Chris Eubank Jr reveals how his father’s bankruptcy and crazy relationship with money shaped him
The 29-year-old will bank one of the biggest paydays of his life for his part in the all-British grudge match with James DeGale
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Your support makes all the difference.Chris Eubank Jr has described how his famous father’s ‘crazy relationship with money, which ended with bankruptcy in 2005, has shaped his outlook on his own vastly lucrative career.
The 29-year-old will bank one of the biggest paydays of his life for his part in the anticipated all-British grudge match with James DeGale at the 02 Arena on Saturday night.
And, despite spending close to £250,000 on a McLaren supercar, complete with a personalised EU13ANK number plate, Eubank Jr insists he has set himself up to ensure he will not end up like his two-weight world champion dad.
Chris Sr, 52, earned millions over the course of his memorable 52-fight career, which ended in 1998 when he was beaten by Carl Thompson in Sheffield. But within seven years he was declared bankrupt with debts of around £1.3m, thanks in no small part to his extravagant spending.
Eubank, for instance, famously drove around Brighton in his 32-foot, seven-ton lorry, which cost £22,000 just to deliver.
“I always said I would learn how to drive one of the giant trucks my dad drove and maybe I will one day,” Junior said. “He used to take me to and from school and that drew a lot of attention.”
Eubank Sr also had a costly passion for clothes and shoes and reportedly even flew a barber all the way in from Manchester every week to cut his hair.
His fighting son, who is currently 27-2, appears to have inherited his dad’s penchant for designer labels and expensive vehicles but is adamant that he knows how to handle his cash after witnessing his dad’s money troubles at close quarters.
“Everyone knows he went bankrupt,” Junior said. “Of course he had money troubles and 100 per cent it shaped me.
“You have to learn from other people’s mistakes, especially people close to you. I saw how it affected him and the things he had to do and what he had to put up with at that stage of his life. That was absolutely the last thing I wanted to happen to me in my career.
“It’s all about being responsible. You can enjoy your life, you work hard, you’ve got to have your fun, but all in moderation – don’t go crazy. But my dad did go crazy at certain times in his life with money and with his spending.
“He had a great life – he still has a great life – but you’ve got to be smart with the money.”
For Eubank Jr, that has meant owning property in his hometown of Brighton.
“The goal is to make the money and put it into property where it can build over time,” he explained. “It’s not exciting; you’re not going to get massive returns.
“I have money in renting flats here and its not crazy money but in 30, 40, 50 years form now it’ll still be there; that’s what you want, not the quick spend where you have to fight because you have to pay rent.
“The sad, cold truth about this sport is that a lot of fighters are not educated or they’re ill-advised. They don’t have people watching their spending habits and they will blow their purses quickly on partying, drinking, girls or gambling.
“There are so many ways that fighters I know have thrown money away and it’s sad. In football they have dedicated committees to help guys with their money and they should have the same for boxers
“Most of us come from nothing; I’m not in that category, but most successful boxers come from tough backgrounds so when they get money – they think ‘wow – I better go spend it now.’”
Indeed, Senior’s glittering career, which included 24 world title fights, ensured Chris Jr grew up on the seaside in privilege. As a result, Eubank never wanted his son to make a living via the violence of boxing, which he once labelled ‘a mug’s game’.
But the British great has had a huge influence on Junior’s career thus far, although he has taken a back seat for this camp in particular, choosing instead to visit America and spend time gorilla tracking in Africa.
“Is this the first time he’s been totally absent from camp? I guess you could say that yeah,” said Eubank, who has employed Nate Vasquez to train him for his encounter with DeGale.
“He’s been out of the country but that was by chance; I haven’t said, ‘listen, I don’t want you here’, he’s my dad.
“The amount of knowledge and advice and guidance he has given over the years me is invaluable but for this camp it just so happens that he has a lot of business going on in other countries.
“Now that Nate is here I guess he feels he didn’t need to always be around. He wasn’t here every day before, he wasn’t and couldn’t be, but this time he just hasn’t been around at all.
“We still talk about boxing. You can’t not talk to him about boxing. I wouldn’t say our relationship has changed, he’s often away for months, that’s just life.
“We’re still close and we always will be.”
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