For the sake of his sanity (the despise of losing), and the rest of what time he has left in boxing, Eubank Jr. has to make a firm decision that will shape how the rest of his ring stint pans out.
At 28 years old, and with a Marmite personality in the ilk of his famous father, Junior has to fathom whether he wants to continue down the same path Senior has followed all these years.
It had been thought Chris Jr. had turned a corner in the public eye and was gaining a backing to potential en route to the top of the sport, although a disappointing performance and lack of a gameplan set him back in many estimations.
Questions are being raised as to whether Junior is taking the sport as seriously as he should be despite numerous training videos where he’s the epitome of a world beater and looks a million dollars into the bargain.
The first thing Eubank Jr. HAS TO DO is hire a new trainer, someone he can get close to and have the type of relationship conqueror George Groves obviously has with Shane McGuigan.
Having his father watching every move made and bidding to steal his limelight is not helping, whilst shouting over the ropes as he attempted to gain a foothold in the Groves fight only made things worse.
Ronnie Davies seems pushed out from any kind of input due to Eubank Sr. and Junior needs to make the decision to cut family ties and connections to past glories in a bid to fully begin all over again.
A move across the Atlantic should be considered, and having spent time with Floyd Mayweather Sr. in Las Vegas that could be a strong option as Junior bids to climb out of his father’s shadow once and for all.
Heading down to middleweight, as suggested post-fight, is probably not even the major talking point, whilst rival coach McGuigan outlined the need for Eubank to consider the possibility as well as whom he’s working with on his tactics.
“Eubank Jr. couldn’t adjust all the way through that fight and as George said it was levels,” said McGuigan after the fight. “Eubank Jr. came unstuck in every department. He looked lost in there and needs to go and reassess his career.
“I believe he needs to go back to middleweight,” he added.
It’s no secret Eubank has a mass of talent in his locker, but has to harness that obvious skillset under a respected and trustworthy mentor – it’s just too bad the great Emanuel Steward isn’t around anymore.
Steward would have been the perfect man to unlock the world-class potential and turn Chris Jr. into a dominant force at either 160 or 168, and unless Junior is able to find his eventual coaching soulmate, he could be destined for further disappointments during what’s left of his career.
Phil Jay is Editor of World Boxing News. Follow on Twitter @PhilDJay
