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Chris Eubank quotes from a recent interview..
"There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about"
He proudly declares to have done "2,500 media interviews", including "the Jonathan Ross show five times in one year"
"I began my career in America but I was wary about fighting there later in my career because it was a real jungle out there, everyone fighting damn hard for the top. I was content to stay a big fish in a small pond and make my money in the UK"
"When Autumn 1997 was on the scene, I was going to move to America for a few years to finish my career as a light-heavyweight which was my natural weight then. I was going to try to get a lot of fights under my belt and steadily climb the rankings. At the time you had that guy Roy Jones head and shoulders above the rest. But when I got instant opportunites to fight for world titles again in England, due to my fame in England, even though those opportunities weren't in my natural weight class then I couldn't turn them down. I knew that that was an easier route, that if I won a world title again then I'd be giving that guy Roy Jones something to fight for. I knew there was some money in a Roy Jones Vs Chris Eubank fight around that time because of my character, but most of all I desperately wanted attention again!"
"I'm a shameless attention-seeker and narcissist: I proudly admit to watching videos of myself boxing for hours on end"
"I haven't seen anybody I wouldn't of been able to beat at my peak, show me somebody who would of beaten me at my peak"
"I was the best boxer in the business, I have video evidence to prove it"
"Pernell (Whitaker) was poetic, and if Pernell could punch he'd of been the best thing since sliced bread. But I'd of still beaten him because a little good one finds it very difficult to beat a good big one, thats the dynamics of boxing"
"People always seem to think that my most important win was Nigel Benn 1990, that my toughest fight was Nigel Benn 1990, that my best win was Nigel Benn 1990, that my most complete performance was Nigel Benn 1990. None of that is true"
His most important win: "Anthony Logan. He was world-class and I was just a novice at the time"
His toughest fight: "Michael Watson the second time around. Michael completely changed his boxing style for our rematch and it caught me off, it would of caught anybody off. Michael was usually very cautious, very defensive, a counter puncher. But when we fought our rematch, he just attacked me with endless sharp clusters which he had never done before. He forced me to go the trenches. He certainly punched much harder at 12 stone. Nobody would of beaten him that night apart from me, he was onto something. But how I managed to get the win, though tragic, when I pulled it out of the bag I am sure people thought that I was unbeatable at that point"
His best win: "I fought a German who was 35-0, he was 6'3" and a southpaw. I went over there and licked him around the ring in his own backyard. That was my best win. That, and the Benn first fight"
His most complete performance: "Wharton. I was at my most experienced while still undefeated, still not having been robbed at Mill Street. I felt good in there"
His unsuprising choice of boxing idol is Muhammad Ali.
"the warrior is a creature of irony, for his role is to protect the community"
"I haven't fought illegally for 23 years now"
Asked why he never fought Roy Jones Jr "I was a world champion in my own right, just like Roy Jones was a world champion in his own right"
Asked what was the closest he came to fighting Jones Jr "We had a date and a venue to fight eachother, but we are both guilty for the fight not happening because we both decided to defend our world championship instead" Asked what was the date and venue for Eubank and Jones Jr to fight: "March 1995, G-Mex Leisure Centre, Steele to referee"
"That guy Roy Jones needed me much more than I needed him. He wanted to be wrote into the history books otherwise he wouldn't still be fighting. I know he's smart because he didn't fight me when easily he could of, and that's smart, and no smart person continues fighting so long unless they want to be wrote into the history books. So if he wanted to be wrote into the history books, he should of fought the best around and that was yours truly. For me, boxing is barbaric and I couldn't care less about being remembered in that barbaric sport. So that guy Roy Jones needed me much more than I needed him"
"I've said it once and I'll say it again: boxing is a mugs game"
"I was only in it for the money"
He has notably little interest in boxing as a sport (he is hesitant over placing Roy Jones Jr in the pantheon of greats because "I don't know my boxing history well enough")
Asked about Roy Jones challenging him in 1991 "I don't really watch boxing, but I've heard that guy Roy Jones is getting knocked out all the time these days and if thats the case then he must have a brittle jaw. So would he of lasted 36 minutes with yours truly without, at some point, being left unconscious on the ring canvas? You have to be realistic. I'd of used my punch to keep my championship and grab my money for the night. You have to remember that I didn't lose my punch until after the Michael Watson incident"
Asked why he never accepted Mike McCallum's challenge for a unification in 1991 "What did he bring? I really saw no logical reason to risk being stopped late and losing my championship for such small money. I had to think of my family. I don't think McCallum was in my class, but I had to think of my family"
Asked why he never fought James Toney "Toney, yes. He was calling me out for years, that one. But you have to be able to walk the walk as well as talk the talk, you have to be able to put enough money on the table"
"There has never been better champion material than me, not that I know of. If there has ever been better champion material than me then what was it, who was it?"
Who does he think is the best boxer in the world today? "Well I can't tell you to be fair, because I'm not really interested in boxing and I don't think I ever have been. But that kid Floyd Mayweather was head and shoulders above the rest when I used to watch him. I watched out for him because he was a potential opponent for Naseem, I watched out for him for Naz"
He dismisses all critics as "weak"
"First round wins are just headlines - substance is more important"
He admits that he was "poetry in motion" in only 15 of his 52 ring appearances. He also admits that he was "in the zone" in only one of his 52 ring appearances.
"I stole Benn's soul"
Asked what went wrong at the end of his career when he lost his last five world championship fights, he said "Everybody knows what happened at Mill Street and the diabolical tactics used beforehand. After that, it was all weight problems, injuries and lack of preparation and what not"
Joe Calzaghe, meanwhile, draws a cold response when his name is brought up; Eubank says little other than that he "lacks charisma".
