For a brief moment, Chris Eubank Jnr tries to keep a straight face, but a smile makes it through. Even by the standards of his unconventional father, news of his latest gig came as something of a surprise.

‘It’s pretty crazy,’ says Junior. ‘He can make arrests and everything.’ His eyebrows raise and he laughs a little.

These days, his father, one of the greats of British boxing, is a city marshal in Opelousas, Louisiana. Or rather he is when the mood takes him, as it did last month when a video showed him wearing a badge and bow-tie as he attended a minor traffic accident. 

Chris Eubank Jnr is sitting alone by choice for this interview in a gym in Hove, East Sussex

If Eubank Snr is in the corner come fight night it will not be in an overly prominent context

‘It’s interesting,’ says Junior, 29. ‘He was speaking at conferences, saying how you can defuse situations without fighting, and someone saw and liked it. That’s how this police thing started. That’s just dad. He gets himself in situations like this.’

With that, another smile from this fighting son of a fighting man. Senior has always been a fascinating, complex figure and with his son he has always had a fascinating, complex relationship, the pair of them working together as the latter made his name in the family business.

Now, though, with the son fighting for his career against James DeGale next Saturday, it’s a little different. There’s been no great family row, but it’s notable that while Senior upholds order in the US, Junior is sitting alone by choice for this interview in a gym in Hove.

His father wasn’t there when this bout was announced and if Eubank Snr is in the corner come fight night it will not be in an overly prominent context.

They are significant changes. After Junior’s talk earlier in his career about escaping his father’s shadow, steps are finally being taken in that direction.

Junior is finally taken steps in the direction of escaping his famous father’s shadow

These days, his father, one of the greats of British boxing, is a city marshal in Louisiana

It has been a progressive shift over the past year, since Junior was beaten by George Groves, and now, with this crossroads fight against DeGale and working under his first full-time trainer in Nate Vazquez, it feels like a new chapter.

‘At my age I don’t need anyone talking for me now — I need to do my own thing,’ he says. ‘That is not to say I am not speaking to my father or I don’t want him around because we are very close. It is just that I am my own man, I can make my own decisions.

‘He is still a part of the team and always will be. Nate will be the head guy in the corner for the fight, but my father will probably be in the corner as well.

‘My dad is a showman, he likes to be in the centre of everything. At this stage it is not about what he wants, it is about what is best for me. He has no problem with taking a backwards step. We speak every week, but sometimes you have to do your own thing.’

Chris Eubank senior has always had a fascinating, complex relationship with his son

It has been a progressive shift over the past year, since Junior was beaten by George Groves

It is perhaps instructive at this point to rewind four years, to when father and son previously sat down with Sportsmail.

On that occasion, with Junior on the cusp of his first major fight against Billy Joe Saunders, Senior cut across his answers for the better part of two hours. When he was done, he told his son at some length how best to position his chin for photographs.

It was hard to dispute the accusation that Eubank Snr had been just a little too involved. Numerous major figures in the sport have repeatedly questioned Senior’s influence in his designated role as ‘adviser’.

It is certainly fair to wonder if Junior needed better advice on certain key issues. For instance, it is simultaneously impressive and startling to note that he made it to the elite without ever using a full-time trainer before his summer appointment of Vazquez – and it is no less baffling to hear a tale he tells about his sparring ahead of his defeat against Groves a year ago.

Working under his first full-time trainer in Nate Vazquez, it feels like a new chapter for Junior

Eubank Jnr is fighting for his career against James DeGale (pictured) on February 23

‘I brought in a 6ft 7in guy,’ he says. ‘He was my partner every week for Groves who is a completely different style and build.

‘I thought, “He is big and strong, I don’t have to hold back”. I have had to hold back a lot in my sparring because maybe 100 or so partners have never come back, so when it came to partners, I’d go with people who could take a hit, not tailored to my opponent.

‘Before this fight I had never really done technical sparring. This time it has been footwork. I have never done that before.

‘People in boxing will think that’s crazy. It was ignorance as much as anything. Same as not having a coach. I didn’t think I needed one. Why would I? I had these great wins without a coach.

