By Jake Donovan
If Chris Eubank Jr. is eager for his November 29 showdown with Billy Joe Saunders, he's yet to let the boxing public in on that secret.
For the second time in less than seven weeks, the second-generation boxer was a no-show for an attempted pre-fight press conference to formally announce the fight. Assuming the clash goes on as scheduled, unbeaten middleweights Saunders and Eubank Jr. will meet in the chief support to the heavyweight rematch between Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora.
The winner of the middleweight bout will be named mandatory challenger for whomever claims the vacant WBO middleweight title between Matt Korobov and Andy in their December clash.
Monday's press session in London was the second attempt by promoter Frank Warren to formally announce the title eliminator to the British media. Eubank Jr. pulled a similar stunt in late September, though claiming the fight wasn't yet a done deal and that he wouldn't allow Warren to dictate his timeline.
This time, there were no excuses as all parties on hand - Saunders, Warren and the assembled media - were left with the taste of disgust, as Eubank Jr. was merely represented by a cardboard poster bearing his image.
"First, we begin with the negativity - Mr. Eubank decided he didn't want to show," Warren informed the media. "This really angers me. I'm apologizing to you all, but I don't feel I should be apologizing. The one who should be apologizing is Chris Eubank Sr."
The running belief is that Eubank Sr. - a former champion at middleweight and super middleweight during his heyday in the 1990's - is deliberately avoiding having his son spend any more time than necessary in Saunders' presence.
Warren believes it has a lot to do with what Eubank Sr. went through as a fighter.
"I generally do not think he wants Chris Jr. facing Billy before the fight. I believe this has to do with what he went through years ago in his fights with Steve Collins... Steve Collins got into his head, you can see he had no fear in him whatsoever."
The incident Warren references stems from the buildup to the first clash between Collins and Eubank Sr., which took place in 1995 on St. Patrick's Day weekend in Ireland.
Eubank Sr. was unbeaten at the time , having defended his super middleweight title 14 times - including several controversial decisions - and infamously known for his mind games in and out of the ring. He ultimately met his match in Collins, who alleged to hav underwent hypnosis prior to their first fight, and was "programmed" to double up on Eubank's punch output.
The media stunt proved effective, as Collins scored a well-earned decision win - even flooring the iron-chinned Eubank though also having to overcome a knockdown of his own - to finally win a major title after having twice before played the role of bridesmaid. The rematch later in the year also landed in favor of Collins, this time by split decision.
It was rightfully argued beforehand that Eubank's career was never quite the same following the tragic events surrounding his 1991 rematch with Michael Watson. The sequel was a fiercely contested war that left Watson in a coma and permanently paralyzed.
Still, it took someone on the level of Collins - physically and perhaps psychologically - to dethrone Eubank, who retired following the rematch, but attempted a ring return one year later. His career ended with three straight title fight losses - one of which was a near-miss in his first fight with then-cruiserweight titlist Carl Thompson in 1998 - to close at 45-5-2 (23KOs).
Eubank Jr. carried on the family legacy when he turned pro in 2011. The unbeaten middleweight prospect has nibbled his way to a current ring record of 18-0 (13KOs). His past two fights have taken place on shows promoted by Warren, including a 2nd round knockout of Omar Siala on October 25, a fight with which he went through despite the bout with Saunders waiting in the balance.
The win over Siala was supposed to pave the way for the title eliminator, though the Eubank family continues to play games.
"From my point of view, Chris Eubank Sr. is doing his son a great disservice," Warren believes. "I think it's sad for Chris Eubank Jr. to not be here to help promote the fight. If it's good enough for Floyd Mayweather, Muhammad Ali - you name it, any fighter - then it's certainly good enough for a young fighter named Chris Eubank Jr., who hasn't won his first title.
"He's doing boxing a great disservice. There are two more press conferences he will have to appear at. We will make sure he appears, or else there will be severe consequences to pay. This is not even about negotiating the purse. This is to promote the fight."
The incident made for a depressing occasion, though Saunders did his best to make light of the situation.
"I flew in from (training camp in) Spain. He could've come 15 or 20 minutes in car," Saunders rationalized. "I only have four weeks to wait and I can punch his head in."
One concerned addressed was the theory that the press conference would devolve into a three-ring circus. Incidents such as what took place between David Haye and Chisora in drumming up interest in their July '12 clash, as well as Fury's history outside the ring were raised by Eubank Sr., though viewed as preposterous by those on the other side of the podium.
"I've had 20 fights, boxed all around the world as an amateur, the Olympics... never once have I slapped anyone," pointed out Saunders, who represented Great Britain - and the traveling community - in the 2008 Beijing Olympics before turning pro the following February. "Not turning up, and wasting people's time is not for you doing anything.
"I think it's his dad more than anything. But there comes a time, you're 25 years old and you become a man and start making your own decisions."
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
