Chris Eubank was all the time a mighty specimen. Sleekly muscled throughout his reigns as center and super-middleweight champion, it ought to have come as no shock when he gatecrashed the cruiserweight division in scarily sinewy bodily kind. Strolling to the ring to face WBO champion Carl ‘The Cat’ Thompson, Eubank adopted a well-recognized strut, seemingly unperturbed by the prospect of going through a naturally greater man. The locus of his self-assurance was apparent. Not having bothered with a gown, warm-up sweat glistened on his brawny torso as “Merely The Greatest” boomed out of the PA. Eubank took his time on the gangway, placing poses and flaring his nostrils on the crowd.
The Brighton boxer hadn’t piled on the extra 19 kilos by scarfing Huge Macs and skipping roadwork. He’d educated with a demonic depth and appeared very very similar to the Chris Eubank all of us knew, solely greater. Broader throughout the chest and again, and with a stronger base, there wasn’t an oz of fats on him. He appeared custom-built for a Homeric battle. It was simply as nicely.
Solely two Brits had succeeded in claiming world titles in three weight courses. Bob Fitzsimmons had been the primary, finishing his treble by claiming the sunshine heavyweight title in 1903. 9 a long time handed earlier than the feat was repeated, Duke McKenzie including the WBO super-bantamweight strap to his flyweight and bantamweight honours. Now Eubank, all the time a polarising determine among the many UK battle fraternity, was trying to inscribe his identify within the historical past books.
Reasonably than problem the eminently beatable WBA light-heavyweight champion Lou Del Valle, or IBF holder Reggie Johnson, Eubank had elected to bypass the division altogether, asserting his intention to battle Carl Thompson. Eubank’s reasoning was easy. “The one approach you get into the legendary ranks,” he averred in his sometimes dramaturgical diction, “is if you do what the critics say you possibly can’t.”
A chunkily-built street warrior with a formidable punch, Thompson had lately ventured to Hannover, Germany for a rematch with Ralf Rocchigiani, dethroning the German and securing each the world title and the respect that had eluded him throughout his nine-year profession. His first title defence would happen on dwelling soil, at Manchester’s Nynex Area, on the undercard of Naseem Hamed vs Wilfredo Vasquez. The opponent could be Chris Eubank, a veteran of fifty fights with a degree to show. But when Eubank was a showman, vulnerable to pontification, a boxer who wished he was an aristocrat, his angle was antithetical to Thompson’s. “The Cat” was a blue-collar sort, a quiet however headstrong work horse with no pretensions to the next calling.
Eubank vs Thompson was an exciting conflict from begin to end. The challenger began explosively, as if to clarify to all why he, and never Thompson, had been British boxing’s torchbearer by way of the previous decade. He out-sped the champion, touchdown daring punches to physique and head and tying the heavier man up when he acquired too shut. On the conclusion of the primary stanza, Eubank back-pedalled in the direction of his nook earlier than altering his thoughts and swaggering throughout the ring, smirking on the howling crowd.
Eager to impress his better dimension on Eubank, Thompson threw each punch with unhealthy intentions, catching his man with a forceful proper firstly of the second, whereupon Eubank spent the remainder of the spherical on the transfer, ramming his jab on the advancing champion and jerking his head away when Thompson launched bombs. With thirty seconds left, Eubank put collectively a fast four-punch mixture: proper uppercut, straight proper, left hook, proper hand, the ultimate blow punctuating the salvo by booming off Thompson’s jaw. The champion misplaced his footing barely and dropped his fingers, time sufficient for Eubank to pitch a robust proper hook and proceed the onslaught. Just a few clear blows landed however Thompson ceded floor, stumbling confusedly in the direction of the nook as Eubank sought to manage the coup de grâce.
Combating desperately to defend his newly-won title, and together with his again to the ring-post, Thompson slung an agricultural proper hand that was so wild and off-target that it virtually despatched him sprawling headfirst by way of the center rope. For some cause, virtually as if he’d misplaced his practice of thought, Eubank known as off the assault, commencing to see inscrutably at Thompson with each gloves held in entrance of his abdomen. “Now he’s indulging in psychological warfare,” surmised Ian Darke, commentating for Sky Sports activities. Afterwards, many voiced their perception that Eubank had merely misplaced his killer intuition, an accusation that had plagued the fighter for the reason that tragic rematch with Michael Watson. When the bell rang Thompson sportingly tried to the touch gloves with Eubank, however the challenger ignored him and struck a defiant pose, muscular tissues bristling.
