Photo by PA Photos
On a fantastic night of boxing that was taking place around the UK tonight, Tyson Fury and Chris Eubank Jr. were both served with significant assessments at the 02 Arena, London.
Risking his world title aspirations, Fury took on the rugged German Christian Hammer to further cement his shot at a world title, while Eubank was attempting to relinquish all memory of his last performance to dethrone WBA interim Middleweight champion Dmitry Chudinov.
Luckily, the pair were victorious. Tyson Fury was able to come through his dangerous opponent virtually unscathed, keeping alive those lucrative matchups with both Deontay Wilder and Wladimir Klitschko.
Eubank Jr. KOs Chudinov
Photo by PA Photos
As for Eubank,though he claimed a comprehensive knockout victory against Chudinov, his night turned out to be a little more trivial as his fight was almost called off on the 11th hour.
The night started with utter confusion, as team Eubank and Team Chudinov were at a stalemate regarding the officials. The reports were that it had been previously arranged that the champion’s terms were to have a neutral referee, but it emerged that a British referee was scheduled to be the third man in the middle and therefore put the hotly anticipated chief support in doubt.
Finally, Robert Smith from the British Boxing Board of control swooped in to save the day, as he allowed neutral officials to officiate with less than 15 minutes to spare.
The evenly matched opening round, solidified that the fight was not going to be an easy one for either man. With less than a minute to go, after taking a solid shot, Chudinov landed two heavy blows of his own to the Eubank noggin.
A headbutt in the second opened a sizable gash around the eye of the interim champion; still he was undeterred as he charged toward his nemesis. Even though the 25 year old enjoyed some success late in the round, It felt as though Eubank was choosing to fight on the inside, when he could have easily used his movement to expose the conventional Chudinov.
A lot better work from the challenger in the fourth saw Eubank begin to finally use his superior boxing ability. Having said that, Next Gen was constantly open to the heavy Chudinov right hand, which could be an issue if the Brighton man was to be caught unawares later in the fight.
The Russian champion’s eye was worsening considerably, what was more worrying though was the fact that Eubank started to land at will, which was ominous for the Russian.
The sixth and seventh rounds were positively Eubank’s finest. Eubank Jr showcased his many qualities, the elusive movement confused Chudinov, while he started to land eye catching combinations.
Despite the many factors against him, Chudinov continued to steam forward and had some success in doing so. Yet late in the round, Eubank Jr fired in a strong left hand that saw his opponent’s gum shield go flying.
As the sessions went on, Chudinov’s face was an absolute bloody mess. Eubank was starting to back his father’s words, when Chris Snr said his son was a world-beater.
The reigning interim champion was showing immense guts in the tenth however, Eubank Jr was simply just too much for the brave Russian.
The final round saw an ultimate assault from Eubank Jr, one that was arguably his most impressive of the fight. The sheer number of punches taken by Chudinov without replay was simply phenomenal, even Eubank acknowledged the toughness of his seasoned opponent.
To hear the final bell would have been a substantial achievement for Chudinov, who despite the countless scenarios against him, he continued to take the fight to the highly rated Brighton man.
There is no doubt that the fight could have easily been stopped earlier than it was but better late than never, I suppose.
Eubank Jr was full of admiration for his battle-hardened counterpart, but his eyes are now focused solely on the man who snatched his undefeated record from him.
“My hats off to Chudinov, I had to stop beaten him up, this guy is one hell of a fighter. This is redemption, I’m back, so Saunders wherever you are, I’m coming for you.” Said Chris Jr.
Billy Joe Saunders was at ringside for Box Nation and simply had this to say: “I can guarantee one thing, there is no Eubank as long as he’s born will ever beat me.”
Coral bookmakers confirmed that if the Saunders vs Eubank were to be made again, they would put Eubank Jr as their favourite. Many questions were seemingly answered regarding Eubank Jr’s future tonight but it will be debated in the weeks to come if he has what it takes to claim his revenge against the undefeated Saunders.
Fury Retains Potential Title Shot
After that fascinating tussle for the WBA interim Middleweight title, there was still the small matter of the main event between Fury and Hammer.
Early on in the fight, it appeared that Fury was using the same game plan that worked so well against Dereck Chisora his last time out.
Hammer was finding it exceedingly difficult to get close to the Manchester man, who was peppering his opponent with nonstop jabs.
In the first four rounds, Hammer tried, but failed miserably to land a glove on the fleet footed Fury, who was starting to frustrate the travelling challenger.
The 26-year-old Fury was his usual colourful self, constantly grinning as the rounds passed by. A terrific right hand in the fifth dropped Hammer, who simply didn’t see the punch.
Although it looked to be a flash knockdown, Fury was unloading with bombs that were having a significant effect on Hammer as he walked back to his stool.
The 27-year-old looked to have regrouped in the sixth, but the majority of the action was controlled by the controversial Heavyweight.
The main event was proving to be a mismatch of the highest order, which was most likely the reason why Christian Hammer’s corner threw in the towel at the end of the eighth round.
The main event in the end, came to a anticlimactic end however, this is what Tyson Fury needed to do to come out unscathed of this risky encounter.
Of course always the performer Fury, asked permission to use Jimmy Lennon Jr’s microphone to give the crowd a memorable treat, a Fury rendition of Walking in Memphis.
“He was very tough, he took a lot of punishment, it was just a matter of time before I got him out of there,” said Fury.
“I’ve come a long, long way in the last 3 or 4 years, we worked on my feet and movement, I am a much improved fighter and that is why I am the number one mandatory challenger for Klitschko,” Fury concluded.
There were emphatic wins in London for Welterweight Bradley Skeete and Commonwealth Super Featherweight champion Liam Walsh, who both scored knockout victories respectively.
However, with danger avoided, it is onward and upward for the controversial heavyweight Tyson Fury, who has inevitably earned his shot at one of the top two names in the division.
The new interim world champion Chris Eubank Jr is now destined to hunt down the fascinating rematch with Billy Joe Saunders, but will it be revenge or repeat for the enigmatic Chris’s?
