The Diary of a CEOChris Eubank Jr. Opens Up About His Grief, Living In His Father's Shadow & His Future | E159
EVERY SPOKEN WORD
135 min read · 26,898 words- 0:00 – 1:42
Intro
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
I don't do a lot of interviews like this, so there's not a lot of people that do get to see this side of me.
- NANarrator
(electronic music playing) Chris Eubank Junior. The biggest fight of his life ...
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Growing up, I was always Chris Eubank's son. A lot of people would say, "You're trying to steal your son's limelight." To a certain extent, maybe he was. I- I have to do something here to where people know me for me. (electronic music playing) I got myself into this gang. Some kid had got my number. (crowd cheering) He was like, "Wait till I find you." I went into school with a baseball bat to find this kid. I take the baseball bat out. (electronic music playing) That changed the path of my life.
- SBSteven Bartlett
The first time I went to Dubai, there was a- a young guy there and offered to train me. (electronic music playing) That was your brother.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
(electronic music playing) I just started crying, man. It was, you know, one of the worst days of my life. I knew my brother was in Dubai and I didn't go and see him. That would have been the last time I would have saw him before he passed. Um, a man named Nick Blackwell, he got taken to hospital. He actually died on the way to hospital. They had to revive him with a- an adrenaline shot. Those types of incidents are what put things into perspective and make you think about what you're doing.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Have you ever had this conversation with your father about your emotions?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
This is too much.
- SBSteven Bartlett
So without further ado, I'm Steven Bartlett, and this is the Diary of a CEO. I hope nobody's listening, but if you are, then please keep this to yourself. (electronic music playing) Chris, one
- 1:42 – 10:09
Where did your discipline & strength come from?
- SBSteven Bartlett
of the really remarkable things about your story that I was, that kind of broke the mold a little bit, was someone that comes from a family, as you described, where you- you did have comfort, because your father was very, very successful in his career, it seems like a little bit of an anomaly that you had such discipline and appetite for struggle and pain. Because usually that comes from, typically, stereotypically, that comes from a background of intense hardship. So I guess where, my question is, like, where did that come from in you? And is that something you saw in all of your siblings?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
I always had that very competitive, uh, personality, you know. And before I found boxing, I was heavy into sports in school, cricket, rugby, football, athletics, swimming, um, and I- I just got a high off of competing and winning. Just- just competitive, that's all I- all I wanted to do was test myself against other guys. Um, and then, obviously, when I found boxing, uh, I- I quickly understood that this was the ultimate form of competition. You couldn't get anything more intense, more hardcore, more pure than two guys putting gloves on, getting into the ring, and- and going until somebody can't go anymore.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Did you have that from your dad at all? Was- was he ever pushing you in those early years, before you even knew he was a boxer, to be competitive, to win, and that that was important? Or was it more just innate in- in you?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
You know, it's funny, my father actually, he was the opposite in terms of supporting or, you know, pushing me towards boxing. He- he banned me from going to- to boxing gyms for a couple of years. He didn't think I'd be tough enough, you know. So, uh, you know, I- I was begging him all the time, "Let me, let me go to the gym. Let me, let me, let me go and spar, let me go and train." And he- he would just tell me, "No. No, you're not going. Stick with your athletics, stick with your rugby, stick with your football, stick with your studies." That was a big thing for him, you know, 'cause he didn't have that education growing up. Um, "Boxing's gonna be too tough, you know. You've got so many... Look at, look at where you are, you're in a mansion, you're, you go to private school. You know, uh, you've got everything you need and want here. Why- why do you need to go down to the gym and- and get your ass kicked every day?" So, um, you know, it took years of me nagging and begging, "Let me do it, let me do it," um, finally he gave in. And I guess the rest is history, now we're here.
- SBSteven Bartlett
When I was younger, I remember my older brothers could all eat s- really spicy food. And I remember, someone saying to me at the table, maybe one of my brothers, maybe my mum, she was like, "Don't give that to Steve, he can't eat it." When I heard that, it sounded like a challenge to me. Now, when you said that about your dad, it almost sounded like a dare. It sounded like a challenge. Did- did you receive it like that? Him saying, "You're not tough enough to do that?"
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Absolutely. You know, as a kid, um, when you're told you can't do something, you wanna do it 10 times more.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Do you think he was aware of that? He's a smart man.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
You know what? I've never thought of it like that. I've never thought about that, like was he, was he trying to bait me? You know, was he saying this or stopping me so that when I actually did start, I would go so hard that I would actually, you know, make my, make something of myself in the sport? I have no idea. If he did, then that's- that's a hell of a, you know, a- a thing. But, um, no, I- I mean, I- I genuinely think that he- he did really think I wasn't tough enough. I mean, world champions, the best fighters in the world, generally come from povey, from hardship, from broken homes, and they fight because they have to fight. There is, there's no other option for them. If they don't win, if they don't succeed in boxing, they don't eat, you know. They don't have a home to go to. They- they can't pay the bills.Um, so that's what fuels them to, to make it. They have no choice. Uh, whereas me, I had, I had many choices. So in a way, I see it as I've ... I, I see it as actually more of a, an accomplishment, because I didn't have to go through everything I went through to get to where I am today: 34 f- fights, 32 wins, the pain, the hardship, the sacrifice, the suffering. I didn't have to do any of that. I could've stayed in school. I could've kept the rugby up, or the, or the, or the football, or the cricket. Um, you know, and I, and I would've made it in any sport that I wanted to make it in. I know that.
- NANarrator
Why?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Just, just because of my passion and my, my drive, you know. Once I, once I l- zone in on something I want to do, nothing else matters, and I will, I will do it, and I will get there by any means necessary. People that don't know about boxing or don't know how to fight, they think that you gotta be big and strong and mean and full of hate, and that's what enables you to be a great fighter or to be able to, to win in the fight game. And sure, some of those things are gonna help you. You know, speed, power, all of that stuff plays a big part, for sure. But the biggest part of being able to be a great fighter is, is this. And a lot of people don't realize that or don't know that it is, in my opinion, I don't know, 70, 80% mental. You know, the balls and the, the grit that you have to have to, you know, walk through crowds of tho- thousands of people, and while you're walking there knowing that, you know, once you get to that ring and walk up those stairs, you're gonna have to take off your jacket, the bell's gonna go, and you're gonna have to fight somebody. You're gonna have to get hurt, and you're gonna have to hurt somebody in front of thousands of people and millions of people around the world. That, in itself, that, that walk, most people on the planet could not, cannot do that. Just the walk, let alone the fight part. Takes a lot of mental strength. Takes a lot of, of guts, a lot of heart, you know. Mental strength? It's a huge thing in boxing.
- NANarrator
It's a big thing in life, even outside of boxing, right? In business, and in, in all, I think, great endeavors. C- do you think it's something that you can, from what you've seen in the gym, something you can teach or train?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
I think you can.
