The Diary of a CEOChris Eubank Jr. Opens Up About His Grief, Living In His Father's Shadow & His Future | E159
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 3:35
Opening, Persona And Unusual Discipline From A Comfortable Childhood
Steven Bartlett introduces Chris Eubank Jr., framing him as a rare guest who seldom shows this side of himself. They explore how a man from a financially secure background developed an extreme appetite for discipline, competition and pain typically associated with hardship.
- •Eubank notes he rarely does long-form interviews and most people only see his in-ring persona.
- •He describes being highly competitive in multiple sports before boxing and addicted to winning.
- •Bartlett questions how someone from comfort, not poverty, developed such hunger for struggle.
- •Eubank emphasizes that his drive and focus, not circumstances, underpinned his success.
- 3:35 – 10:00
Father’s Resistance To Boxing And Choosing The Hard Road
Eubank recounts how his father actively discouraged him from boxing, believing he wasn’t tough enough and urging him to focus on school and other sports. Ironically, that resistance intensified his desire to fight and shaped his sense of his own achievement.
- •Chris Eubank Sr. banned his son from boxing gyms for years, prioritizing education and safer sports.
- •Junior begged repeatedly to train, interpreting "you’re not tough enough" as a challenge.
- •He doubts his father was strategically baiting him and believes the concern was genuine.
- •He frames his career as more impressive because he chose hardship despite having many other options.
- 10:00 – 27:20
Mental Warfare, Technical Sparring In Cuba And Defining Personal Identity
The conversation dives into the mental demands of boxing, illustrated by a brutal sparring experience in Cuba that almost made Eubank quit. He links that crucible to an unshakeable internal story about never giving up and explains how he built an identity beyond being "Chris Eubank’s son."
- •He insists boxing is mostly mental: just walking to the ring is beyond most people.
- •In Cuba, a much larger Olympic heavyweight ignored the agreed ‘technical sparring’ and beat him badly.
- •Knocked out of the ring onto concrete with a dead leg, he chose to climb back in rather than quit.
- •That decision became proof to himself that no one could make him quit, shaping his career-long mentality.
- •He describes living in his father’s shadow and consciously deciding he must be known for who he is, not just as a famous son.
- •He stopped comparing himself with his father and focused on incremental self-improvement instead.
- 27:20 – 38:20
Public Persona, Media, And Learning To Separate Fighter From Civilian
Eubank reflects on his father dominating early press conferences and how that initially shielded him from media he distrusted because of trolling. Over time he learned to be more open and friendly in public, understanding the long tail of every fan interaction.
- •Chris Sr. often stole the spotlight at early press events, sometimes speaking on his son’s behalf.
- •Initially, Junior welcomed it as he only cared about fighting and felt burned by online hate.
- •As he matured and established himself, he stepped forward and became comfortable on camera.
- •He realized early photos show him stone‑faced because he carried fight seriousness into everyday life.
- •Now he makes a point to smile with fans, knowing each interaction ripples through their social circles.
- •He frames public encounters as part of his “karma,” shaping how strangers treat him later.
- 38:20 – 49:20
Emotional Suppression, Relationships And A Strict Jamaican Upbringing
The discussion turns to Eubank’s reputation for being unemotional and how that affects romantic relationships. He connects his emotional restraint to a strict, sometimes violent childhood and admits that, until recently, he barely cried or expressed vulnerability.
- •He’s often told by partners he’s hard to read and not emotionally expressive.
- •He rarely gets visibly upset; instead of confrontation he simply cuts people off.
- •He hasn’t celebrated knockouts with wild emotion; winning feels like executing a plan, not a surprise.
- •He worries less about how this affects relationships, believing his future partner won’t need an overtly emotional man.
- •His father was strict, feared and not outwardly emotional; his mother was the emotional one.
- •Eubank admits emotions hinder his fighting: anger or hate make him less effective and less precise.
- •He and his father have never discussed feelings, though he thinks his now religious father might be more open today.
- 49:20 – 1:08:00
Violent Youth, Gang Culture And A Near‑Catastrophic Baseball Bat Incident
Eubank revisits his teenage years in gangs, frequent street fights and a chilling episode where he took a baseball bat to another school intending to use it. He now sees these moments as reckless forks in the road that could have obliterated his future.
- •He was boisterous and impulsive, regularly involved in street fights from age 16.
- •His father’s strict discipline and threat of punishment were key factors keeping him from going further.
- •After a threatening late‑night call, he brought a bat to a school and searched classrooms for the caller.
- •He’s grateful he never found the boy, realizing he could have killed him and ended up in prison.
