Chris Eubank Jr has been sensationally tipped to lose against long-term rival James DeGale in their Saturday night fight at the 02, by the very man who has helped him prepare for the fight. The two fighters have long been linked with a tantalising domestic fight, but have been forced to wait for their chance to face-off for a number of years - after DeGale instead opted for a series of fights across the Atlantic.Despite losing to Caleb Truax in one such of these fights in December of 2017 (a loss he later avenged), it is Eubank - who suffered a defeat at the hands of George Groves in February of last year - that comes into the fight with somewhat more of a point to prove.Ahead of Saturday's long-awaited showdown, Eubank - alongside his father and mentor, Eubank Sr - has been seeking out a variety of fighters and training partners to keep him fully prepared for his all-British bout. One such man is Denis Douglin, an American fighter flown in from Floyd Mayweather's gym with the sole purpose of helping the Brighton-based fighter to prepare for his rival's style, come Saturday night. Despite housing Douglin during his stay in the UK however, it appears the affection between both parties has a limit, after the American shared his view on the upcoming bout - after returning to Las Vegas."I expect DeGale to win," Douglin said. "Chris fell for the simple traps I set him, and James is much better and slicker than I am. If I can trick him then DeGale will cause him big problems."Despite the comments coming as a shock to some, many others have long-questioned Eubank's place amongst the division's true elites, and Douglin was quick to highlight that he felt this might be just one step too far."I hate to say this because I had a good time in England, and we did some excellent sparring. But while Chris is physically strong, James is much more skilled and will win".Appearing seemingly oblivious to criticism from rivals and pundits alike in the past, however, Eubank Jr seemed to take both his rivals warnings and comments with a pinch of salt."That surprises me after what he said to everyone else. I have not seen the comments but the spars went very well, it was a successful training camp," he responded, via The Mirror.

"I do not feel I was falling for his traps, they were competitive spars, that is why I brought him over. Maybe he is trying to get some publicity because he has previously said the complete opposite."

Whilst Eubank Jr himself was quick to shrug off the comments, DeGale voiced his concerns from his rivals point of view, but also questioned Douglin's motivations. 

"Douglin said that? I would have been very unhappy if one of my sparring partners had said something like this about me.

"While he was still here he was telling people that I'm rubbish. But I guess he can say what he thinks now he's gone home with the pay cheque.

"And he's only saying what most people believe, that Chris is not a good enough boxer to beat anyone with my skills".