- NANarrator
Have you seen it taught to someone that didn't have it?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
I've seen fighters improve, you know. I've seen fighters over the years become more confident in, in their abilities and, you know, that does transfer for, that does transfer over to their performances in the ring. I think to a certain extent, you do have to have that strength, that, that belief and that courage and that, that mental fortitude to fight. It can be enhanced in some ways, but only to a certain extent. Because at the end of the day, there are gonna be times in training, in sparring, and definitely in, in the fighting, where you're gonna get hurt, you're gonna be in a position where you're questioning yourself. What am I doing here? Am I gonna be okay? Can I beat this guy? Um, should I give up? Should I find a way out? This is too much. Every fighter experiences that, that, that moment, you know?
- NANarrator
Have you experienced
- 10:09 – 19:02
Why I never give up
- NANarrator
that?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Yeah.
- NANarrator
In a fight?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
There's one time where I was close to giving up. One time. I went to Cuba before I turned pro. Out there, obviously, they have the Olympians and, you know, their, their Olympic training is second to none, you know. These guys are animals. They're monsters. Um, in Cuba, they have this thing called technical sparring, which I had never done and I never did ever again until maybe up un- like two years ago. But technical sparring is basically, um, you're sparring but you're not sparring to hurt the guy. You're sparring to work on technique, you know? So it's like an agreement. All right, listen, I'm not gonna go all out here, you know. We're gonna work on the jab today, or we're gonna work on foot movement. Um, we're not trying to bang each other out, you know? They, they, they're big on that. They're big on technical sparring. I had never done anything like that. My, my whole mentality was if I'm gonna spar you, I'm gonna try and get you out there, because that's how my mentality is gonna be when I'm in a real fight.
- NANarrator
Hm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
So I, I need ... That's just how I need to be. Um, the Cuban Olympic heavyweight representative walks up the stairs and gets into the ring. I thought he was coming into the ring to, to, to shadow box and warm up for his sparring session with somebody else. He said, "No, no, no. You guys, you guys are gonna spar." I was like, "Uh, d- he's-"
- NANarrator
(laughs)
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
"... about three times the size of me. What, what do you mean?" He's like, "Yeah, yeah. It's okay. It's okay. We ... You know, he'll work with you. He'll work with you. Technical sparring." So I thought, "Sure. That's fine. Let's go." First round goes. First bell goes. This guy sprints over to me and just starts laying into me, the biggest shots.... bang. Head up, moving out the way, dodging, running around the ring, and he's just coming at me and I can't get this guy off of me. He knocks me out of the ring, he, he punches me, I f- I fall out of the ring, I drop down, it's like a three, four foot drop onto concrete. My knee hits the, h- hits the concrete and my leg goes dead. All right? This is the second round that this happened. I still have one more round afterwards. So I'm getting up, leg's completely gone. I'm looking up and this heavyweight's, like, leaning over the, the, the ropes looking at me, looking down at me. And I have a decision to make; do I get back in or do I say, "Listen, my knee's bad. You're too big. I- I've got a concussion. Let me, you know, let me just take a break." So I'm sitting there, I'm looking around, everyone's looking at me. My dad's there. I was like, "You know what? Let's fucking go. Let's go." Walked back up knowing, knowing what I was about to receive once, as soon as I got back in the ring. And that's exactly what happened. Clack, click, uh, you know, clapped us back in, just starts laying into me again for another, an- another, another two rounds. But my whole thing was, I have to finish the three rounds. Why? Because I said I was gonna do the three rounds. I said I would spar him for three rounds. I'm not leaving this gym with everybody knowing that I quit.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Why not?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Why not? Because, uh, (laughs) I couldn't, I couldn't live with myself. I've got to, I've got to go home and go to sleep. How am I gonna go to sleep with that on my mind? You know? I can go to sleep with getting my ass kicked by a guy who's three times bigger than me. I can, I can sleep like that. I can't go to sleep th- knowing that he, another man made me quit, made me run out of the ring. No. So I got back into that ring and I took my beating like a man. And from that day on, I was never scared again. So that was the worst experience of my life in terms of boxing, but it was also the best experience, because I knew, I knew what I was capable of, I knew I had it inside me to not give up. I knew I could take a shot. I knew I had what it, what it would take to make it. If he can't make me quit, who's gonna make me quit? Nobody. So that stuck with me for the rest of my career.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Something really interesting which I, I gained from that, which is like we, we basically create a personal, like, philosophy or story with ourselves, and in that moment when you're looking up at stepping back into that ring with that massive guy in there, it's like you're, you're writing or making a story about yourself, one that will probably follow you forever. And I think about this sometimes when I'm on my own and I'm on my, like, Peloton and I'm either exhausted or knackered and I know there's seven minutes left, and I know I can just get off it, but this thing in my head goes, "But then Steve, you're changing your own f- personal story, which is that sometimes Steve quits when it's hard." And the thought of having to live the rest of my life with that per- And it sounds like a very strange thing I've never said before, but the thought of having to live with that personal story, that personal philosophy that that's who I am is never worth getting off the bike. Because okay, it's seven minutes today, but it's a lifetime of thinking that's who I am.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Yeah.
- SBSteven Bartlett
And it sounded like that, in that moment, you, you were, you had a choice about who you were gonna sit, you know. And it's a self thing. Uh, I know there's other people there, but sometimes when, I'm sure you have it in the gym or whatever, when no one's around it's just you and you.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Yeah.
- SBSteven Bartlett
And you have a decision to make about who, who you are, right?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Yeah.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Happens a lot in training though, I imagine, as well, right?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
No, that, that's actually when it happens the most, you know? There are times, you know, I'll be, I'll be on the treadmill or I'll be running and I'll, you know, I'll get a cramp in, in the, uh, in, in my calf.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Yeah.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
I've still got eight minutes to go.
- SBSteven Bartlett
'Cause you said you were gonna do-
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
'Cause I, I've, I've set the timer for 40 minutes on the thing.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Mm-hmm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
So I'm on, I'm on 32 minutes. The, the cramp starts going. You're on the treadmill.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Yeah.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
You've got, you've got eight minutes to go and I'm, I'm running like this now.
- SBSteven Bartlett
(laughs)
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
But I'm not getting off the treadmill, because I've got to do the eight minutes.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Why? No one's there.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Nobody's there, but if the treadmill can make me quit-
- 19:02 – 28:16
What made you different from everyone else?