‘It took losing to Groves for me to think I do need someone who knows what they are doing, instead of just getting super fit and using power and heart.’

That basic approach took him a long way, but the natural ceiling has shown itself when he has faced elite opposition. Against Saunders and Groves, he has suffered his only losses in 29 fights.

The intrigue, therefore, is how he looks after a camp under Vazquez. In DeGale, he faces one of the finest boxers Britain has produced, albeit one who has to prove his best days are not behind him. A fight between them has been a long time coming, right back to 2012 when DeGale called on the novice for sparring. They disagree on how it went.

Junior’s version goes like this: ‘I knew we would fight each other one day so I went up to his gym on a mission. I was just teeing off on him, really took him apart. It was funny. At the end, he was shouting at me, “Who do you think you are? Get the f*** out of the gym”.

‘He kicked me and my dad out, no shower or anything. We were laughing the whole way home.’ A fun story but it remains to be seen who will get the last laugh.

‘It sounds mad but we have absolutely nothing to lose’: Doncaster boss Grant McCann banking on a full house for FA Cup fifth round clash against Premier League giants Crystal Palace

• Doncaster are one game from reaching FA Cup quarter finals for the first time  
• The League One club will face Crystal Palace at a sold out Keepmoat Stadium 
• Boss Grant McCann believes the atmosphere will prove crucial for an upset 

By

David Kent for the Daily Mail

Published:
17:50 EST, 15 February 2019

|
Updated:
17:50 EST, 15 February 2019

Doncaster manager Grant McCann claims it ‘sounds mad’ to be within one game of reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time in the club’s history.

But he insists his League One side will not be intimidated by facing Premier League Crystal Palace in front of the TV cameras on Sunday at a sold-out Keepmoat Stadium.

Rovers have banked around £400,000 in prize money by reaching the fifth round for the first time since 1956 and will earn a further £360,000 if they make the last eight. 

Grant McCann believes crowd will help Doncaster cause FA Cup upset over Crystal Palace

A £250,000 Progress Prize from the EFL is also on offer for the club from each division who go furthest in the competition. 

‘It’s the first time the club has been to this stage in 63 years and we’ve got a chance to make history — not equal history — by getting to the quarter-final,’ McCann said.

‘It sounds mad but we have absolutely nothing to lose. My message to the players is, “Go and give it everything you have. Your family is in the stands watching you, make them proud”. 

‘The belief is high. This is a one-off game where we can go and try to express ourselves.

‘A packed Keepmoat, like we saw with Sunderland, generates a terrific atmosphere.’

Ben Whiteman scored twice to help Doncaster beat Oldham in the FA Cup fourth round

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After all but surrendering the Serie A title to Juventus in the spring of 2017, Maurizio Sarri’s outlook for his Napoli future was not promising. ‘Coaches are like fish,’ he mused. ‘After a while, they start to stink.’

The use-by date on Chelsea managers is always short, but in the case of Sarri matters have deteriorated at an alarming rate.

The club’s chairman, Bruce Buck, sat in on his pre-match press conference this week in Malmo, then Buck took the peculiar step of going pitchside on Thursday evening to get a close view of Chelsea’s warm-up drills. 

Maurizio Sarri’s future as Chelsea manager remains in serious doubt after a difficult period

The players’ senses are tingling. One confided in his adviser this week that he expected Sarri to be sacked if the club fail to win at least one of their next two games — against Manchester United in the FA Cup, and Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.

Ultimately, the decision will not fall to Buck. Director Marina Granovskaia runs the show and she will make recommendations to owner Roman Abramovich, if he does not beat her to it.

Sarri admits he has not heard from Chelsea’s Russian owner in the past three weeks, and the growing impression is that of a club whose troubles extend beyond the dugout.

The financial news website Bloomberg has spoken of the ‘last days of Londongrad’. Abramovich has not attended a Chelsea match this season and has not been seen in London since his visa renewal application was denied last year.

