‘You have to learn from other people’s mistakes’: Chris Eubank Jr reveals his dad’s bankruptcy taught him a lesson

• Chris Senior went under his debts, including more than a million in back taxes
• Chris Junior prepares to bank a projected £2 million-plus from Saturday’s fight
• Junior denies their relationship changed, despite his father being around less

By

Jeff Powell For Mailonline

Published:
19:00 EST, 17 February 2019

|
Updated:
19:00 EST, 17 February 2019

Son of Eubank has revealed how going through his famous father’s bankruptcy humiliation when he was only 15 taught him to cement his financial future.

Chris Senior went under his debts, including more than a million in back taxes, in 2005 Chris Junior, as he prepares to bank a projected £2 million-plus from Saturday’s super-middleweight grudge fight with James DeGale at London‘s 02, says: ‘Dad’s problem shaped me – 100 per cent.

‘You have to learn from other people’s mistakes, especially those close to you.

Chris Eubank Jr’s father’s bankruptcy humiliation taught him to cement his financial future

‘I saw how it affected my father and what he had to do and put up with at that stage of his life. That was the last thing I wanted to happen to me.’ Eubank Sr, now 52, squandered an estimated £10 million in career earnings on his extravagant lifestyle when the Inland Revenue foreclosed and his son says: ‘My Dad went crazy with his spending at certain times in his life.

‘He had a great life. He still has a great life. But you’ve got to be smart with your money and the sad, cold truth about this sport is that a lot of fighters are not educated or they’re ill advised.

‘So they blow their purses on partying, drinking, girls or gambling. I know so many who’ve thrown their money away. It’s sad.

‘Footballers have dedicated committees to help them with their money and it should be the same for boxers. Especially boxers because we are impulsive. We have to be to fight.

Chris Senior went under his debts, including more than a million in back taxes

‘Most successful boxers come from hard backgrounds. From nothing. Hardly any are educated in private schools, like I was. So when they get their money they just spend It and they don’t think about having to retire at 35.’ Eubank thanks his father for that harsh example. As he does for all he is still learning, as a 29-year-old former IBO world champion, from Chris Sr.

He denies that their relationship has changed, even though his father is less in attendance at the gym on Hove sea-front – now that he has finally employed a full-time head trainer – and will be less conspicuous near his corner for the DeGale fight.

After going through his paces with his new American mentor Nate Vasquez he says: ‘My Dad and I are as close as ever. He’s not been physically around lately because he has a lot of business going on in other countries and is often away for months.

‘He’s only just back from the US. But of course we talk on the phone constantly. Especially about boxing when I have a fight coming up.’ 

Critics who had been calling for Junior to distance himself from his showman father are applauding the appointment of the Mayweather influenced Vasquez and Eubank admits: ‘The loss to George Groves made me realise I need a full-on trainer and Nate has already done a lot of work on my movement. Which I never thought enough about before when I was focussing on my fitness, strength and heart to win fights.

Junior is set to earn £2 million-plus from Saturday’s fight with James DeGale (pictured)

‘But my Dad taught me so much about boxing from the beginning. And he’s still teaching me. The amount of knowledge, advice and guidance he has given me for this fight with DeGale is invaluable. Not least because it is a cliff-edge fight for our careers and neither me nor James want to be the one who falls off.’ 

When the talk returns to finance, he says: ‘My goal is to invest most of my money in property, so it can build over time. It may not be exciting but I have flats I’m letting here (in Brighton). The returns may not seem massive but in 30,40,50 years time it will still be there. I would never want to have to keep on fighting to pay the rent.’ It may seem to be a paradox that he speaks about ‘spending in moderation on enjoying my life now’ just as he takes delivery of a new McLaren road car to replace his Bentley.

But the cost, £220,000, is only about a tenth of what he can expect to bank from his Saturday night’s work at the 02 and he says: ‘I’ve earned the hard way my right to have some fun in my 20s and 30s but I live the dedicated boxer’s life while controlling my finances.’ *DeGale v Eubank will be televised live Saturday night on ITV Box Office.

