i've seen you alot of times post that Pre Whatson Eubank had alot of power and Post Whatson was more of a technical fighter.
Can you explain why/how he lost his power after the 2nd Whatson fight
Good post mate. Eubank certainly lost that 'Killer Instinct' after Watson 2, and he himself admitted to only doing the bare minimum to win fights as he never wanted to see what happened with Watson happen again, but if that is true, then i think that is a stupid thing to do as he is putting his own health at risk that way. A fighter should never hold anything back. There was an obvious change in Eubank after Watson 2 i.e. in the first fight with Carl Thompson he seemed to have him hurt a few times but did nothing about it, his excuse being that he thought Thompson was using kidology which at times maybe he was, but there were times when he genuinely had the fella hurt. However, Eubank was an exceptional fighter IMO, and the uppercut that he landed in the Watson 2 fight was one of the most devestating i have ever seen. Sadly, the repercussions were tragic and had adverse effects on both fighters. Eubank was never a concussive puncher, but he was 'brains over brawn' with good concentration and so when he got the timing and pivot right the results could be devastating (he had a few spectacular knockouts in late 80's). He says he could never knock somebody over unless he was relaxed, when it came together he was a wicked puncher.
The truth is though that it wasn't the Watson (II) fight that made him call boxing a "mugs game", that was just the icing on the cake. Eubank was never the same after the Benn (I) fight, that fight humbled him and brought him back down to earth, before that he was calling himself the 'best fighter in the world' and felt he would beat Benn with ease. He was left physically wrecked by Benn, and that night in hospital he decided that he didn't give a fuck about glory and would just try to make as much money as possible (and that meant keeping his '0'). The Watson tragedy lost him his killer instinct and meant he would only do just enough to win after that (bare miniumum).
Eubank had such fast, accurate hands pre-Benn and his combinations flowed, and he showed off his repertoire of punches, and he was so relaxed and focussed in the ring pre-Benn. But post-Benn he found it difficult to focus, and post-Watson he grew big muscles and only threw single shots here and there while messing about posing the rest of the time. He got his jab working more post-Watson, and was just there to survive (and pose) and pick up his pay cheque.
Eubank was never a concussive puncher, but he was 'brains over brawn' with intense concentration and so when he got the timing and pivot right the results could be devastating (he had a few spectacular knockouts in late 80's). He says he could never knock somebody over unless he was loose and relaxed, when it came together he was a wicked puncher.
The truth is though that it wasn't the Watson (II) fight that made him call boxing a "mugs game", that was just the icing on the cake. Eubank was never the same after the Benn (I) fight, that fight humbled him and brought him back down to earth, before that he was calling himself the 'best fighter in the world' and felt he would beat Benn with ease. He was left physically wrecked by Benn, and that night in hospital he decided that he didn't give a fuck about glory and would just try to make as much money as possible (and that meant keeping his '0'). The Watson tragedy lost him his killer instinct and meant he would only do just enough to win after that (bare miniumum).
Eubank had such fast, accurate hands pre-Benn and his combinations flowed, and he showed off his repertoire of punches, and he was so relaxed and focussed in the ring pre-Benn. But post-Benn he found it difficult to focus, and post-Watson he grew big muscles and only threw single shots here and there while messing about posing the rest of the time. He got his jab working more post-Watson, and was just there to survive (and pose) and pick up his pay cheque.
Good post I've always believed this to be true :)