Harlem Eubank believes Jack Catterall is the right next step in his career.
Eubank headlines with the Chorley man in Manchester on Saturday night in an important fight for both, with former world title challenger Catterall looking to position himself toward a world title fight and Eubank looking to prove he is world class.
Eubank has only recently moved to 147lbs. Previously, he had been linked to a fight with Adam Azim at 140. When he jumped to 147, he called for Conor Benn. But his breakout fight now potentially comes against the veteran southpaw.
“Well, the performance against Tyrone McKenna [whom Eubank stopped in March], in Brighton, great night and the performance and the finish meant that we could go bigger and better. And Jack Catterall, he’s been campaigning at world level over and over again. And more often than not beating those guys up there, pretty convincingly. So the fashion in which I won my homecoming fight in March meant that we could reach for the guys at the top. And that is Jack Cattrall and to place myself at the top of the sport, these are the guys that you have to beat. I welcome that challenge with open arms.”
Eubank is No. 14 with the WBO and 15 with the IBF and Catterall is still ranked at 140, where he has done the majority of his work.
Victory over Catterall, and Eubank would expect a high ranking across the board.
“And it would put me on the verge of a world title shot,” he added. “That’s what I’m in the sport for.”
For Azim, the young Shane McGuigan-trained protegee, Eubank got as far as facing off in the ring with him to announce a fight that had not been signed. It never happened.
Catterall is a very different stylistic proposition.
“It’s a much higher level fight,” Eubank added. “It’s a more difficult fight and a fight that will place me at the top of the sport. And that is something that really excites me because I’ve been waiting for a big opportunity to show people what I’m capable of for a long time. And this is, this is the fight. This is the opportunity. This is the standard. This is world class, world level boxing. And this is the type of fight that I’ve been building up to for the last 11 years.”
There has been no trash talk between Eubank and Catterall. Nor is there likely to be any. But there is respect from both. Eubank, 31, said: “It’s well known what he likes to do. You know, his preferred style that he uses but we can’t forget he’s a well-rounded fighter. He’s experienced and he can do a multitude of things. He just prefers sometimes to stay in a certain phase. But we’re well prepared and we know that he’s capable of doing other things as well and we’re prepared for everything that he might come with on the night.”
Eubank has nine knockouts from his 21 wins, while Catterall has stopped 13 of his 30 victims, against two losses.
Eubank has favorable results against common opponents in McKenna and Timo Schwarzkopf, and that leads Eubank to believe he could be the bigger puncher on the night. Catterall outscored both, while Eubank stopped them.
“I mean, the common opponents we’ve shared would suggest so, but again, it’s not going to make a difference I don’t think in the fight. He can punch. It’s well documented that he has that in his arsenal. He can punch with both hands and I can punch with both hands as well, so I don’t think it’s going to be a defining factor in the fight, but I know his skillset and I believe that when I’m on my A game that I’m a superior fighter.”
Eubank has long spoken of his dream to box at the stadium of Brighton’s soccer team, but all roads must lead through Catterall on Saturday, and he is not looking beyond the Chorley man.
“I’m just looking at what’s in front of me, to be honest. I’m ready to roll with the punches, but I want to go in there and find the best. I’m not looking past Jack Catterall. I’m just looking at what's in front of me and going in there and putting on a performance and coming out victorious and the rest is waiting on the other side of it. I think it’s the right step.
“I fought Timo Schwarzkopf three fights ago, two-time European champion. I was the first man to stop Timo and Timo had also been in the ring with Jack. That’s at European level. When you go above that, you’re going up towards world level and Jack’s been at world level. He’s proven himself there. And that’s the type of step I need now.”
