LONDON, ENGLAND: At a press conference in London, one loaded with thanks for the promoters and Turki Alalshikh, it seemed for a while like Chris Eubank Jr hadn’t got the memo.
The 35-year-old, from the seaside city of Brighton and Hove, was there because he’s scheduled to take on Kamil Szeremeta, 25-2-2 (8 KOs), on the October 12 Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol undercard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Behind him sat Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn, two promoters who have dealt with Eubank Jr in the past and, over to his left, was Boxxer’s Ben Shalom, the middleweight’s current promoter. While every other boxer on the card thanked each of the promoters for the significant role they play in Riyadh Season, Eubank opted for a different approach.
The switch to Shalom occurred earlier this year after he split from Wasserman’s Kalle Sauerland. And so came the first seemingly innocuous question. Why Shalom?
“Why Boxxer? Because every other promoter out there is a scumbag,” Eubank replied.
The 33-3 (24 KOs) contender then went on to explain his reasoning to those in attendance. In reference to an old legal matter between the pair, Eubank alleged that Warren – a Hall of Famer who has been involved in the sport since 1980 – has been “lying and cheating his way through boxing for the last couple of decade.” (Shortly after the press conference, Warren promised to sue Eubank for his outburst.)
Eubank also alleged – as Warren urged him to speak up – that he’d been “locked up in a terrible contract” with Sauerland. Warren told him he should fight Hamzah Sheeraz while Hearn waited patiently for his turn.
“Eddie Hearn, Frank Smith, they did everything to make this fight against Conor Benn,” Eubank continued about the contest that was aborted in October 2022 when it emerged that Benn had failed two PED tests. “Scumbags,” Eubank seemingly concluded.
But he wasn’t done yet. Just when it seemed like he was going to be slung off the stage, out of the building, and off the card, he continued.
“The only promoter that I know for sure isn’t a scumbag is Turki Alalshikh,” Eubank said about the GEA boss responsible for bringing boxing to Riyadh Season. “This is a man who isn’t trying to take money from fighters, he isn’t trying to use lawyers. He’s a man of God, he’s a man of religion. He just wants to put the best fights on and pay the fighters what they’re worth and he’s the first promoter in the history of boxing to be like this. And Ben Shalom is a pretty cool guy, too.”
Well, that’s alright then.
When asked about his next opponent Eubank momentarily cooled.
“I’ve been off a year and this is a solid opponent,” he said. “He’s only lost to two world champions, he’s the perfect fight for me to get back. Now I have to get the ring rust off and go and knock out all the big names in the next 12 months.”
Eubank was last spotted in September 2023, dominating Liam Smith before stopping him in 10 rounds. That result avenged a fourth-round stoppage loss to Smith eight months previously.
Szeremeta, 34, was asked if knowing that Eubank could be hurt and “knocked out” provided a source of inspiration. “I was stopped on my feet by the referee, I was not knocked out,” Eubank barked. “Get your facts right.”
Szeremeta’s response was rather dull by comparison.
“This will be the most important fight in my career,” he said. “That’s why I train hard to find a weakness [in my opponent]. I promise to give my best.”
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