- SBSteven Bartlett
"What is it about you that's made you where you are today in this, this great champion?" The character traits, the attributes, what is it?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
I've always had a strong mind. I've always had a strong soul. I've always known what I wanted to do, uh, and that I was never gonna stop until I did it. Um, I had a lot to live up to. You know, growing up, I was always Chris Eubank's son. You know, from an early age I was like, "Yeah, but that's not my n- I'm not Chris ... that's not my name. My na- my name is Chris." He made it even harder by calling me Chris, he made it even harder, this guy. Um, but I knew that that's w- not ... I couldn't go the rest of my life as that ... as just being the son of, uh, Chris Eubank. No, I, I have to do something here to where people know me for me. That was a big driving factor, becoming my own man, doing something that people would be proud of and that my family would be proud of, uh, and that I could say was my own. Now, some people would say, "Well then why did you go into boxing? W- which is, you know, the same sport your dad did?" Um, you know, it's a good question. I mean, I guess that, you know ... I guess that competitive, uh, soul inside of me maybe wanted to see if I could be better than what my dad was, see if I could be better than the guy who said I- I wasn't tough enough. Um, I'm sure that was in my mind in the early stages. Now that I've done so much, it's, it's not at all ... You know, I- I don't ever compare myself to my father. People do all the time, you know, "Oh, who would win in a fight if you- you and your dad fought?" Or, you know, "Did- would you ever spar with him?" Um, I don't, I don't think about any of that, you know. I just have to be the best fighter I can be, um, because at the end of the day, um, especially in boxing, you know, you're y- you know, you're only gonna be competing with yourself. That's how you, that's how you elevate, that's how you get better, not by focusing on other people. And I think that that goes for, you know, uh, any industry. If you- if you're constantly looking at other people and what they're doing, and you know, uh, why they made it or why they didn't make it, you know, you'll ... Y- you're losing out on- on you, and what, you know, and- and on what is best for you and how you're gonna progress. I never looked up at anyone and said, "Oh, I want to do that and I want to be there." I just ... I always just thought to myself, "You know what? This is gonna be so hard as it is. I don't wanna put any added pressure on myself. I don't wanna ..." You know, "Can I- can I get as many wins as my dad?" Or, you know, "Can I be more famous or make more money?" Like, all that stuff w- is just a- it's a ... it just messes with your mind. So you just have to focus on day by day, week by week, fight by fight, just being the best you can be, and- and that's what I did, and I just built that up over the years until, you know, until I'd made my own name and made my own, uh, path. Um, my father's always been there. He's always been there to support me and- and guide me. I think he's now taken a, a back seat a lot, a lot of ... a lot more than he was originally. Uh, he was front and center at the beginning of my career, you know? You- you look back on YouTube at the, at the, at the press conferences and the weigh-ins, he was right there, you know, and he'd be talking on my behalf sometimes. A lot of people would say, you know, "Oh, you- you're trying to steal your son's limelight." Um, to a certain extent, maybe he was, or maybe he ... I don't think he was doing it consciously, like, "Oh, I wanna, I wanna steal his ans- ... But it's just he- he's such an entertainer, he's such a, a people person that he just couldn't help himself. You know, he'd- he'd have to get up in the middle of a, a press conference and do some poetry, or-
- NANarrator
(laughs)
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
... or talk shit to my opponent, or ... Y- he had to. He ... Just-
- NANarrator
(laughs)
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
That's just who his. Um, and early on I actually didn't mind it because I was so hell-bent on just becoming a good fighter, I didn't even really wanna talk to the public, and I- and I- and I- I always got, and I still do get, a lot of, uh, trolls online, social media. So it gave me, like, kind of a, like, a bad taste for publicity and- and media, and- and ... So I didn't really even wanna deal with that, I just wanted to fight. I just wanted to get my record up so that people could start saying, "Okay, yeah, this kid's a bad boy." That's all I cared about. So it- it was actually ... Him- he- he actually did take a- a l- a lot of pressure off of me by him kind of doing the talking for, for a certain amount of years. Um, now that I'm established, now that I am, you know, where I am in the sport, uh, that isn't needed.You know, I'm 32 years old now. I can't have another man at my press conferences speaking on my behalf. It just, it's- it's just not gonna fly. So, for the last few years, he hasn't been doing that. I'm comfortable in front of a camera now. I wasn't comfortable at the beginning. In the beginning, I was very ... And I look back, and I look back at the, all these pictures I used to take with fans, and- and interviews, and I was always very serious and stone-faced, and not fun to really listen to in interviews. And people would say, "Oh, yeah, no, I met you, I met you, uh, you know, a f- I f- I met you in- in 2013, 2014. Look, look, here's a picture." And they'd, and then, and then I'd be sitting, uh, just be standing up something like this.
- NANarrator
Why was that? Did you just-
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
I-
- NANarrator
You just had a bad opinion of that, n- that kind of voice?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
No, I just, I was just so serious. I was just so obsessed with boxing. Like, and for me, when I'm in the fight, I don't play. You know, some guys, you know, they, they walk, they walking into the ring, you know, Manny Pacquiao's-
- NANarrator
Mm-hmm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
... and the Danny Joshuas, and they're high-fiving guys, and smiling, and, you know, dancing to the music. I'm not that guy. I can't, I can't be like that. If I know I've got to fight, I'm a barbarian. You know, I'm, it's wartime. Um, and even though I'm light outside of the ring now, as an adult, once, e- e- even now, I- I- I still, once it's fight time, I'm not smiling. I'm not a nice guy. Now, at z- at the start of my career, I guess, I couldn't, I couldn't separate the fighter from the guy in the street. They were the same guy. So whether I was in the ring or I was taking a picture with a fan, I, I wasn't smiling. I was a serious dude. Now, as you get older, you, you know, you understand, you can't, you can't be like that around normal citizens, because it's, eh, eh, i- i- it's, it's just weird, you know? You- you have to be able to smile. I- I smile in all my pictures now, because these pictures, they have them for the rest of their lives. And- and they show them to their friends, their family, um, and what do you want?
- NANarrator
(laughs)
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Do you want that, or do you want ...
- NANarrator
Mm-hmm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
"Oh, he's a nice guy." Or, "Oh, he's an asshole."
- NANarrator
Mm-hmm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
"He couldn't even, he couldn't even smile. He looked so serious. He didn't look like he didn't want, wanna be there." You know, that's one thing I've learned is very important, being in the public eye. You have to give people time, and you have to be happy about it, uh, because, you know, one encounter is not just one encounter. If you meet somebody, you're actually meeting their friends, their family, their son, their daughters. You know, that one person, it's a spiderweb. So that one person is actually a thousand different people, and it's either gonna be, "He was a really good guy. He was a cool guy. He g- you sa- you took, you took a picture and he spent, you know, he spent time and talked to me." That's the, that's the story that goes out to the thousand people. Or, "What an asshole."
- NANarrator
(laughs)
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
"What a wanker." Um, which one of those stories do you want being-
- NANarrator
Mm-hmm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
... spiderwebbed out into the universe, you know? And it all comes back around, because you meet the friends. You meet the family.
- NANarrator
You see the tweet.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Y- yeah. You see the tweets, you know? It all comes back around. So, good energy, positive vibes. Give people your time, you know? Because those pictures and those stories stay with them for the rest of their lives.
- NANarrator
And becomes your karma.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
And becomes your karma.
- NANarrator
Mm-hmm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
It becomes how people treat you, that you've never met before.
- NANarrator
Mm-hmm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
You know, you really gotta be aware of the power of your energy
- 28:16 – 35:40
Are you emotional?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
towards other people. If- if you give off bad vibes, and then you get bad vibes. If you're a good person, if you give people time, it all comes back around.
- NANarrator
There's been this kind of perception because of that, because of you were very stone-faced, that you're unemotional. I'm sure you've heard this before.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Yeah.
