Few figures in British boxing history have left an imprint quite like Chris Eubank Sr.
Though he drew with Nigel Benn and Ray Close in 1993, Eubank already held a statement win over Benn and would beat Close the next year, remaining undefeated until he was bested by Steve Collins in ’95.
Then out of his prime years, Eubank failed to avenge the Collins defeat in their rematch and also lost to young Joe Calzaghe and bigger Carl Thompson before hanging up the gloves. Despite the willingness to take on those tough tests, he has recently admitted there was one man he was happy he did not have to fight.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Eubank named James Toney as that man.
“I boxed because I wanted respect from my brothers. I was intelligent, so James Toney, if he came into my purview, if he was a number 1 contender for my title I would then have to fight him. Because he was a champion in his own right he was never a contender.
“I wasn’t going to unify against him because I don’t see how I could beat him. I’m glad that Nigel Benn was my advisory, that he was the one, I’m glad it wasn’t James Toney. I wouldn’t have dodged them but I couldn’t see a way to beat James Toney, you can’t beat guys like that, you just can’t beat them.”
‘Lights Out’ Toney – a defensive master with elite counterpunching skills, combining old-school slickness with tough-as-nails grit – turned professional three years after the Brit, first making his way up the middleweight ranks and winning the IBF belt in 1991 before moving up to 168 and beating Iran Barkley – who Nigel Benn had previously stopped in a one-round fire fight – to win the world title in the class.
He would never cross paths with Eubank, very focused on building his name stateside. Toney would later win the cruiserweight title, too, but an unprecedented victory for the heavyweight belt was later ruled a no contest due to him failing a doping test.