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Jason Roy and Joe Root claim centuries as England seal thumping 171-run warm-up win in Barbados

• The tourists were too good to be troubled by the University of West Indies XI
• They posted 371 for seven at the 3Ws Oval, with Jason Roy retiring on 110
• Joe Root followed with a lively 114, before dismissing their hosts for 200

By

Press Association Reporter

Published:
18:39 EST, 17 February 2019

|
Updated:
18:49 EST, 17 February 2019

Jason Roy and Joe Root helped themselves to centuries as England’s one-day side began World Cup year with a thumping 171-run warm-up win in Barbados.

The tourists had too much quality to be troubled by a University of West Indies vice-chancellor’s XI, a pre-series workout ahead of five ODIs against the West Indies and the first 50-over fixture of 2019.

They posted 371 for seven at the 3Ws Oval, Roy retiring on 110 and Root following with a lively 114, before dismissing their hosts for 200.

Jason Roy and Joe Root helped themselves to centuries in England’s one-day warm up win

England’s team included at least nine of the XI players expected to start the World Cup campaign, with Jos Buttler rested and Mark Wood’s starring role in the St Lucia Test earning him the final seamer’s slot.

Alex Hales, standing in for Buttler, failed to exert any pressure on the top six with a soft two-ball duck while Wood turned in a steady showing of two for 35.

Roy and Jonny Bairstow provided a solid start after being put in, adding 129 for the first wicket.

Roy took on the bulk of the scoring, reaching 50 in 43 balls as he worked the ball consistently through the leg-side.

Bairstow, downed at mid-wicket on nine, was four short of his own half-century when he was bowled attempting to slog-sweep Yannick Ottley, but Root’s arrival in the middle ensured England barely missed a beat.

The tourists were too good to be troubled by a University of West Indies vice-chancellor’s XI

Roy progressed serenely to three figures, bringing up the landmark with a neat reverse sweep and marking the moment with the gentlest of celebrations. He retired out soon after with his day’s work done.

He had taken 78 balls over his ton, with Root quicker by a matter of four deliveries. It was not a flawless innings, primarily for his apparent culpability in running out captain Eoin Morgan for eight.

Root got lucky when Chemar Holder turned a catching opportunity on the boundary ropes into six runs on 77 but, fresh from finishing the Test series with a knock of 122 in St Lucia last week, he was in full control for the majority of his stay.

There were nine fours and four sixes in his hundred and though he did not follow Roy’s lead in retiring, his stumping off Keron Cottoy was of the care-free variety.

Adil Rashid, who flew home after the first Test, and Chris Woakes each picked up two wickets

England’s lower order saw them to a winning total, though a spectator was left needing treatment after a Moeen Ali six struck him in the face.

Wood took the new ball in reply and showed hints of the menace that saw him reinvigorate his red-ball career in the third Test.

He struck opener Kjorn Ottley with a nasty bouncer and dismissed him with the very next ball, returning later to add the scalp of his younger brother later in the innings.

Adil Rashid, who flew home after the first Test, and the fit-again Chris Woakes each picked up two wickets with Moeen Ali and Liam Plunkett grabbing one apiece.

Ben Stokes, who passed a morning fitness test, wrapped up the victory with 6.1 overs to spare.

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‘He should never think that he is good enough’: Two-time World Cup winner Cafu advises Trent Alexander-Arnold to avoid complacency if he wants to fulfill his potential at Liverpool

• Two-time World Cup winner Cafu says his longevity was based on commitment
• The 20-year-old has emerged rapidly to become one of the best defenders
• Cafu has warned that much more work lies ahead to reach higher levels

By

Laurie Whitwell for MailOnline

Published:
18:30 EST, 17 February 2019

|
Updated:
18:30 EST, 17 February 2019

From one right-back to another, Cafu has advised Trent Alexander-Arnold to avoid complacency to fulfill his potential.

Twice a World Cup winner with Brazil, Cafu says his longevity was based on commitment to the game and has encouraged Alexander-Arnold to follow the same path.

The 20-year-old has emerged rapidly to become one of the best defenders in England but Cafu has warned that much more work lies ahead to reach higher levels.