- NANarrator
What's the truth in that? Are you unemotional?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
I've heard that, I've heard that word many times, uh, throughout the years with girls I've dated.
- NANarrator
Uh-oh. (laughs)
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
That's always been a really bad or hard thing for them to, to get past, is that I'm not an emotional guy. Uh, apparently, I'm very hard to read when I'm in a relationship, or on a date, or whatever it is. Um, you know, they don't know if I even like them. (laughs)
- NANarrator
(laughs)
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Um, am I emotional? No, I'm not. I have emotions, obviously, but, you know, like, for you to s- upset me? It's- it's damn near impossible. I l- you know, I will never sh- I've, I, I don't think I've, I- I can't remember the last time I shouted at somebody. I don't have that emotion to ... You know, if you, if you do something wrong to me or to disrespect me, or ... Okay. And then I just never see you again. I- I don't get that, like, you know, "What are you doing?" You know, like that so many people get. I don't have that in me. I don't know why. You know, if I knock somebody out in the ring, I stand there and I look at them while they're on the floor. That's it. You know, 99.9% of fighters, they- they knock a guy out, "Yeah." You know, you-
- NANarrator
(laughs)
- SBSteven Bartlett
(laughs)
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
... you know, jumping up onto the ring, yeah, you know, high-fiving people. Ah.
- SBSteven Bartlett
(laughs)
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
I see people crying. "Oh." (laughs) You know, I don't, I don't have that emotion. It's like, yeah, I knocked you out. This is what I said I was gonna do. This is what I've trained for, for my whole life. So, yeah, that's what happened. Um ...
- SBSteven Bartlett
Did you ever worry, though, that that's gonna get in your way a little bit, in terms of re- especially romantic relationships? Women are a little bit more emotional than men. Um, they're more in touch with their feelings. I mean, the data shows that quite clearly. So, do, do you ever think that's gonna inhibit you from forming romantic relationships?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
(sighs) I mean, I'd, I've never really thought about it, and it's not ...
- SBSteven Bartlett
'cause you said you wanted kids. I remember hearing you say that.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Of course, yeah. I mean, who doesn't? Um, well, so I mean some people don't, but e- eventually ... I do want a kid. But, you know, the woman I'm gonna have a kid with is not gonna be a woman that needs an emotional man, you know? Some women don't need that. Um ...
- SBSteven Bartlett
Was your father emotional?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
No. No.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Your mother?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Yeah. Yeah.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Father emotional at all?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
No.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Affectionate?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
I knew he loved me and that, you know, I knew I could, I knew he wanted the best for me. Um, he, he was emotional enough to, for, for me to know that, uh, that's my dad, and I would do anything for him, and I love him.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Hmm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
You know? Some, some people don't have that relationship with their dads, you know? I love my dad. I res- but I respected him, and I feared him. Um, I did fear him. So ... And that was br- you know, he was very strict growing up. I couldn't get away with anything.
- SBSteven Bartlett
I think that's sometimes about myself. I think, you know, I, I actually grew up. I still to this day call my mum and dad by their first names, never called them Mum and Dad. And then I, I think there was a lack of affection and emotion in my chil- in my childhood, so I had to kind of learn growing up how to be affectionate and emotional. I remember someone calling me their best friend and me feeling this like internal repulsion. Like, "The fuck?" (laughs) And then when I would, when I'd get into a relationship with ... Well, no, this was even worse. When I'd find someone that I fancied and I pursued them, the minute they showed interest in me, I'd re- I'd reject them. And so until I realized that was going on and I had this like weird thing in me, it controlled me, and it meant that at 27 I had my first proper relationship. So ...
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Wow. Yeah. That's, uh ...
- 35:40 – 42:19
Have you spoken to your dad about emotions?
- SBSteven Bartlett
with your father about your emotions? About dealing with emotions, suppressing emotions, whatever? Because I don't know. I struggle to believe that you're not emotional. As, as you've seen, you, you, it does come out on you, but it just seems like you've learned how to suppress and not express those emotions.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
I have never had this conversation with my father. No, we've never talked about emotions or feelings. Um, uh, I'm not gonna say he's not that type of guy because he actually may be now at this stage in his life. You know, he's, he's found God. He's very religious now. Um-So maybe I actually could have this conversation with him. But, you know, 10 years ago, 20 years ago, there's just no way. I could never sit down with him and, and talk about my feelings, you know?
- NANarrator
Mm-hmm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
He'd be like, "Feelings? Come, let me take my belt off and show you about feelings." You know? (laughs)
- NANarrator
Oh, really?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
It was not, you know, very strict, very, um, yeah, very, uh, y- y- you, you, I got away with nothing as a kid, you know? But I, I, I think I needed that because I was very boisterous. I was very ... I had a lot of energy, you know. I got myself into this gang when I was a kid and, you know, I was going round, I was fighting, I was, you know, skipping school. Um, the only thing that somewhat kept me in line was knowing that if I got caught or if I went too far, my dad was waiting for me at home.
- NANarrator
Do you really think he would've taken his belt off if you tried to chat to him about his feelings?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
No, I'm, I'm-
- NANarrator
You reckon? (laughs)
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
... I'm exaggerating that part.
- NANarrator
Yeah, yeah.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
But listen, the belt came off many times.
- NANarrator
Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
But when I stepped out of line as a kid.
- NANarrator
Yeah.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Um, you know, that strictness, those, that punishment, uh, stopped me from going even more overboard than I already did. And I did go overboard. You know, you can go onto y- YouTube right now and see a video of me street fighting-
- NANarrator
At 16?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
... at 16 years old in a carpark in Brighton. And I was doing that every other week, you know? So imagine what I would've been doing if I, if I c- if I could just have free rein, if I had nothing stopping me from doing anything. It would, you know ... I'd be in jail, 100%. Um, you know, we're J- we're Jamaicans. We're built differently, you know? We're ... There's just something in our DNA which, uh, you know, we d- w- we have this thing where we, you know, we, we like to cause trouble, man. I don't know why. Um, and my father was the same, you know? He got into all types of trouble as a kid, you know? Stealing and getting arrested and fighting. You know, that's just ... I don't know, we, we just, we, we come from a, a bloodline of, of, uh, of ruffians, you know?
- NANarrator
Mm-hmm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
It's just how we are. I'm a lot more, um, refined now as an adult. You know, I look back at some of the things I was doing and I'm just like, "Wha- what, what was I thinking?" I rem- I remember I went to college, uh, for maybe a month or two before I ended up moving to America. Some kid from this, uh, this school that was opposite from the college had, had somehow gotten my number, and I had, I had got in a fight with his brother. And these are bi- these two really big kids. Um, and he, he got my f- he called me at like 2:00 AM, woke me up, and he's like, "Yo, who do you think you are? I'm gonna fuck you. I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna eat you. I'm gonna do all this stuff to you. You watch, wait till I find you, watch." Hung up the phone. I'd s- I, I knew who the kid was because I, I heard, I knew his voice.
