Chris Eubank Jr. knows that there is only so much he can do to further build on his family name back home in England. Here in America, though? The possibilities seem endless.
“My goal is to make a name for myself in the U.S. and broaden our horizons,” Eubank, the son of former two-division titleholder Chris Eubank Sr., said during a media workout today in Brooklyn. “The fight fans here have known me for a while, but I want to break out past that.”
The 30-year-old Eubank takes his first step in that direction against Matvey Korobov this Saturday at the Barclays Center on the undercard of the middleweight title fight between Jermall Charlo and Dennis Hogan.
“This is a great starting fight for me in the U.S. We’re aiming to make our own history,” Eubank said. “I’ve done so much in England, and I feel like this is the right time to expose myself to the American public.”
Eubank (28-2, 21 knockouts) is coming off a career-best win over former super middleweight titleholder and compatriot James DeGale last February. Eubank battered the shopworn DeGale over 12 rounds en route to a unanimous-decision win. He also participated in the World Boxing Super series 168-pound tournament, defeating Avni Yildirim by third-round knockout but dropping a decision to George Groves, another domestic rival.
Eubank suffered his other loss early in his career against Billy Joe Saunders, which is to say that he has pretty much exhausted all the major fights in his native U.K. Hence, his focus on the U.S. scene.
“I’ve been dreaming about coming here and fighting in the U.S. since I was a kid,” he said. “You dream about fighting where all your favorite fighters came to perform on the big stage. To do it here in New York is special. It’s an iconic place, and so many great world champions have come from here.”
Against Korobov, Eubank will face a skilled southpaw who gave 160-pound titleholder Charlo all he could handle last year. Some observers believe Korobov did enough to eke out a decision. One possible factor in Eubank’s favor is that he will be fighting at his natural weight for the first time in several years.
“I’m not a true super middleweight, so I’m excited to be fighting at 160 pounds. I’m going to be a beast,” Eubank said. “I’m going to be an absolute savage. The power and the speed is going to really shine through against guys my own size.”
Should he get past Korobov on Saturday, Eubank has his sights set any of the middleweight titleholders, including one of Saturday’s main-eventers.
“Anyone with a belt in the middleweight division, I’m coming for them,” Eubank said. “If that means Charlo, I’ll be more than happy to get in there with him.”