One players expects Sarri to be sacked if the club fail to win at least one of their next two

Owner Roman Abramovich has not attended a match this season and has not been in London

His absence is viewed as a response to the worsening of relations between London and Moscow following the Salisbury poisonings last March. In the autumn, it seemed Abramovich was seeking a way out of Chelsea. The talk was that £3billion would do the job and Czech investor Petr Kellner, a business partner of Abramovich with a box at Stamford Bridge, has not denied reports he is interested.

Chelsea insist the club is not for sale but the feeling is that Abramovich has less inclination to compete with the Manchester clubs in the race for elite talent.

Chelsea will probably lose their best player, Eden Hazard, and their best young player, Callum Hudson-Odoi. If Sarri leaves, there is no guarantee they will keep their main striker Gonzalo Higuain.

David Luiz continues to stall over a 12-month contract extension — an offer that proposes a wage cut — and his moods have darkened the dressing room. There is also disquiet among the squad at how club captain Gary Cahill has been frozen out by Sarri.

Abramovich educated five of his seven children in Britain and only expanded his Kensington residence to 20,000 square feet three years ago. His Israeli visa means he can visit for up to six months, yet he has stayed away.

Granovskaia is, arguably, the reason Sarri remains in the role. Before appointing Sarri last summer, the club’s due diligence showed a history of homophobic and sexist remarks. Sarri’s record at Napoli overtook those concerns and the club even passed by the absence of major silverware on his c.v. Chelsea also encountered stubborn resistance from Napoli, who demanded hefty compensation and only released him some way into July.

Marina Granovskaia is, arguably, the reason Sarri is still there after hiring him from Napoli

Away defeats at Arsenal, Bournemouth and Manchester City have damaged the players’ faith

Now, Sarri teeters on the brink. Premier League away defeats at Arsenal, Bournemouth and Manchester City have damaged the players’ faith in the manager’s vision.

When he arrived, his predecessor Antonio Conte’s obligatory pre-match nuts, seeds and dried fruit disappeared. At the training ground, bans on fizzy drinks and butter were lifted. Sarri trusts his players to consume such ‘treats’ in moderation.

Training sessions are usually in the early afternoon, to mirror most kick-off times, and this was initially popular.

Now, however, players have become frustrated by not being free to spend time with their young families. The sessions are felt to be repetitive and stodgy, while some players are struggling to grasp the intricacies of Sarri’s demands.

Sarri generally arrives at the training ground two hours before sessions begin. He studies video footage and prepares clips from previous games.

Yet the debriefs have had little impact. After the 3-1 defeat at Tottenham, Sarri hauled his players in for individual meetings. After the 4-0 loss at Bournemouth, a lock-in lasted 50 minutes and Sarri even asked his players what he should do to improve. 

The club are concerned that midfielder N’Golo Kante is being wasted in his new role

Sarri is a worldly man and the players do not dislike him but it seems his day are numbered

Another hour of clear-the-air talks followed the 6-0 demolition at Manchester City. Sarri remains stubbornly fixed to his principles but too many players aren’t reading the script.

Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso and N’Golo Kante are being asked to perform roles that are ill-suited to their strengths. Alonso, hooked in the second half at City, then left out of the travelling party for Malmo this week, bore the brunt of Sarri’s frustrations.

Captain Azpilicueta has, in his leadership role, exchanged frank words with his manager. The club, meanwhile, are concerned that Kante, a player handed a new £290,000-a-week contract this season, is being wasted.

Insiders regard this group of players as the ‘nicest’ of the Abramovich years. It is not meant as a compliment.

Sarri is a worldly man. As an Italian banker, he personally oversaw global transactions in the tens of millions.

The Chelsea players do not dislike him. He talks to them about their families and, unlike Conte, he happily holds conversations about matters other than football.

He is a reader of Charles Bukowski’s poetry and a left-leaning political voice. He does not promote charities because he believes a good society is one where the government ensures all the people are looked after.

Yet a charming personality cannot deflect from results or the increasing feeling that, once again, the whiff of change is in the air at Chelsea.