- NANarrator
Right.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
The next day, I went into school with a baseball bat in, in my gym bag. So I have the gym bag, so obviously no one can see it. Lunch bell rang, went, picked up my bag, started walking across to the other school to find this kid. And when I say find him, I mean like I was walking in and out of classes. I was opening the doors and seeing, you know, and the teacher was looking like, "Who are you? What are you doing?" I'd be like, "Don't worry about it." So I was walking from classroom to classroom to classroom to classroom.
- NANarrator
On your own?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
On my own, yeah, to find this kid, with the baseball bat in my bag and, you know ... Um, I thank God, I thank the Good Lord above that I didn't find him. That I didn't see him. Because, you know, I walk into a classroom or I see him on the, on the football field, I take the baseball bat out and I hit him with it. Finished. You know, one, I could kill the kid. I'm in jail for the rest of my life. Um, you know, I would, I would've been banned from going to America. So my, my whole, my whole foundation, uh, everything that I learned going over to the States as, as, uh, at, at 18 years old, having my first amateur fights, training with Floyd Mayweather and his father, that would've all been washed away. I would've never, I would've never done it. So I would never have done anything in boxing, 'cause that was m- that was ... that start was what built me up, you know? You know, I just, so I just thank God that he wasn't there that day, because that could've changed the path of my life.
- NANarrator
Mm-hmm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
You know? And I just look back at that like, "How ... What were you thinking?" Like, "How stupid could you be?" But obviously as a kid, you, you're not thinking about-
- NANarrator
Consequences or America. Yeah.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
You know, y- y- you know, you're just upset that some kid called you up and, and called you an asshole and said he's gonna mess you up the next time you see him. You're not thinking about traveling and getting bans and going to prison, and you're just thinking, "I wanna be a big man and, and, and, and show everyone I'm hard." You know? So it's just, you know, you have to have ... That's why I say I, I thank God for my father as well, for how strict he was, because you know, there were other times where there were things that I was gonna do, but I didn't do them because I didn't want to suffer the consequences of my old man. So, um, yeah.
- 42:19 – 52:08
The death of your brother & how it changed you
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
- NANarrator
You talked earlier about your, the death of your brother, Sebastian.
- SBSteven Bartlett
W- the first time I went to Dubai, I went to the gym there, and there was a- a young guy there that came over and offered to train me. And he trained me for about, I think, two weeks individually. That was your brother. Got loads of photos, hundreds and hundreds of photos of him training me on the bags there. I remember him as being just the most generous, pure... Pure is the word that I always come back to. Giving person. He did not ask me for any money. He never asked me for a thing. He trained me on the bags both times that I came to, um, Dubai, and I wasn't... He didn't necessarily kn- know who I was or what I was doing, but he did that out of the goodness of his heart. And then he continued to message me and speak to me on Instagram about superfoods, and we talked a lot about that. Obviously, he... There was a tragic accident and he passed away from that. What can you tell me about that incident and the- the lasting impact that's had on you and those- those around you?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
I mean, you know, this is fresh. This is o- this only happened a year ago. Um, and I never had to... I've never dealt with anything like that in my life. Um, I told you, I'm not an emotional guy. Uh, the last time I cried I said I was 12 years old, but the day I found out, I cried the whole day. I cried the whole day. I cried for, like, two days straight. Um, yeah. Yeah, my... So my dad actually... I had COVID. I had COVID when I found out. My dad came to my house. Uh, he woke me up. He said, "Come outside," and I thought I'd done something wrong because he had- he had a look in his face which was, uh, I don't know, I- I just couldn't... I can't describe it, but it was... I knew something was wrong. Um, so I thought that, you know, I dunno, I- I don't... I- I wasn't sure what- what I was about to hear. He took me outside. My little brother, my little brother Joseph, um, he's- he lives with me and I have an outhouse. Uh, so he lives there. He went and got him, and he sat us down and he told us. And, um, yeah, I just started crying, man. It was, you know, one of the worst days of my life. And, um... You know, it's just, it's so crazy to- to think that somebody that is so healthy, you know, h- like you said, he was telling you about the superfoods and, you know, he trains every day, you know, peak physical condition, um, can just, you know, have a heart attack and just- just gone. Just, the... It still just blows my mind, you know? Um, I thank God that, you know, he didn't suffer, he didn't, he didn't really feel anything. He just went. Um, and I also thank God that he had a son. Uh, his son was born maybe a month or month before he passed, um, and he... Raheem, and he looks just like him. So, we have that, you know. Um, we have Raheem to carry on his legacy, and I thank God for that every day. Um, you know, he's just now starting to walk, learning how to walk. He has, uh, seven or eight teeth. He's a, he's a great kid. Very good-looking kid. Um, I guess that one instance, p- I feel like that has made me more of an emotional person since that's happened. Um, it makes you think just, like, how before something like that happens to you, you hear about all that stuff on- on the news and to other people and you see it in movies, and it's just like, "Oh, well, whatever," you know? It doesn't, it doesn't really register. But when there's a death in your family, then- then the next time you hear about someone passing away, then you get that immediate feeling of what you dealt with, and then you start to sympathize and empathize, and with the people that it's happening to that you don't know. Um, and I never had that emotion before until- until this happened. Um, and it just, you know... Like I said, I had COVID, and, uh, that meant that I actually couldn't make it to his- his funeral, which is, you know, it's just crazy. Like, I was in Florida for the whole of COVID, right? And when I say that these guys didn't care in Florida, like, the beaches were full. No one's wearing masks. I- I- I remember going to the beach and I would walk along the beach, thousands of people, and I'd be wearing a mask. This was like peak COVID, and people would be looking at me like, "What are you wearing a mask for?" Like, they did not care. I was in... I went to Texas. I was in Dallas for a month. I was partying every night. Never got COVID. And then, the day my brother dies, I have COVID, and I can't get on a plane and fly to Dubai for his funeral because I have COVID. And in the Muslim religion, they have to bury him as quickly as possible. Um, they couldn't wait. And I thank God that my family were able to go out. I had to stay. Um, you know, I don't, I don't believe in regrets.... I believe what's meant, uh, w- you know, what's meant to be will be, and, you know, you sh- you should be happy with whatever happens in your life, you know? But I would say there is one regret I have in my life, uh, and that was, uh, I actually went... So, I hadn't, I hadn't seen my brother for quite some time, and, uh, I was... I had a holiday. This was, I don't know, maybe three or four months before he passed away. I stopped off, uh, I had to stop off in Dubai, and I stopped off in Dubai for, like, a couple of days before I flew to this destination, and, um, I didn't wanna, I didn't wanna see anybody. Uh, nobody knew that I was making this trip. I knew my brother was in Dubai, and I didn't go and see him. I just, I didn't want people knowing I was in Dubai, so I just, I stayed in my hotel room, and I didn't see anybody, and then I left, and I went to the next destination. That's, that's probably the one regret I have in my life now, is that I didn't go and see him, you know? 'Cause that would've, that would've been the last time I would've saw him before he passed. Um... You know, and these things, it just teaches you. You've got to appreciate and you've gotta, um... You know, don't take anything for granted. Nothing is guaranteed, you know? The people you love, be with them as much as you can. Appreciate them, enjoy them. Don't get into fights, you know? Don't do things which are just wasting time, because one minute they're there and one minute they're gone, and then you've gotta think about all the things you could've done with them or should've done with them that you didn't, because, you know, you're, you're too busy or you're, you know, "Oh, I'll see them again another time." (sighs) You know? It's, uh, it's- it's crazy how the world works, but yeah. Appreciate everyone at all times, and, you know... Family is, family is number one, you know? Don't let anything ever get in between that, and don't take it for granted. That's one thing I've learnt.