- •Such a conviction would likely have barred him from the U.S., erasing his formative years training in America.
- •He now frames this as evidence of how one emotional decision can alter an entire life trajectory.
- 1:08:00 – 1:22:40
Sebastian’s Death, Regret And Recommitment To Family And Legacy
The tone shifts as Eubank details the sudden death of his brother Sebastian from a heart issue, his inability to attend the funeral due to COVID, and the lingering regret of skipping a chance to see him shortly before he died. This loss has deepened his empathy and redirected his focus towards family, especially Sebastian’s son Raheem.
- •Sebastian was extremely health‑focused, making his sudden heart‑related death especially shocking.
- •Eubank, ill with COVID, was woken by his father delivering the news and cried for days.
- •He couldn’t travel to the Muslim funeral because they had to bury Sebastian quickly and he was infectious.
- •He regrets a secret Dubai stop months earlier where he chose not to see Sebastian—his only real life regret.
- •The experience taught him not to take loved ones for granted and to avoid petty conflicts and wasted time.
- •He now sees Raheem, Sebastian’s son, as “my son,” stays closely involved and even thinks about having his own child sooner so they can grow up together.
- 1:22:40 – 1:32:00
Health Risks Of Boxing, Cognitive Changes And Training The Brain
Bartlett asks whether Sebastian’s death and ring injuries have changed how Eubank views boxing’s health risks. Eubank recalls a previous opponent who nearly died and candidly admits noticing his own memory and recall issues, prompting him to ‘train’ his brain like a muscle.
- •He says Sebastian’s death hasn’t directly changed his view of boxing, but earlier incidents did.
- •He recounts the Nick Blackwell fight, where Blackwell effectively died en route to hospital and was revived.
- •Such events made him more conscious of the sport’s dangers, especially as aging increases vulnerability.
- •He notices his recall has worsened; names and facts now take much longer to remember than in his 20s.
- •He deliberately resists looking things up and forces mental recall, and uses the Elevate app for brain training.
- •He compares brain damage from punches to potential effects of heavy drinking, noting he doesn’t drink at all.
- 1:32:00 – 1:43:00
Mental Health, Trolling, And The Value Of Being Loved Or Hated
The conversation widens to men’s mental health, with Eubank explaining he’s never experienced depression or anxiety but had to learn not to internalize online hate. He now understands trolls as projecting their own misery and, as a boxing businessman, sees both hate and love as commercially valuable.
- •He considers himself unusually happy and resilient, able to cut off problems rather than ruminate.
- •Early in his career, trolling about his name and style angered and confused him.
- •A turning point came when he looked up a particularly abusive commenter and saw an unhappy, unhealthy man on a sofa.
- •He concluded trolls are upset with themselves, not him, and stopped letting comments affect his mood.
- •He realized haters still buy tickets and pay-per-views, so negative attention is financially useful.
- •He argues boxers must be heroes or villains; neutrality means people won’t prioritize watching you.
- 1:43:00 – 1:53:00
Privacy In Relationships, Social Media And Clarifying Misconceptions
Eubank explains why he keeps his romantic life completely off social media, both to protect relationships and to avoid clout-chasing dynamics. This discretion has led to public speculation about his sexuality, which he finds amusing but refuses to address through oversharing.
- •He deliberately separates his public and private lives; his relationships are never displayed online.
- •He’s seen social media damage many relationships and has no desire to invite that into his own.
- •He notes some people, when they see happiness online, try to destroy it out of spite or envy.
- •Because he never posts with women, people online speculate he might be gay; he laughs this off.
- •For him, the absence of upside and significant downside means privacy is the only rational choice.
- 1:53:00
Unfinished Business In Boxing And Eubank’s Philosophy Of Happiness
In closing, Eubank rejects the idea that his career is complete, outlining ambitions to collect more world titles in what he calls his prime earning years. He then answers a question about happiness, summarizing his life philosophy as rooted in positivity, integrity and refusing to envy others.
- •Despite 34 fights and world title experience at super-middleweight, he insists his work is far from done.
- •He lives a disciplined, year‑round boxing lifestyle—no drinking, drugs or extreme weight fluctuations—so he expects to compete effectively into his late 30s.
- •He sees the next few years as “money years” to fight and beat the best, cementing his legacy.
- •On happiness, he stresses not shouting, not wishing others ill and not putting people down.
- •He warns that constant comparison and resentment make happiness impossible.
- •He views life as a mirror: what you project—negative or positive—comes back to you, so being genuine, honest and helpful is his route to contentment.
