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British middleweight champion Nick ‘Bang Bang’ Blackwell has scoffed in the face of Chris Eubank Jr.’s claims he’s ‘bland’ and ‘boring’ and promised to take the fight to him when they meet on Saturday night at The SSE Arena, Wembley.
Blackwell and Eubank Jr. have become entangled in a war of words since their highly-anticipated fight was announced and the champion from Trowbridge is keen to expose the challenger’s true colours this weekend.
“Boring? I think it’s boring watching Chris Eubank Jr. beat up opponents who are basically punch bags time and time again,” says Blackwell. “You might as well go to your local boxing gym and watch someone hit the heavy bag for a few rounds.
“That’s all Eubank Jr. brought to the table until Billy Joe Saunders schooled him. How is that exciting? How can he claim to be entertaining? He’s only had one or two proper fights in his whole pro career. I’ve had more interesting spars than he’s had fights.
“I’ve no idea how he can say I’m boring. I might not be the most technical fighter in the world, but I turn up and fight. I stand toe-to-toe and give as good as I get. I don’t take a step back from anyone. He’ll be the one trying to escape and run away on Saturday night.”
Eubank Jr., of course, believes he will meet Blackwell punch for punch and that his power – and, specifically, his uppercut – will separate the champion from his title within the scheduled distance. It’s a forecast Blackwell is unable to take seriously.
“Let him think he’s the bigger puncher,” he says. “When he gets in there with me and is breathing out of his arse and getting hit flush by me, he’ll realise I hit a lot harder than my record might suggest. He won’t want to be taking it on the chin from me in ten-ounce gloves. No chance.
“I’ve been hit by some big punchers and I know I’m tough.
‘Spike’ O’Sullivan is a fairly big puncher but he doesn’t punch in combination very much and he’s not as fast as me. He still had Eubank Jr. going at one stage. He had him hurt. When Eubank Jr. takes some clean shots from me, we’ll see what happens.
“Look at who I have fought and look at who he has fought. I’ve fought proper fighters. He has fought people who were dragged off the streets and persuaded to put on a pair of gloves and fight him.
“Well, on Saturday night he’s facing a proper fighter again. The last time he did that he got his arse kicked by Billy Joe Saunders.”
Former WBA interim middleweight champion Chris Eubank Jr. says the 16 knockouts on his career record suggest he’s a bigger puncher than British champion Nick ‘Bang Bang’ Blackwell and if there’s any doubt he’ll prove it when they collide this Saturday at The SSE Arena, Wembley.
Last year Eubank Jr. stopped Dmitry Chudinov, Tony Jeter and Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan within the scheduled distance, while Blackwell, 19-3-1 (8 KOs), halted the highly-rated John Ryder in seven rounds and then scored one of the knockouts of the year in a sixth-round win over unbeaten southpaw Damon Jones.
“You’ve just got to look at the records to see who the bigger puncher is,” says Eubank Jr. “Look at how many knockouts we both have. It speaks for itself.
“He’s definitely not making it through twelve rounds. Whether he quits, gets stopped or gets knocked out, he’s not making it to the final bell. If he wants to go in there and be the big I am, Mr. Big Man, who’s not scared of Chris Eubank Jr., then he will get knocked out. He should have been working on his defence. If he thinks he’ll blow me out, he’s the one getting knocked out.”
Common belief is that Blackwell will use his work-rate, toughness and fitness to attempt to overwhelm the challenger on March 26, but Eubank Jr. says he’ll need a whole lot more if he’s to hold on to his British middleweight crown.
“It’s a fatal error if he has only got a Plan A,” says Eubank Jr. “It’s an extremely dangerous way of preparing for a fight.
“Until you get in the ring with a guy, you don’t know what he’s capable of. You shouldn’t be only training, practicing and sparring a certain way just because that’s what you’re good at. You’ve got to cover all areas. It’s like going into a casino and playing roulette and putting all your money on zero. It’s stupid.”
Whether he decides to box Blackwell or brawl with him, Eubank Jr. promises one thing – it will make for excitement.
“I think any fight that involves me is a potential ‘Fight of the Year’,” he says. “I’ve never had a boring fight. Never. Not many fighters can say that.
“Number one is win and number two is to look good while winning. Once I start winning, then we can throw some bits of sexiness into the performance to make it something that people will talk about afterwards.
“I don’t want to be one of those guys who is winning and just continues doing the same thing they’ve been doing the entire fight. I want to get people on the edge of their seats. I like to do things that make people go ‘wow’. Unfortunately for Nick Blackwell I’ve got some very nice tricks up my sleeve for March 26.”
Tickets for the British middleweight title blockbuster between Nick ‘Bang Bang’ Blackwell and Chris Eubank Jr. are priced at £35, £50, £75, £175, £200 and £250 for ringside and can be purchased online at ssearena.co.uk and axs.com or by phoning the SSE Arena, Wembley Box Office on 0844 815 0815