- SBSteven Bartlett
You're now investing a lot of time in your relationship with Raheem?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Absolutely. Yeah, we're on the phone all the time. I've got a million videos of him on my phone. My, my, my, uh, my brother's wife, Seb's wife, Salma, she sends me videos every day of Raheem. Um, they're coming over to England, actually, in, uh, in a month or so. And yeah, so Raheem is, is now my son, you know? That's, that's how I feel. Um... You know, it actually makes me want to have a kid. I was never really planning on having a kid until after my career, and I still may not. But, um, I want Raheem to be able to grow up with m- my son, you know? I don't want them to be too far apart. Um, you know, me and my brother Seb, we were, you know, a year and a half apart, so we were very close, you know? We did everything together. Um, so I want, I want Raheem to have that, so, you know, within the next few years, we'll, uh, we'll see what happens.
- SBSteven Bartlett
One of the things I couldn't
- 52:08 – 54:42
Keeping relationships private
- SBSteven Bartlett
quite ascertain from Googling was if you are, if you are in a relationship or if you're dating, you're c- you keep all that stuff very private. I don't blame you, to be honest, but (laughs) I couldn't quite ascertain where you're at with that, um. Most things said you weren't, but is it a part of your life?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Absolutely.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Yeah?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
One thing I've learnt is that relationships and social media don't mix. Um... I've just, I've seen social media mess up so many relationships, uh, that I just, you know, I decided a long time ago that whoever I was with, uh, it's not gonna be, it's not gonna be a public relationship. My life is public.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Mm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
People can see what I'm doing every day. I want something that's for me. Uh... You know? And you've got so many girls out there who, you know, they're, they're just clout chasers, you know? They, they just want, they wanna say that, you know, that, "Look at me. Look at these pictures. We went here, we went there." Um, I don't need that in my life, you know? I, I've got enough clout, I've got enough, uh, attention on me, so I, I keep my private life private. So much so that I've actually seen comments online saying that I'm gay (laughs) you know? "This guy's never in pictures with girls. He's never got any... He's got no girls on his Instagram. I think he's gay." I've seen that, like, multiple times and it just, you know, I l- I laugh my ass off whenever I see that. But yeah, I just, I just don't, uh, I don't believe in mixing the two. I don't, I don't see any positives from it, you know? People see something... If they see something... If they see people happy, some, mo- most people, "Yeah, oh, that's great." But there's, there's a large p- percentage of people that, if they're seeing something happy, they, they wanna try and make it unhappy. That's what... As, as crazy as that sounds, that's what some people do, you know? So, uh, I'm, I'm not gonna let anybody take shots at or try and muddy my relationship, because I've seen it happen before. It will... You know, and it happened, it happens all the time. I believe a private life should be private, and that's, that's how I've chosen to, to keep my relationships.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Good to hear. I agree.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
I'm not gay.
- SBSteven Bartlett
(laughs)
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
(laughs)
- SBSteven Bartlett
We
- 54:42 – 1:01:09
Boxing and its health implications
- SBSteven Bartlett
t- talked a bit about, um, Seb there and his approach to, like, health and fitness. I actually looked back through my conversations with him before you came, and all of our conversations were about health and fitness. He'd asked me a few things about social media and some advice there. But h- did that incident also impact how you viewed the health implications of the sport that you do? Because, you know, you can get one, one hit in boxing and it can be, it can cause really bad damage, right? Did, ha- has that brought it more into the spotlight for you that your, the fragility of your health and, and- You know, I hear a lot of boxers talk about not overstaying their welcome. Tyson Fury this weekend, after he won the fight, talked about that as well. Has that, is that friend of mine for you when you, you, you think about your career?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
I wouldn't say that what happened with Seb has ... Um, no, it hasn't, it hasn't affected how I think about boxing. Um, you know, I've, I've been doing this game, I've, I've been in this game for a long time. I've been in fights where, you know, I've hurt people to the point where they, you know, they've been in a coma. I, I, I fought a, a, a man named Nick Blackwell years back, and you know, he, he, uh, he got taken to hospital. He actually died on the way to hospital, and they had to revive him with an adrenaline shot, and he was in a coma for two weeks. Um, you know, that, that was national news. Um, you know, those types of instance, uh, uh, of incidents are what really put things into perspective and make you think about what you're doing and the risks and the implications. As a youngster, you don't think about it, you know. When something like that happens, then you do think about it, and you, and you think about it even more as you get older. Because as you get older, especially in boxing, you, you are affected more by the punishment you take. I feel like when I was young, it's like I could do anything and I'd never get hurt. You know, at 32, you know, you pick up si- little injuries, and, you know, you ... The shots you take, you feel them that little bit more than you used to, and you start forgetting things, you know. Um-
- SBSteven Bartlett
Do you think that's correlated, that forgetting things? So what, you would forget, like, a name or something, and you'd-
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Yeah.
- SBSteven Bartlett
... and you'd-
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Like, my recall is, is a lot worse than it used to be. So, you know, in my 20s, um, if I couldn't remember something, I'd sit there, "What was it?" And within five seconds, I'd get it. You know, you do that thing-
- SBSteven Bartlett
Yeah, yeah.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
... where you think about it, "Oh yeah, that's what it was." Now, it's 10 minutes. You know, I, I, it's, it's, it's, it's really embarrassing to say, but I, I forgot the name of somebody one time. It took me a week, every day sitting there, like, throughout the day whenever I would remember, "What was the name? What was the name?" And then a week later, bang, it just came to me. I just, I couldn't, it was just nuts. You know, because now, now I force myself to remember, because it's like you're training your brain. It's called recall. So I'll, I'll force myself. If I'm, if I, you know, I could easily just go on my phone and, "What was the name again? Google. Oh yeah, that was it." But now I, now I force myself to pull it out of my mind, um, and that, there was one particular name and, like, it took me a whole week before it just snapped back.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Do you have recall apps on your phone? I read that somewhere, that you had, like, a, an app on your phone to help you train your brain.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Yeah, so I have an app now. It's called, um, Elevate, and it's basically going to the gym but for your brain. You know, so I've got it here. So you've got, like, spelling, recall, eloquence, precision, um, you know, you ha- It's, it's, it's games. It's games that you play, you know, vocabulary, uh, math equations, you know, just little games to play each day, and it just keeps your mind working.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Mm-hmm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
You, your, your, your mind, your brain is like a muscle, you know. If you keep using it, the more you use it, the better it gets, right? The stronger it gets.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Mm-hmm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
And I think it's important, you know, especially 'cause as you get older, you, you know, I do, I know- I notice it, you know. It's like I'll, I'll go into a room and I'll put my phone down somewhere, and then I'll walk off, and then I, "Where's my phone?" and then I'll walk around the room looking for the bloody phone, just, you know. And it's like, I'm th- it s- it shouldn't, this should not be happening. Um, is that from getting hit in the head? I don't know. Is it just I'm getting d- I don't know. Um-
- SBSteven Bartlett
Sounds like me, to be honest, and I don't get hit in the head, so.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
I don't drink, you know.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Mm-hmm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
You know, I got, I got friends, they drink every night, you know, and they're very smart guys, you know. They're in business, they're in economics, they're, you know, they're, they're in tech, they ... But they drink a lot sometimes. So it's like, and I, I feel like, you know, drinking kills brain cells, right? Just like a punch would. But they seem to be okay, I don't know. So maybe, maybe that, maybe that impact is, is just, is just different, I don't know.
