Chris Eubank Sr was a world champion celebrated for his toughness.
The two-weight titlist fought from 1985 to 1998 and first picked up the WBO middleweight title before moving up to hold the super-middleweight belt from 1990 until 1995, and is generally ranked as one of the best Brits to ever compete in the division.
Eubank had famous battles with countrymen Nigel Benn – winning the first fight and drawing the second – as well as twice besting Michael Watson. He also fought Joe Calzaghe, loding by unanimous decision, was defeated by Steve Collins twice and fell short against Carl Thompson to send him into retirement.
Speaking to Sky Sports back when his son Chris Jr hooked up to train with former multi-weight world champion and boxing legend Roy Jones Jr, Eubank Sr explained why he never stepped up to face the American and unify championship belts.
“Roy is perfect – let me tell you why. He has two things; brains and speed. I only had brains. Roy beat James Toney who, privately for me, is one of the greatest super-middleweights of all time. Toney was a technical boxer but Roy had brains and speed. Roy played with him and I bow to Toney’s skill-set. These are two men that I was intelligent not to unify titles with. They were too dangerous.
“I would have fought Roy if he was No 1 contender – I would have had to, because my integrity would not have allowed me to dodge him. But I was WBO champion and he was IBF. I didn’t have to, I wasn’t forced to. It was a very tall building that I chose not to climb.
“If you choose to do something that you know you cannot do, or that is going to be very difficult, then you are a fool! My view was; Roy, I will admire you from afar!”
Roy Jones Jr and James Toney were two of the most gifted boxers of the 1990s, both boasting exceptional skills and undefeated records when they clashed in November 1994 for Toney’s IBF super middleweight title.
Jones, with his lightning-fast hand speed, incredible athleticism, and unorthodox style, had already captured titles at middleweight and was considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.Toney was a defensively brilliant counterpuncher with a granite chin and a reputation for outsmarting opponents in the ring.
Their meeting was highly anticipated, billed as ‘The Uncivil War,’ a clash of two seemingly unstoppable forces at their peak.However, the fight itself turned out to be a near shutout victory for Jones, who dominated Toney with his speed and ring generalship, handing Toney his first professional defeat.