Trent Alexander-Anrold is expected to start for Liverpool when Bayern Munich visit Anfield

Cafu, 48, also won the Champions League with AC Milan and after recovering from injury Alexander-Anrold is expected to start for Liverpool in the competition when Bayern Munich visit Anfield on Tuesday.

‘To play for the England national team, you have to be very good, and to play at Liverpool, you have to be very, very good. But it takes times to mature and be consistent,’ said Cafu.

‘Yes, he is very talented. For his position, I would advise him to work hard, do a lot of training, but above all show a lot of commitment to what he does. Never think that he is good enough. Don’t get complacent or big-headed. Work more and more.’ 

Cafu has advised Alexander-Arnold to avoid complacency in order to fulfill his potential

Speaking at the Laureus Awards in Monaco, Cafu added: ‘When I was the same age, I was playing for Sao Paulo in the main team. I was a father, so I had a lot of responsibility.

‘Twenty years old is a good age to make a decision if he wants to be a football player or a “professional” football player with a long, respected career.’ Cafu also praised the development of Brazilian goalkeepers, with Ederson and Alysson starring for Manchester City and Liverpool.

‘Thank God Brazilian goalkeepers are now learning to play with their feet, because that was the big problem,’ he said. ‘In my position such distribution is fantastic because you get the ball faster, in the right place, which makes you attack better and reach the goal.

‘Mistakes are a risk but recovering from them shows a lot of personality.’

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Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris is early. ‘I was only ever late for tackles,’ he says, standing behind the Shed End at Stamford Bridge, where his unmistakable portrait decorates a stone wall, the numbers and medals of his legend running alongside.

Chelsea’s record appearance holder — 795 games between 1961 and 1980 — will be back here on Monday for the visit of Manchester United. How the current vintage could do with his sort on the pitch right now, not that he believes he would last long.

‘I don’t think I was dirty — a few of my opponents might disagree — but everyone knew what I was about, and that was hard, committed. I knew how far to push it,’ says Harris, a statement supported by his one red card. ‘But the game’s changed. Today, with VAR? I’d be lucky to see out the warm-up!’

Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris stands in front of his portrait behind the Shed End at Stamford Bridge

Harris, at 74, is happy living with his memories, and Monday’s fixture evokes more than most. 

‘The one player I couldn’t get near, the best I played against,’ he says, without making mention of the name, not that he needs to. ‘I was told to go everywhere with George Best. One day he’d given me a right chasing. I felt dizzy at half-time.

‘Tommy Docherty said, “I thought I told you to mark him closely?” I’d tried, but by the time I got near, his team-mates were already shaking his hand. I asked, “What do you want me to do? Break his leg and get sent off?” Doc said, “Yes! They would miss him a lot more than we’d miss you!”’

So did he? ‘No chance, you had to catch him first.’ 

Best joked that of all his action pictures, Harris was in the majority. There is one piece of footage the former Chelsea captain has seen far too often.

Chelsea’s record appearance holder will be back on Monday for the visit of Manchester United

‘It was a cup game. He was running through on goal but he’s slightly overrun the ball. I thought, “F****** hell, here’s your chance, finally”. So I’ve slid in and kicked him, waist high. But he’s somehow ridden it, danced around Peter Bonetti and put it in. It was the opening clip on Grandstand for years — watching that, I was sure I’d catch him one day!’

Harris ared better against Spurs marksman Jimmy Greaves, including a man-to-man job in the 1967 FA Cup Final.

‘Nineteen games against me… one goal. I rarely kicked the ball in those matches, but if he didn’t score it was job done. Saying that, we got beat 2-1 in the final, so it was little consolation. I was 22, the youngest captain in Cup final history, and I remember looking at Dave Mackay lifting the Cup and thinking, “B*****ks, that could have been me”.’

Greaves later wrote that his minder was ‘an evil git’ — albeit in the foreword to Harris’s book — and he once emerged from a hospital visit to reveal he’d had surgery to replace his ‘Ron Harris Memorial Knee’. It was a recurring theme.

