Fresh from trading verbal jabs with Blackwell either side of promoter Mick Hennessy, Eubank Jr. was certain an apparent air of confidence on the part of the champion was masking daunted feelings deep down.
“I think Nick Blackwell put on a façade, a big front and he knows he’s in some very deep water. He was just trying to put on a brave face for me as he knows he’s going in there to lose his title,” Eubank Jr exclusively told World Boxing News.
Asked what it would mean to claim the belt that eluded his famous father Chris Sr, Jr. answered: “To win the title would mean a huge deal. This is something I’ve dreamed about achieving since I started boxing as an amateur at fifteen years old. Being able to say I’m the champion of Great Britain, our home country.
“The opportunity is here and I’m going to take it with both hands.”
With a world title in the pipeline, Eubank’s domestic exploits seem destined to be short-lived, although the 26 year-old was unsure when quizzed on the possibility of claiming the title outright, which requires three victories.
“That’s a good question I don’t have the answer to. First and foremost, I need to take that belt, then after that me, and my management team will decide what’s in my best interests,” he said.
Eubank’s solitary loss to Billy Joe Saunders still has to be addressed by the Brighton man, and with his rival since claiming the coveted WBO championship, a return fight holds much more significance moving forward.
“Obviously, the ultimate goal is to become a world champion, and the rematch with Billy Joe Saunders is something that I’m chasing. He has the world title, so if that fight comes about I’m extremely confident I’ll win that. I would then be in the position of world champion and obviously I wouldn’t be able to defend or to win the Lonsdale Belt outright.
“I think I’d have to relinquish the belt, but it’s something we have to decide and try to figure out after the fight,” Eubank pointed out.