- SBSteven Bartlett
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- 1:01:09 – 1:10:21
Anxiety & online trolls
- SBSteven Bartlett
feelings earlier, right? Um, and how there's been a lot of sort of generational changes around men expressing their feelings. And one of the big changes I think I've seen in the last 10 years, from 10 years ago when I was, what, uh, 19 to now, is this topic of mental health in men. And I think it's really been pushed to the forefront because the stats around mental health in our country, you know, you've heard them, we've all heard them, that the biggest killer of men under the age of 45 is themselves. And a lot of people point and go, "Well- well, why is that?" A lot of the mental health charities cite that men don't express themselves enough, they're not emotional, they don't talk, and we've had all the campaigns about talking and, um, those kinds of things. Have you ever experienced anxiety or depression, or any sort of mental health, um, ailment?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
That's one thing that I do thank God for, is that I've never experienced any of that. Um, it's hard for me to relate to, uh, hearing about people with depression and anxiety. Like, I've just never experienced anything like that. Um, I know it's a thing, um, but I'm- I'm just an extremely happy and content person, and I'm not saying that to, you know, big myself up. That's just how I am. It's like, it doesn't matter what happens, I'll find the bright side. Or if there's something bad going on in my li- on in my life, I'm- I'm able to just cut it off and move on, or deal with it to the- to where it stops being an issue. Um, I've- I've never been the type of person that will let something affect me. Um, you know, from day one in my career, I've had- I've been- I've been a target. I get a serious amount of shit online to this day. Uh, haters, doubters, non-believers. I have, like, a whole army dedicated to just sticking it to me on a daily basis online. It's unbelievable. Um, and the funny thing is, if I walk out into the street, it's pictures, it's autographs, it's love. None of these guys are around.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Why is that?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
(sighs) I- I- you know, I- I got it at the beginning. Well, actually, I didn't get it. At the beginning, it really got to me because, you know, I'm- I'm young. I'm coming into the game. I'm trying to be the- you know, trying to do the best I can, and I've got people constantly coming at me, "Oh, you think you're your old man. You- you- you're a copycat. You'll never be as good as him. Uh, you're a wannabe." You know, w- and when I- when I saw- when I first started experiencing this, uh- this hatred and this, um, you know, this trolling, it did affect me. Um, I didn't get depressed because I'm not that type of person, but angry, you know? Why are these people saying these things? What- what have I done to them? Um, I couldn't understand it, you know? Um, maybe that is why I had, for so many years, that kind of- that stone wall when I was taking pictures or doing interviews, because I'd seen so much, so much negativity online, you know? Um, but then after a while, I- I don't know. It just- it just switched one day, and I was just like, "Well, why am I getting upset? Why am I getting pissed off with these random guys?" I know- I know what it was. It's some guy wrote something, uh, I think on my Facebook. I think I'd just had a fight, and he said, um, "Terrible performance. You're an embarrassment to your family name. I hope you get knocked out in your next fight, you scumbag." Right? I'm- I'm a- I'm a 22-year-old kid. I've got s- uh, and, you know, I'm- I'm looking, and I'm like, "Jesus," like, you know, it's just nuts. I clicked on his profile. I was like, "I've got to see who said this. I mean, who is this guy? He must be some amazing guy to be (laughs) saying this to me." And, uh, you know, it was this fat, bloated, just nobody, and he was sitting on his couch with a- with a beer. That was his profile picture, and he- and he had- and he had his cat next to him, and he was in shorts and, like, a wife beater. Um, not a wife- you guys don't say wife beater. That's my American thing coming out. Uh, tank top. Um, and I was like, "Hold on. This is the guy that just called me a scumbag? I'm letting this guy affect my day?"
- SBSteven Bartlett
(laughs)
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
"No, no. This has got to stop." And from that day on, I just realized, it's not- it's not even me. It's they're unhappy with themselves. They're not unhappy with me, you know? The people that are- are trolling, you know, they've got whatever they've got going on in their lives. They're upset. They're unhappy. They're- and they're projecting that onto other people who are- who they see as doing them- doing well for themselves, and they, you know, "Oh, he's- look at him. He's- you know, he's got all that and, you know- let me see if I can bring him down, you know? I'm upset, so let me see if I can make him upset." Like, that sounds crazy to me to do that, but that's what I've come to understand that some people do, you know? They're unhappy, so they want to make other people unhappy with them. As soon as I realized that, I- I never- I never worried about trolling or bad comments again. I actually- and now I actually enjoy them.
- SBSteven Bartlett
You also must know that it's profitable for you now.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Absolutely.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Mayweather taught us that.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Absolutely, yeah. I mean, in- in boxing, that's another- that's another thing which made me stop worrying about it, because I knew ... After a while, I started- I started seeing these trolls at my fights.... you know, I'd be walking to the ring, "Boo! You're gonna get knocked out. Wannabe." I'd hear all this stuff walking to the ring, right? And then I thought, "Hold on a second. That guy bought a ticket. He paid to be there to, to shout at me as I walk past. And I'm, you know, I'm getting a percentage of that ticket. What am I upset about?" All right, he shouted at me, but I've just made some money off the guy. So then, then I understood, right. You have to be a villain or you have to be a, a hero in the sport of boxing. Love or hate. You can't be in the middle. I have a lot of fans and I have a lot of haters. Both buy their tickets. Both buy their pay-per-view subscription to watch on TV. Both get online and talk and build a profile. The guys that are in the middle, they're the guys who don't do well, because when you're neutral in the sport of boxing, people don't tune in. They don't talk. They're not interested. It doesn't matter how good of a fighter you are, if you're not a character that can, uh, inspire emotion-
- SBSteven Bartlett
Mm-hmm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
... whether good or bad, then on a Saturday night when you get into the ring, you know, the people will be sitting there at, when they get off work or wherever they are, "Oh yeah, he's fighting tonight, but there's this really hot girl and she's gonna be at this club. Yeah, I'm, I'm gonna go to the club. I'll, I'll watch the replay or I'll just, I'll find out what happened-"
- SBSteven Bartlett
Yeah.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
"... the next day, yeah. I, I don't need to." That's what happens when you're neutral or when people aren't really that interested. If they hate you, "Ah, forget the f- forget the girl in the club. I'm going to that fight to see him get knocked out."
