Chris Eubank Jr has confirmed he is undergoing a self imposed sex ban ahead of his rematch with Liam Smith on Saturday, September 2.
Eubank Jr was stopped for the first time in his career earlier this year – having been knocked to the canvas twice before the fight was waved off.
The pair will go toe-to-toe for a second time at the Manchester Arena next month with ‘Next Gen’ looking to prove his worth in the ‘most important fight’ of his life.
Eubank Jr is cutting no corners ahead of the fight and revealed he has cut out ‘sex, travelling and drinking’ to ensure he is ‘100 per cent on the night’.
Speaking on The Overlap, in partnership with Sky Bet, Eubank Jr said: ‘I’m a couple of weeks away from the biggest fight of my career, so that really is all that’s on my mind, getting in that ring and avenging the loss.
Chris Eubank Jr is undergoing a self imposed sex ban ahead of his rematch with Liam Smith
Eubank Jr was stopped for the first time in his career by Smith (centre) earlier this year
Smith and Eubank Jr will renew their rivalry when they meet in their rematch on September 2
‘There’s a lot of other things that are going on in my life, but during a fight camp especially this close [to the rematch against Liam Smith] you’ve got to block it out, you’ve got to try anyways. Any distractions, anything that gets in the way of focus is detrimental and you get better and better at that over time.’
Eubank Jr went on to add: ‘Right now, I’m just in fight mode, during camp so that I can give it my all and be 100 per cent on the night. You can’t be 100 per cent on the night of the fight if you’re going out with your mates, if you’re drinking, if you’re having sex, if you’re travelling, if you’re trying to run a business.
‘You’ve got to be all in if you want to be able to give yourself the best chance at performing how you want to perform on the night.’
Eubank Jr continued: ‘I am not going to put that [retirement talk] into the universe, it’s unhealthy to talk like that. That’s how I’ve got to treat this in terms of my mental state going into this fight, I have to give this fight everything I’ve got. I can’t afford any mistakes, I can’t afford any slip ups, this is the most important fight of my life.’
Eubank Jr and Smith have already exchanged verbal blows in the build-up to the rematch. However, the 33-year-old claims tensions will begin to ramp up in the next few days.
He said: ‘It was spicy, it happens. Sometimes emotions get the better of you and you say things you shouldn’t say but that’s part of the sport, that’s why a lot of people tune in.
‘It been tame in the build-up to this fight, partly because I’ve been in another country. It’s very likely, [it will ramp up in the next few days] tensions get high when it’s close to fight time, that’s just how it is.
‘At the same time, you’ve got to be responsible with the things you’re saying, and a lot of people are not in this day and age. They will say or do anything to get attention to try and sell the fight, I’ve never been that type of guy.’
‘Next Gen’ (above) will be looking to prove his worth in the ‘most important fight’ of his life
Eubank Jr is cutting no corners ahead of the fight and revealed he has cut out ‘sex, travelling and drinking’ to ensure he is ‘100 per cent on the night’
However, Eubank Jr insists he is not the ‘bad guy’ everyone makes him out to be. Speaking about the press conference, he said: ‘I knew it was going to be hostile and rough [the crowd’s reaction]. Does it bug me? I’ve been dealing with it for so many years now that you become numb to it.
‘I never sit there and think, “I wish these guys [fans] would be cheering me on” – I’ve never been that guy. I’ve thought, “if you don’t like me, it is what it is”, I’m still going to win and go out there and do what I need to do. Would it be nice to be cheered and praised into an arena every time – for sure, but I’m comfortable if it’s not that. Some guys are not comfortable with that, they would hate to have to go through what I do.
‘For me, I’ve turned it into a situation where it helps me. I become the monster that they are trying to make me out to be – the bad guy. Sometimes you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. Will it change? I don’t know. Will the crowd this time around be more welcoming? Probably not. If you try and get people to like you, they hate you even more – I’m at a stage now where people love to hate me.
‘Boxing isn’t a nice sport, we’re not going in there to be nice, we’re going into the ring to take each other’s heads off – it gets hairy, rough, and horrible in there. When you’re in that environment, I can be a bad guy if I have to be, even though I’m not. A lot of people like to paint me out to be a bad guy, but I know the real bad guys in this sport and it’s not me – I’m a stand-up guy compared to most of the fighters out there. I don’t lie, cheat, or cut corners, I’m a straight shooter and the fans that have followed me for years know that.’
Smith vs Eubank II: Repeat or Revenge?’ Takes place Saturday, September 2nd and is a pay-per-view event airing exclusively on Sky Sports Box Office, available to non-subscribers and Sky subscribers alike.