"There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about"
He proudly declares to have done "2,500 media interviews", including "the Jonathan Ross show five times in one year"
"I began my career in America but I was wary about fighting there later in my career because it was a real jungle out there, everyone fighting damn hard for the top. I was content to stay a big fish in a small pond and make my money in the UK"
"When Autumn 1997 was on the scene, I was going to move to America for a few years to finish my career as a light-heavyweight which was my natural weight then. I was going to try to get a lot of fights under my belt and steadily climb the rankings. At the time you had that guy Roy Jones head and shoulders above the rest. But when I got instant opportunites to fight for world titles again in England, due to my fame in England, even though those opportunities weren't in my natural weight class then I couldn't turn them down. I knew that that was an easier route, that if I won a world title again then I'd be giving that guy Roy Jones something to fight for. I knew there was some money in a Roy Jones Vs Chris Eubank fight around that time because of my character, but most of all I desperately wanted attention again!"
"I'm a shameless attention-seeker and narcissist: I proudly admit to watching videos of myself boxing for hours on end"
"I haven't seen anybody I wouldn't of been able to beat at my peak, show me somebody who would of beaten me at my peak"
"I was the best boxer in the business, I have video evidence to prove it"
"Pernell (Whitaker) was poetic, and if Pernell could punch he'd of been the best thing since sliced bread. But I'd of still beaten him because a little good one finds it very difficult to beat a good big one, thats the dynamics of boxing"
"People always seem to think that my most important win was Nigel Benn 1990, that my toughest fight was Nigel Benn 1990, that my best win was Nigel Benn 1990, that my most complete performance was Nigel Benn 1990. None of that is true"
His most important win: "Anthony Logan. He was world-class and I was just a novice at the time"
His toughest fight: "Michael Watson the second time around. Michael completely changed his boxing style for our rematch and it caught me off, it would of caught anybody off. Michael was usually very cautious, very defensive, a counter puncher. But when we fought our rematch, he just attacked me with endless sharp clusters which he had never done before. He forced me to go the trenches. He certainly punched much harder at 12 stone. Nobody would of beaten him that night apart from me, he was onto something. But how I managed to get the win, though tragic, when I pulled it out of the bag I am sure people thought that I was unbeatable at that point"
His best win: "I fought a German who was 35-0, he was 6'3" and a southpaw. I went over there and licked him around the ring in his own backyard. That was my best win. That, and the Benn first fight"
His most complete performance: "Wharton. I was at my most experienced while still undefeated, still not having been robbed at Mill Street. I felt good in there"
His unsuprising choice of boxing idol is Muhammad Ali.
"the warrior is a creature of irony, for his role is to protect the community"
"I haven't fought illegally for 23 years now"
Asked why he never fought Roy Jones Jr "I was a world champion in my own right, just like Roy Jones was a world champion in his own right"
Asked what was the closest he came to fighting Jones Jr "We had a date and a venue to fight eachother, but we are both guilty for the fight not happening because we both decided to defend our world championship instead" Asked what was the date and venue for Eubank and Jones Jr to fight: "March 1995, G-Mex Leisure Centre, Steele to referee"
"That guy Roy Jones needed me much more than I needed him. He wanted to be wrote into the history books otherwise he wouldn't still be fighting. I know he's smart because he didn't fight me when easily he could of, and that's smart, and no smart person continues fighting so long unless they want to be wrote into the history books. So if he wanted to be wrote into the history books, he should of fought the best around and that was yours truly. For me, boxing is barbaric and I couldn't care less about being remembered in that barbaric sport. So that guy Roy Jones needed me much more than I needed him"
"I've said it once and I'll say it again: boxing is a mugs game"
"I was only in it for the money"
He has notably little interest in boxing as a sport (he is hesitant over placing Roy Jones Jr in the pantheon of greats because "I don't know my boxing history well enough")
Asked about Roy Jones challenging him in 1991 "I don't really watch boxing, but I've heard that guy Roy Jones is getting knocked out all the time these days and if thats the case then he must have a brittle jaw. So would he of lasted 36 minutes with yours truly without, at some point, being left unconscious on the ring canvas? You have to be realistic. I'd of used my punch to keep my championship and grab my money for the night. You have to remember that I didn't lose my punch until after the Michael Watson incident"
Asked why he never accepted Mike McCallum's challenge for a unification in 1991 "What did he bring? I really saw no logical reason to risk being stopped late and losing my championship for such small money. I had to think of my family. I don't think McCallum was in my class, but I had to think of my family"
Asked why he never fought James Toney "Toney, yes. He was calling me out for years, that one. But you have to be able to walk the walk as well as talk the talk, you have to be able to put enough money on the table"
"There has never been better champion material than me, not that I know of. If there has ever been better champion material than me then what was it, who was it?"
Who does he think is the best boxer in the world today? "Well I can't tell you to be fair, because I'm not really interested in boxing and I don't think I ever have been. But that kid Floyd Mayweather was head and shoulders above the rest when I used to watch him. I watched out for him because he was a potential opponent for Naseem, I watched out for him for Naz"
He dismisses all critics as "weak"
"First round wins are just headlines - substance is more important"
He admits that he was "poetry in motion" in only 15 of his 52 ring appearances. He also admits that he was "in the zone" in only one of his 52 ring appearances.
"I stole Benn's soul"
Asked what went wrong at the end of his career when he lost his last five world championship fights, he said "Everybody knows what happened at Mill Street and the diabolical tactics used beforehand. After that, it was all weight problems, injuries and lack of preparation and what not"
Joe Calzaghe, meanwhile, draws a cold response when his name is brought up; Eubank says little other than that he "lacks charisma".
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