter but George was smart & stuck in there to show the heart of a true Champ. There’s a lot to learn from this fight I will go away & work on things I know I can do better. Best of luck to George in the final & I’ll be back sooner than you think.”
Several top boxers have already had their say about Eubank Jr’s performance and the general consensus is that he’d be better off ditching his father and hiring a proper trainer.
Malignaggi nails it about Eubank Jr after Groves fight
The outspoken Paulie Malignaggi also watched the fight and provided a very interesting summary of Eubank Jr’s performance against Groves.
“I wasn’t surprised,” the American said about Groves’ victory. “I was edging towards Groves but I was a little disappointed that Eubank didn’t really have a game plan. He went for broke a little too soon, in my opinion.
“He got a little desperate from Round 3 on - that’s still a lot of time without needing to get desperate.
“He didn’t really jab his way in, he didn’t cut the ring off.
“He’s got a lot of determination and heart but he just [needs to be] more polished.
“He’s got a ton of character. He’s got more character than a lot of fighters who are at a higher level than him. When a guy has that much character you can mould him if you teach him right.
“If someone gets in there with him and works with him on things like cutting off the ring or jabbing his way in because he’s too hook-happy at times.
“With a guy as craft as George Groves, you’re not just going to hit him with anything you want - you better set that guy up.
“When [Carl] Froch knocked him out, he was setting him up. [Groves] is not going to give you the freebie and if you try and take the freebie, he’ll make you pay for it - Groves is that good.
“It was disappointing, not his performance because Eubank gave a hell of a performance and a gave a lot of heart. It was disappointing in that it’s a shame to see a kid with that much determination not be polished like he could be.
“He’s got a lot of potential to get better and hopefully he does.”
Watch Malignaggi’s assessment here…
Malignaggi is spot on
It’s hard to disagree with any of what Malignaggi says.
With better training and a proper game-plan, Eubank Jr would have stood a much better chance of defeating Groves.
Instead, he was outclassed in almost every one of the 12 rounds and must now return to the drawing board as he weighs up his options.