- SBSteven Bartlett
And cheer for the other guy.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
"Let's go."
- SBSteven Bartlett
Yeah (laughs) .
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
"Let's go. Fuck, f- f- forget everything else." And if they love you, "Forget the girl in the club, I want to be there when he wins." Those are the guys, love and hate, that will tune in, that will watch you every fight-
- SBSteven Bartlett
Mm-hmm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
... that will talk about you. So that's one thing I learned early on. You have to be... You, you have to be a character. You have to be something that people can either get behind or get against.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Mm-hmm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
And that's very much I feel what I am. Um, at the beginning most people were against me because they saw me as a gimmick, as somebody who's just trying to make a quick buck, use my name to get a better profile, have a few fights, and then probably go on Love Island or Big Brother-
- SBSteven Bartlett
(laughs) .
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
... or whatever it is and, you know, whatever. But then obviously as the years went by, win after win after win, a lot of the haters turned into fans. Um, there's still a lot of haters left, but, you know, we're working our way to making them into fans, uh, slowly but surely. (page turns)
- SBSteven Bartlett
Quick one. We bring in eight people a month to watch these conversations live here in the studio when we're here in the UK and when we're in LA. If you want to be one of those people, all you've got to do is hit subscribe. (page turns) Do you feel
- 1:10:21 – 1:13:13
What’s next for you
- SBSteven Bartlett
like your career is complete? And if the answer is no, what do you think is required in terms of your boxing career? With the knowledge that, as you said before we started, that there is a window of time where you, you get to do this and you get to do it at the highest level. What is required, if the answer is no, to make you feel that your c- your career was complete?
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
It's an absolute no. Um, I had a lot of great fights, I've had a lot of great wins. But, um, there's still so much more left, you know. There's still so many more big fights out there for me to, to take part in and to win, um, you know, I want to capture these world titles, you know. I've been a world champion at super middle weight. I'm back down at middle weight now. Um, and, you know, the, the, you know, the map is wide open. There's, there's a lot of great fighters and they have belts, and I, and I can get in with these guys and I can beat these guys. Um, you know, boxing, you do have a short window. But I live my life, uh, correctly. I live the boxing lifestyle. Boxing is not just a sport, it is a lifestyle. Um, you know, outside of a fight camp, I'm not drinking, I'm not doing drugs, uh, I'm not overeating and blowing up in weight, which so many fighters do and then they have to spend weeks or months cutting that weight back off to make whatever weight they're gonna be at f- o- on fight night. I don't do any of that. I stay in the gym. I stay dedicated. I stay healthy. I stay responsible. So that being said, I will be able to fight until... Uh, I will be able to fight effectively and I would say until I'm 37, 38, 39 years old. Um, I'm 32 now. You know, my father retired at 32. I'm s- so I'm r- retirement isn't even close to what I'm thinking about. You know, I am financially stable, but there's still so much more money out there to be made. There's still s- there's still so much more accolades out there to collect. Um, and I still have a lot left in the tank. So, to answer your question, no, my career is not, um, complete. Far from it. I- even, even though I've had 34 fights, you know, more fights than a lot of fighters have had and 32 wins is still not complete. There's still so much more I'm gonna do. Um, and the next few years are the money years and they are the years where I need to fight the best, beat the best, and really cement my legacy.
- SBSteven Bartlett
We have a
- 1:13:13 – 1:17:33
Our last guest’s question
- SBSteven Bartlett
closing tradition on this podcast where the last guest asks the next guest a question. They never know who they're writing it for. They said hello, which is the first time anyone's said hello. But, hello, I was wondering-... what you believe happiness is, and how it can be achieved.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
Um, well, as I said before, I'm an extremely happy person. I may not look it at times, but I'm very content. Um, I don't get angry. I don't shout. I don't put other people down. I don't wish bad on other people. Um, if someone's successful, if someone's doing better than me, I look up to that. I praise that. I respect that. You know? Other people, they see people succeeding or doing better than them and they think, "Oh, I wish he would trip up." You know? "Why has he got all that? Why, why is she doing that and I can't do it?" Don't be like that. You can never be happy if you're constantly comparing yourself to other people and, you know, not wanting the best for everybody, including yourself. You know? It's a mirror. Life's a mirror, you know? You- you- whatever you're projecting is- is projected back to you. If you- if- if you're negative, that's what your life is gonna be, and that's whether it's thoughts, that's whether it's Tweets, that's whether it's what you're saying to people. Everything comes back around, you know? So happiness is- is positivity, it's being a good person, it's being a genuine person. Um ... you know, don't lie to people. If- if you think something's wrong, say it, you know? If you- if you think that somebody's doing something wrong or that they're on the wrong path, help them, because you're helping yourself, you know? Be positive, that's the key to happiness.
- SBSteven Bartlett
Chris, thank you for doing this. It's been a huge honor, and I- I can't wait to see what you do over the next couple of years, in your money years, in and outside of the ring.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
And I thank you for giving me the opportunity because, yeah, there's not a lot of people that- that do get to see this side of me. You know? All they see is the big bad guy in the ring-
- SBSteven Bartlett
Mm-hmm.
- CJChris Eubank Jr.
... just throwing punches, you know? I don't do a lot of interviews like this. So yeah, I appreciate you, uh, putting me on here and hopefully the fans get to see a different side. (upbeat music)
- SBSteven Bartlett
I had a few words to say about one of my sponsors on this podcast. My girlfriend came upstairs yesterday when I was having a shower, and she said to me that she'd tried the Huel protein shake which lives on my fridge over there, and she said it's amazing. Low calories, you get your 20-odd grams of protein, you get your 26 vitamins and minerals, and it's nutritionally complete. In the protein space there's lots of things, but it's hard to find something that is nice, especially when consumed just with water, and that is nutritionally complete. The salted caramel one, if you put some ice cubes in it and you put it in a blender and you try it, is as good as pretty much any milkshake on the market, just mixed with water. It's been a game-changer for me because I'm trying to drop my calorie intake and I'm trying to be a little bit more healthy with my diet, so this is where Huel fits in my life. Thank you Huel for making a product that I actually like. (paper rustling) As you might know, Crafted are one of the sponsors of this podcast, and Crafted are a jewelry brand and they make really meaningful pieces of jewelry. And this piece by Crafted, when I put it on, for me it represents courage, it represents ambition, it represents being calm and loving and respectful and nurturing, while also being the antithesis of that, seemingly the antithesis of that, which is, um, sometimes a little bit aggressive with my goals and determined and courageous and brave. The really wonderful thing about Crafted jewelry is it's super affordable, it looks amazing, the pieces hold tremendous meaning, and they are really well-made. (upbeat music)
Episode duration: 1:17:33
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