It’s a sweltering day during a London heatwave, but Harlem Eubank (21-0, 9 KOs) keeps cool, post-training, in his air-conditioned car. The welterweight has finished sparring for the day and begins answering questions with the poise and control we have become accustomed to seeing from him, though usually with his fists.
Harlem, 31, has the unmistakable Eubank traits. His pauses, thoughtfully, before letting his responses flow, giving off an aura of intelligence that was trademarked by his uncle, former two-division champion Chris Eubank Sr., during the pomp of his revered career. He cares about the words he choses — each one selected carefully and crafted to convey his message as effectively as possible.
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And so this attention on language becomes a theme as he speaks to Uncrowned, just three weeks out from what he has dubbed the most important fight of his career.
“The Warrior’s Code is a way of life,” he explains, in riposte to a question regarding the tagline to Saturday night’s fight, which will be streamed live on DAZN. “It’s a dedication to living a life of boxing — not just in training camps. It’s a not cheating [lifestyle], no cutting corners and living by that code in order to become proficient in your art form. In this instance, boxing, and putting me in a position to eventually become world champion.”
The next step on that journey for Eubank sees his path cross with domestic rival Jack Catterall (30-2, 13 KOs). Monikered “El Gato” for reasons that shouldn’t need explaining, the Chorley fighter has already used up two of his lives in defeats to world-level operators. A hugely controversial loss to Josh Taylor in 2023 was accompanied on his record by a decision setback to Arnold Barboza in February, losing a split decision in front of Catterall’s home Mancunian crowd.
“Jack is the perfect opponent for me,” Eubank says. “This gives the public what they want in the form of a domestic headliner, but it also gives me the opportunity to come up against someone at world level. Jack is that guy. If I want to be the best then I am going to have to beat the best, and he’s proven the level he is at — in my opinion, he should be an undisputed world champion.
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“He’s at his very peak right now, so I am going to have to be at mine. He came up very close against Barboza, but real champions come back stronger in defeat and that’s what I’m expecting from him in Manchester. He’s going to return looking to prove a point, as he should, and we want to be fighting the best version of him, which we believe we will be. The public have been starved of these kind of fights recently — perhaps Chris [Eubank Jr] vs. Conor [Benn] was an outlier — so it’s good that Jack and I can put on a show.”
It didn’t take long for Harlem’s cousin, Chris Jr., to be mentioned. Harlem regales fondly of that night in late April, when his namesake bested Conor Benn over the course of 12 hellacious middleweight rounds. He is eager to point out Eubank supremacy runs deep in the family blood.
“As Eubanks, we will carve our paths regardless of anything else,” he explains. “You train day after day, year after year, knowing that an opportunity will eventually come your way, and when it does, you have to be there ready to take it. It’s in our blood, in our DNA — and in my mind, there is no reason why the Eubank name won’t reign victorious again on July 5.
Jack Catterall reacts to his decision loss against Arnold Barboza Jr. for the WBO interim super lightweight title in February.
(Martin Rickett – PA Images via Getty Images)
“A lot has happened in our family, but it’s brought everyone closer together and created a stronger unit. The success that we’re all achieving this year, it feels like a wave driving us on to achieve more. I love having my family behind me. It’s Eubanks supremacy, and this fight feels like it came at just the right time for me and my career.”
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As similar as Harlem is to his cousin and uncle, it’s harder to place him as one of the sport’s “bad guys.” The Eubank name has been synonymous with playing the heel throughout recent boxing history, and it’s something Harlem might be required to channel in front of Saturday’s expected raucous support for Catterall. Eubank is adamant he is comfortable doing that, but the infectious smile that accompanies his statement juxtaposes the notion.
“Chris is Chris — I have never been sure whether he likes playing the bad guy or whether it just happened,” Harlem says. “That certainty changed in his last fight when he came up against a cheater. But I am ready to play whatever role is needed in Manchester. I love that the fight is in Catterall’s backyard — these are the fights that will go down in history, when you travel to someone’s home, with everything stacked against you and you get the victory. It’ll make it even more special for me.”
Eubank is also quick to dismiss talks of an imminent clash with the aforementioned Benn. “I am on to bigger things,” he says, referencing how he was asking for a fight with the “Destroyer” for years, getting ignored in the process. “Catterall is head and shoulders above Benn and has achieved way more in his career. Of course, I would still love to fight [Benn], but a win over Catterall can open doors to massive world title shots — and the truth is, Benn is miles away from being near world level at welterweight.
“Jack is in my way — that’s how I am seeing this fight. I feel like the public knows how good he is, but they don’t quite realize how good I am yet. This fight isn’t about Jack, it’s about me. And I’ll prove that.”
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