Having recuperated between rounds, Thompson meted out some punishment of his personal within the third. To the shock of many, Eubank held agency, withstanding a heavy uppercut and full-bloodied proper earlier than strolling calmly away and discovering openings to shoot combos. There have been some good exchanges through the fourth with Thompson touchdown two uppercuts early within the spherical and Eubank responding with a vigorous proper that appeared, for a second, to have folded Thompson like a deckchair. The large man’s torso buckled and he appeared to stare on the canvas, as if trying to find dropped change. As quickly as Eubank rushed in the direction of him although, Thompson planted his ft and swung for the fences as Eubank held his floor and loaded up himself. An underrated mixture puncher, he landed a crisp one-two adopted by a swift proper uppercut that linked with Thompson’s chin and despatched him toppling sideways to the ground.
After receiving the obligatory eight rely, Thompson waited for Eubank to advance, which he did, although not with out warning and forethought. As soon as extra, Eubank spent extra time savouring the truth that he had damage Thompson than truly urgent dwelling the benefit. He owned the centre of the ring for the rest of the spherical, however he did not bait the hook. Earlier than the bell, it was Thompson touchdown a imply proper hand, ably demonstrating that he’d shook off the cobwebs.
Eubank could have made the early working, however he’d been marked up by Thompson’s highly effective punches. His left eye started to shut within the fifth, and his proper didn’t look significantly better. He moved sluggishly throughout this spherical, his pictures missing their earlier snap, and Thompson took benefit to manage a number of bludgeoning rights. Regardless of this, Eubank remained the puncher. Thompson clumsily walked on to a backhand with thirty seconds remaining and was compelled to beat a hasty retreat. This time Eubank went for the kill, launching right-hand howitzers, most of which missed their goal. Within the ensuing tangle, each males virtually tumbled excessive rope. On the bell Eubank held his proper glove aloft, as if hailing its superior energy. Statistically, he was in full management: he’d outscored the champion 155-112 in landed punches, connecting with 47 physique pictures to Thompson’s eight.
Thompson produced good work within the seventh, relentlessly pursuing the challenger throughout the ring and out-hustling him at shut quarters. Not for the primary time Eubank doubled down on his energy, touchdown a proper hand and a left hook, the latter connecting as Thompson threw his personal haymaker. Knocked off-balance – by Eubank’s punch? by his personal mis-timed bazooka of a proper? – Thompson then did just a little dance and fell towards the ropes. “He’s far and wide!” cried Darke. “And Eubank stands off! Why did he stand off?!” Why, certainly.
“He thought he might damage me however I performed possum throughout,” mentioned Thompson years later, considerably disingenuously, to this author’s thoughts. Eubank actually buzzed him, however the Mancunian’s doughty model and large stamina saved him within the battle. However no matter he says now, little question Thompson was glad of his opponent’s reticence in a number of of the rounds.
Although Eubank appeared as if he have been carved out of stone, the burden of going through down a naturally greater man started to take its toll as the competition wore on. The exchanges grew to become extra gruelling with each passing spherical. Eubank spent a lot of the ninth on the ropes, Thompson raining down blows on his guard, and he was on the receiving finish once more in a torrid tenth. Within the remaining two rounds, Eubank was compelled to succeed in deep into his soul for the reserves of spirit that had seen him by way of such internecine battles as these shared with Collins, Benn and Watson.
Within the warmth of fight, with a redoubtable Thompson touchdown clear, punishing blows on his pumped-up body, Eubank didn’t founder or wilt however he did endure tremendously for his artwork, surrendering a razor-thin however unanimous choice after twelve gladiatorial rounds. Overwhelmed, bruised however by no means cowed, he had proven proof of each his iron chin and indomitable will. Maybe his braveness supplied him some comfort throughout a two-day stint within the Manchester Royal Infirmary.
For Eubank, who had gone 47 fights unbeaten between 1985 and 1995, it was a second successive defeat, the opposite having come by the hands of a younger Joe Calzaghe the earlier October. He would battle as soon as extra, dropping on a lower eye in a hastily-organised return with Thompson simply three months later. At 31, his combating days have been over, however his place in boxing historical past was safe. In my eyes, he positively deserves a Canastota induction.
Thompson, for his half, misplaced the WBO title to Sheffield stylist Johnny Nelson a 12 months later, the sufferer of a horrendously untimely stoppage. Thereafter, he loved a second spell as British champion, a second reign as European champion, after which two stints as IBO champion. In 2004, aged forty, Thompson had six losses on his ledger, 5 of them inside the space. He was dropped at Wembley Area to supply fodder for a younger David Haye, who had recorded ten knockouts in ten wins. As a substitute of giving the 23-year-old a number of rounds, the long-in-the-tooth Thompson absorbed the early fireplace and pummelled the long run heavyweight title holder to a fifth spherical stoppage. He would have yet another battle, a 12 months later, earlier than retiring. — Ronnie McCluskey
