Harlem Eubank would not change a thing over his entry into professional boxing on the eve of his biggest fight.
Despite his famous surname, the red carpet has not been rolled out for the nephew of Chris Eubank Snr. Instead, the unbeaten boxer from Brighton, England came up on the small halls, built up slowly in dimly lit venues rather under the glare of the limelight.
Now 31, Eubank, 21-0 (9 KOs), in a position where he can refer to his education as “character building.” He also believes he is ready for world title opportunities and victory over Jack Catterall might well earn him one.
Eubank reckons he is ready for Catterall, and the best in the division.
“I showed that in a statement performance in my second homecoming fight against Tyrone McKenna,” Eubank said, having stopped the Irishman in Brighton earlier in the year. “Now we're ready to build on that, keep the momentum rolling and take on the best in the sport.
“We believe Jack is one of them. And this victory will propel me to fight some of the biggest names over in the US.”
Catterall-Eubank headlines a DAZN card this Saturday from AO Arena in Manchester, England.
Eubank has not had it easy.
He punched away in obscurity for years while cousin Chris Jnr revelled in main events and headliners. While the biggest supporter of his cousin, the 31-year-old contender understands their trajectories have been vastly different.
“I think I’ve learned a lot along the way, I’ve had around 10 years of experience as a professional,” he explained. “So I feel like I’ve learned a lot as I go. You come into the sport fresh and you think it's full of opportunity and it's full of people that are trying to help you up and you soon realize the reality of boxing.
“And that’s a part of the process. I feel like in becoming a man, in becoming your own man and a fully-fledged professional fighter, you almost need that process to afford you to fortify your character. Because when you go into the gym every day to develop and you’re working your ass off and you feel like you’re being blocked or there’s the path that should be laid out, and it isn’t laid out, or there’s doors are being closed, it fortifies your character. You have to knuckle down and think by any means necessary, you’re gonna kick down the doors. That is what I feel I’ve done over the years.”
It has not merely stiffened Eubank’s resolve, but it’s developed him as a fighter. Trained by Charlie Beatt, Eubank says his start has only served him well.
“I feel it has forged me into a better fighter,” the 31-year-old added. “It’s hardened my mentality in the sport and I feel like you need to learn with experience. No one can tell you something and prepare you for the reality of the sport. You have to go and experience it.
“It’s something that you wouldn’t choose if someone’s laid out different paths for you and this one’s more difficult and it’s harder but, on reflection, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I know that I needed this type of process to forge me into the fighter I am.
“I’m grateful for the path that I’ve travelled.”
Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, is on The Ring ratings panel and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.