The 74-year-old now works for the London club in matchday hospitality lounges

Leeds United winger Eddie Gray was shaken and then shackled by Harris in the 1970 FA Cup final replay. ‘Eddie had given Dave Webb a runaround in the first game (a 2-2 draw at Wembley), so Dave Sexton put me on him at Old Trafford. I was told, “Follow him everywhere and make your mark”. It took me longer than I’d hoped.’ 

How long? ‘Eight minutes…’ Gray barely got a kick after Harris’s studs had impacted on his knee. Chelsea won 2-1, Harris lifting the Cup for the first time in the club’s history. A year later and he had his hands on their first European trophy after victory over Real Madrid in the Cup Winners’ Cup. He and Gray were later reunited at a golf day.

‘Eddie got up in the bar and said, “I’d like to make a special presentation to Chopper”, and he gives me this screw-in stud. “Where’s that from?” I asked. Eddie says, “My kneecap!”’

Harris now works for Chelsea in matchday hospitality lounges and, as we retire for a coffee, former team-mate and fellow host Bobby Tambling — the club’s record goalscorer before Frank Lampard — listens in. There is one question that needs answering, how was Harris only red-carded once?

The legendary Chelsea hardman talks to Sportsmail’s Craig Hope at Stamford Bridge

‘I wasn’t sent off at all, actually. It was rescinded. It was an FA Cup game at Brighton and there was some pushing and shoving in the wall. Eddie Spearritt went down holding his face, I never touched him, but off I went. I appealed and by the time I went in front of the FA, a Brighton fan had written a letter saying he’d seen everything and it was a crime I’d been sent off — the fella was a vicar. So even God was on my side!’

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri could do with some divine intervention. Harris listened to the Italian publicly question his players’ commitment and has some sympathy, but there is also frustration. ‘If that’s true then he’s got to sort it out. But if a few of them aren’t pulling their weight, why not play the youngsters?

‘I played in the youngest Chelsea side in history and most of us were local lads. We only had two foreigners — Eddie McCreadie and Charlie Cooke, and they were Scottish! But the supporters bought into that, and I think they’d love it now.’ They did boo Harris once.

‘Stanley Matthews was playing his last game in London. He was in his late 40s and we tried to rough him up. Stan was such a legend that our own fans turned on us!’

Manchester United legend George Best evades the tackle of Harris during a match in 1971

Those same fans were soon serenading ‘Chopper’, a nickname even his grandkids use to this day. ‘I was speaking at a dinner and a woman put her hand up, “Excuse me, Mr Harris, why did they call you ‘Chopper’?” ‘I told her, “Sorry, it’s not what you think… it’s because I scythed people down from behind!”

Harris mourned the loss of Gordon Banks, and he was one opponent who would vouch for the defender’s ability. ‘I was a young left half and my first goal was past Gordon, 25 yards out and it flew in the top corner. It’s a shame they then made it my job to stop people scoring, I only got 13 goals in the end.’

The plaque behind the Shed says 14? ‘I noticed that, someone owes me a goal bonus…’ Any such back payment would barely buy him a pint now. He did, though, win a £50 bet with John Terry when he failed to beat Chelsea’s appearance record, finishing on 717.

‘I know that plaque says I’ve got 795, but if he’d got too close I would have claimed those Anglo-Scottish Cup games that were never included! What they earn today doesn’t bother me. I’m glad I played when I did, it was a man’s game, you gave as good as you got. I loved every minute.’

Eoin Morgan will not tempt fate by imagining what it might be like to become the first England captain to lift the World Cup.

‘No, I don’t allow myself to think about it at all,’ insisted Morgan as he pondered this summer’s showcase 50-over tournament. ‘The game can be cruel and if we need an example of that we need only look back to the World Twenty20 final in 2016.

‘The final over that Ben Stokes bowled (when West Indies needed 19 to win and Carlos Brathwaite promptly hit four consecutive sixes) emphasised how unpredictable sport is and that’s why we love it. Every time you think you’re good you’re not.

Eoin Morgan says England will approach the World Cup like they are then underdogs

‘Just because we’ve become No 1 in the world we haven’t changed anything. We play like we’re No 2 and we’re chasing somebody. We’re always trying to chase and better ourselves.’

