By: Hans Themistode
Roy Jones Jr. has thoroughly enjoyed his time as the head trainer of middleweight contender Chris Eubank Jr.
Throughout much of the British star’s young career, he’s gone the solo route, training himself for each of his fights and going without someone in his corner during breaks in-between rounds. While his unconventional method has gotten to where he is today, the now 32-year-old decided that it was time for a change.
With Jones Jr. in his corner, the pair have gone undefeated, scoring two wins in a row, including a fifth-round stoppage win over Wanik Awdijan. This Saturday night, at the Newcastle Arena in the United Kingdom, Eubank Jr. will attempt to end his rivalry with highly ranked middleweight contender Liam Williams.
Having closed the door on his legendary boxing career in 2018, Jones Jr. is widely considered by most as arguably the greatest fighter that’s ever laced em up. Still, despite his lofty standings in the pugilistic sport, Jones Jr. believes that after watching Eubank Jr. up close and personal, he has the chance to usurp him in the boxing hierarchy.
“He has the talent to be very close, if not more than what I was in boxing,” said Jones Jr. during an interview with SecondsOut. “He has a lot of talent.”
Jones Jr., a former four-division world champion and newly inducted Hall of Famer, dominated the competition when he was at his best. In addition to his wins over Antonio Tarver, Bernard Hopkins, Felix Trinidad, John Ruiz, and Montell Griffin – Jones Jr. is the only man in boxing history to begin his career as a junior middleweight and win a world title as a full-fledged heavyweight.
Although Jones Jr.’s accolades speak for themselves, Eubank Jr., on the other hand, is still on the hunt for his first world title. The 160 pound contender previously came up short in his one and only bid at a championship in 2018, losing a fairly close unanimous decision against George Groves.
Should the British star pull off the victory against his bitter rival tomorrow night, he’ll look to lure current IBF middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin into the ring.