Roy Jones believes that Chris Eubank Jr and his recent defeat may have compelled him to become a better listener. Jones, a Hall of Fame fighter and Eubank’s trainer stated in a recent interview that after his knockout loss against countryman Liam Smith, Eubank would become a less stubborn pupil.
In January, Liverpool’s Smith stunned the boxing world by knocking out the ordinarily tough Eubank in the fourth round of a middleweight match in Manchester. Eubank’s demise, according to Jones, was a failure of appropriate defense, notably Eubank’s unwillingness to accept body shots to save the head.
Jones added that Eubank would prefer to take a hit to the head than a punch to the body, which resulted in his catastrophic performance in Manchester.
Moving Forward with Humility: Roy Jones Believes Chris Eubank Jr is Ready to Take On Boxing’s Body Shot Challenge
Jones expressed on The DAZN Boxing Show, “First thing I said to [Eubank after the loss to Smith] was, ‘Now you can move forward.’ Because in training him a couple of times, I told Chris, ‘Look, brother, sometimes if you don’t want to get that headshot, you’d better take that body shot over a headshot. He told me one day, ‘For me, I think it may be vice versa. I’d rather take a headshot.’”
Jones believes Eubank will now approach his training with a sense of humility. “Now we can proceed. Now you gonna understand when I say something I’m not talking out of the left side of my anus. I’m telling you something that I know.”
Eubank exercised his rematch option with Smith, but the two have yet to reach an agreement. Eubank is also said to be eyeing a middleweight fight with foe Conor Benn on June 3 in Abu Dhabi.
From Hubris to Humility: Can Eubank Rise Again After a Knockout Blow and Learn to Listen in the Ring?
Eubank and Benn were supposed to fight last year in a 157-pound catchweight match that played on their dads’ animosity in the 1990s. Benn, though, failed a performance-enhancing doping test just days before the match.
After Eubank’s humbling defeat to Liam Smith, Roy Jones Jr. believes that the middleweight may finally become a better listener and more receptive to advise from his trainers.
Eubank’s reluctance to concede body shots in favor of protecting his head ultimately led to his downfall, but with a renewed focus on defense, he may yet rise again to become a dominant force in the ring.
As Eubank considers his options for his next fight, including a potential rematch with Smith or a showdown with Conor Benn, only time will tell if he has truly learned from his mistakes and is ready to prove his mettle once more in the octagon.