It is an approach that is designed to stop expectations rising as England approach a home World Cup as favourites. They will open the tournament, 100 days from Tuesday, against South Africa at the Oval knowing they can make English cricket history in the final at Lord’s on July 14.

‘We’ve put a lot of work into where we’re at and we’ve come a long way,’ said Morgan, who leads England into the one-day series against West Indies on Wednesday.

‘We’ve got 11 matches between now and that first World Cup game and they are very important, particularly against West Indies because conditions will change quite drastically here and will get us out of our comfort zone.

‘We need to learn as much as we can from this series so by the seventh or eighth game of the tournament when we play in different conditions we are able to adapt.’

Morgan will not tempt fate by imagining becoming the first England captain to lift the trophy

The Irishman, who told his family he wanted to play for England when he was just 13, knows just how big a chance cricket has to cement itself at a challenging time for the sport in the public consciousness.

‘The anticipation is definitely building,’ said Morgan. ‘I went to a local school in Holloway and the young kids were getting excited about a world event coming to England.

‘Some of them didn’t know much about cricket but they were learning about the cultures of the different nations who are playing and it was a way of them saying, “This is what we have to offer in London”. That’s part and parcel of growing the sport.

‘It’s a massive chance of getting cricket to a wider audience. I remember the 1999 World Cup and going to one of the games in Dublin.

‘The city wasn’t that hyper about cricket but everybody knew what was going on because it was such a big event. I must have been 11 or 12 but I can still remember seeing the West Indian bowlers like Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh and thinking they were absolute giants.

Jason Roy hit a hundred as England took on the University of West Indies Vice Chancellor’s XI

‘It was brilliant and if we have an opportunity to make that sort of impact on somebody’s life like that then that’s great.’

All of which makes the five-game series here, starting on Wednesday at the Kensington Oval, crucial. These are the last games England will play before they name their squad on April 23.

‘I don’t think we can say, “This is our World Cup squad” so far out, particularly with bowlers, because people can pick up injuries at any time,’ said Morgan.

‘When you’re so far out it can be detrimental to nail your colours to a mast and say, “This is the team”. Then if one or two drop out the mood can change. We probably have 17 or 18 who could be in the squad and there are three or four tough decisions to make before April 23.’

One of the toughest concerns the imminent qualification of the exciting Jofra Archer, who will be available next month.

‘I’ve played against Jofra on numerous occasions and he comes with a big reputation,’ said Morgan. ‘That reputation is justified because he’s an extremely talented young cricketer. He’s raw but he’s performed in big tournaments around the world like the IPL and the Big Bash.

‘As soon as he qualifies we’ll make a decision on him and think about what direction we’re going to go in.’

Morgan has been the key figure in the development of a special spirit around this England white-ball side.

‘The aim of the side is to continuously better ourselves and the end goal is to be contenders for the World Cup,’ he said. ‘If picking Jofra ties in with everything else he’ll have a chance. We’re not going to bring anybody in who would upset five different people and be a massive thorn in everybody’s side.

‘His biggest attributes are death bowling and pace. But we do have two guys who can bowl 90mph in Liam Plunkett and Mark Wood. Jofra’s young and exciting so there’s a lot of talk about him.’

Morgan (2nd right) celebrates a wicket with his team-mates during the warm up on Sunday

Morgan has to make contact with the potential new recruit from Barbados with an English father and a British passport.

Morgan, 32, will be at something of a crossroads after the tournament. Should he bow out at the top, particularly if he is holding that trophy aloft at Lord’s, and hand over to his deputy Jos Buttler?

‘I haven’t had any serious injuries at 32 so that’s good,’ said Morgan. ‘Stuff can change pretty quickly and there are questions I ask myself a lot of the time. Am I adding value as a player? Am I adding value as a captain? I’ll have to ask them again after the World Cup because ultimately that’s what I’m going to be judged on.’

Morgan could have a goodbye even more perfect than that of Alastair Cook, who hit a century in his last Test innings at the Oval last summer, if England win the Cup.

‘Fairytale endings don’t exist,’ he laughed. ‘Cooky’s was surreal. I still don’t think it happened. It was extraordinary’

Not as extraordinary as if England won the World Cup and Ashes in the same summer.