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Flashback:Eubank on Benn,Roy Jnnes Jnr and Calzaghe
extracts from his autobiography:
EUBANK ON BENN
People used to talk about Benn as, pound-for-pound, the hardest puncher in the game. I can vouch for that - in my opinion, he was equal to what Tyson is reputed to be. Benns power was simply astonishing. Fight fans ask me which punch of Benns was the hardest - i say, `Simple, all of them.` Every shot. The jab to the head was like a huge battering ram, his left hook was devastating. When Benn hit you, you stayed hit. Most boxers hit you and even if it is a good shot its damage is fleeting; its just a punch. When Benn hit you, it was a lucid, lingering punch; it was almost like a living entity whose sole purpose was to wreak havoc inside your skull. That degree of shocking power cannot be trained into someone, it is just within them. The equation is speed + strength = power, but there is a natural factor as well. Benn had the lot, he was so strong, so lightning fast. He is by far the hardest puncher i have ever come across.
EUBANK ON JONES JUNIOR
Dodging a fighter is a cardinal sin in boxing and is something i can never be accused of, unlike one such character who came on the scene at the end of my era: Roy Jones. James Toney and Michael Nunn, for example, I did not dodge.
Lets use Roy Jones as an example. When people asked me why i wouldnt fight him, I would say to them, `Never mind the title or my job, a fight like that could take five or six years off my life.` I was well aware of that. He was, pound-for-pound, arguably the best fighter on the planet; in regards to his style, his devastating punching ability, the whole repertoire, he had it.
The rule is that if you are champion of the world for one body, you cannot be the No. 1 contender for another belt. Unless someone was officially the recognised No. 1 contender, i had no professional obligation to face them. With Roy Jones, he was fortunately (and i use that word with the utmost respect) never No. 1 contender. Had he been, I would not have dodged. I would have taken the fight. Would Ihave won the fight? Highly unlikely. What would have been for sure was that he would have come away from the fight and got hurt, and i would have been hurt probably far more than he was. It would of been a war. Technically we would have been well-matched, so our pure grit would have started to come into play. I believe we both had powerful wills, so I feel that fight would have ended up running on pure instinct. That can be an exceptionally violent occurrence. Interestingly, i was told that Roy Jones was rumoured to have said that the only fighter he had reservations about facing was me. I dont remember any of my critics saying much about that.
EUBANK ON CALZAGHE
There is an exceptionally skilled fighter called Joe Calzaghe, whom i took a bout against at 11 days` notice after his proposed fight with Steve Collins fell through. Despite Calzaghes impressive reputation, I was prepared to enter the ring with him with less preparation than would be ideal for such a contest.
>talks about preparation and the fight in length<
Calzaghe had very fast hands and an awkward southpaw style, so he proved to be quite a handful.
>talks about post-fight<
Calzaghe was undoubtedly a good fighter but he struggled to show his `box office`, which was always going to hold him back. Unfortunately, the nature of the modern game demands that to be gifted, disciplined and technically skilled is not necessarily enough. You must have character, charisma and personality as well. Boxing skills will get you talked about in the boxing press, but charisma will make you, `box office`, and will get you on to the front pages.
Interesting.....
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