How Chris Eubank Jr has risen from villain to hero amidst the downfall of his rivals Conor Benn and Billy Joe Saunders

Chris Eubank Jr has been the ultimate love-to-hate figure for British boxing fans – the arrogant, aloof, sculpted, son of a legend with, his critics have argued, more fame than ability.

But something strange has occurred over the past few years. As his domestic rivals, from Billy Joe Saunders to Conor Benn, have been sunk by ugly controversies outside the ropes, Eubank Jr is suddenly facing a new proposition – being a hero rather than the villain.

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33-year-old Eubank Jr has seen an uptick in his personal popularity in recent years

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He’s next in action against Liam Smith – ducking challenges is not an accusation you can level at him

Had last year’s showdown with Benn gone ahead, as Eubank Jr initially wanted it to despite the younger boxer’s two failed drug tests, it’s almost certain ‘Next Gen’ would have emerged to cheers rather than the previously anticipated cascade of boos.

There’s no guarantee of that in Manchester when Eubank Jr takes on popular blue-collar Scouser Liam Smith. But it’s clear that the Brighton middleweight is turning public opinion around – an alarming transformation for a fighter who seems to play the ‘heel’ as naturally as a peak WWE legend Ric Flair.

With his flash sports cars, outlandish KFC attire and brash put-downs of fellow fighters, Eubank Jr has revelled in it. His ‘my corner don’t own towels’ message, after Kell Brook’s brave effort against Gennady Golovkin was stopped by his training team, summed up the distaste many felt. Here was a boxer fighting the likes of Tom Doran and Renold Quinlan in 2016, while sniping at his fellow Brit for stepping up in weight to take on a champion as devastating as ‘Triple G’.

But over the past 12 months Eubank Jr has shown a refreshing eagerness to face tough challenges. First Williams (a contest Eubank Jr dominated but was perceived as highly competitive going in), then boiling down to 157lb to fight a dangerous unbeaten puncher in Benn and, after that fell apart, agreeing quickly to a showdown with former world champion Smith – a bout dividing the opinions of fight fans.

Love him or continue to hate him, there can be no accusation that Eubank Jr has dodged challenges of late in a sport where top fighters avoiding one another is the biggest ongoing problem.

Eubank Jr’s first serious test came in a clash with grudge rival Saunders in 2014, a fight more hotly anticipated than that night’s main event: Tyson Fury’s rematch with Derek Chisora. It was a contest he lost in the ring but which saw Eubank Jr’s stock arguably rise in defeat.

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The pair were seen as opposites going in. Saunders didn’t have the boxing royalty surname, profile or chiselled physique. But he did have the southpaw skills and amateur pedigree to – many hardcore fans hoped – deliver a boxing lesson to Eubank Jr, who was viewed as all sizzle but no steak. Instead, it was a meaty fight of two halves as Saunders swept the first six rounds but Eubank Jr endured, rallied, traded and eventually lost a split-decision by just one point on one judge’s card.

Those who hoped to see Eubank Jr shown up had been disappointed but his second pro defeat in 2018 was far tougher to overcome. Up at 168lb, he was largely schooled by super-middleweight world champion George Groves, landing only 92 of his 421 punches against a naturally bigger opponent who – once again – had a significant edge in amateur experience.

Naseem Hamed, sweating his way through TV punditry, famously advised Eubank Jr – then only 28 – to retire on the spot. Yet the younger Christopher Livingstone Eubank confounded his haters. The following year was the best of his career, bouncing back to defeat James DeGale and Matt Korobov (admittedly assisted by the Russian’s shoulder injury).

But while there have been gradual in-ring alterations, it is his reputation outside the ropes which has really been rehabilitated. Eubank Jr tries to wind up every opponent – such as informing Liam Smith there are five or six styles he can use to beat him – but he turns up in shape, on weight and ready to go 12 hard rounds if needed every time he’s scheduled to fight.

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Eubank Jr recorded a career best win against two-time super middleweight world champion, James DeGale, in 2019

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Eubank Jr vs Benn fell apart at the last minute, but Next Gen’s reaction to the furore won him admiration

Never was this more apparent than when news of Benn’s initial failed drug test dropped a bombshell on their October contest. Eubank Jr’s instant response that he wanted the fight to go ahead anyway, to give fans at the sold-out O2 a show, quickly won admiration. After the bout was postponed, Benn showed a stark lack of remorse or responsibility for the chaos his failed tests had caused, while Eubank Jr actually continued his weight cut to show the public he would’ve been ready to fight.

If the Eubank Jr-Benn furore rapidly swung public opinion behind Chris, the shift in popularity compared to Saunders has been more gradual. But for all Eubank Jr’s swagger and sky-high opinion of himself, he has never stooped to some of the lows of Saunders: taunting addicts with cash in the street, filming bad-taste instructional videos on domestic violence or publicly defending crime boss Daniel Kinahan.

From sense of humour failures to more serious accusations, Saunders’ rap sheet has added up. Should he ever return to the ring and accept a long-awaited rematch with his old foe, fan support could now be behind Eubank Jr.

In this way, Eubank Jr’s popularity is on a similar path to that of his father. Chris Eubank Sr was a household name in the 1990s but the British public were firmly behind his rivals Nigel Benn or Michael Watson. Like Prince Naz or Floyd Mayweather Jr who would follow him, Chris Sr’s vast audiences were largely made up of people paying to see him lose.

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Eubank Jr has been unable to replicate the achievements of his dad, Eubank Sr, but his career is not over yet

Yet after defeat finally, officially arrived in his 44th fight, a curious transformation began to take place. Fight fans began to overlook or even love Eubank Sr’s eccentricities, to admire his unquestionable in-ring courage. By the time of his two wars with Carl Thompson at the end of his career, Eubank Sr had been fully embraced as a British boxing hero.

Eubank Jr has a way to go to match his father, both in terms of in-ring achievement and public adoration. And there is every chance he will still have the crowd against him when he fights the likeable ‘Beefy’ Smith in north-west England. But Eubank Jr’s commitment, his work to improve, his appetite to give fight fans competitive match-ups cannot be ignored.

The 33-year-old’s style may offend some but the substance of his efforts cannot. Eubank Jr has at last begun to win the affection of British boxing fans – it might be his most unlikely victory to date.

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