Following his technical decision defeat to Jack Catterall in Manchester, Harlem Eubank asserts that a “false narrative” is being spread about how the fight ended. Contrary to appearances at the time of the stoppage, Eubank insists the premature finish was due to Catterall`s severe cut, not his own less serious injury. Eubank believes DAZN bears responsibility for broadcasting inaccurate information.
“We were ready to continue. My cut was minor,” Eubank stated. “We were focused on the other corner. The referee went to his corner. My doctor had cleared me completely.”
He added, “We were eager to keep fighting. His corner was informed he couldn`t go on. It had nothing whatsoever to do with me. That narrative aired live during the commentary was completely fabricated. I`ve never witnessed anything like it – alleged independent commentators were in his dressing room pre-fight and seemed to be coaching him ringside.”
During a post-fight discussion with the media, former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton was implicated by Eubank, who mentioned he was previously a fan but felt circumstances that night were against him. Conor Benn`s appearance before the main event to watch the hand-wrapping of a family rival was also cited by Eubank as fitting into a pattern.
“This represents the `go-along to get-along` crowd. You observe it in the commentary, in the dressing room – these individuals all pretending to be friendly, sending Conor in,” Eubank commented. “After Conor came in and left, I told him to grab a ringside seat and prepare to see a performance.”
“The referee`s decision tonight prevented me from achieving a spectacular victory,” Eubank claimed. “Jack is undeniably a world-class competitor. All the fighters scoring at ringside had the fight level before the stoppage. I felt I was just hitting my stride.”
“If you look at my previous championship bouts, how I typically finish my opponents demonstrates exactly how I execute a game plan. The referee denied me that opportunity tonight by not allowing Jack Catterall to continue,” he explained.
Eubank mentioned that his uncle, Chris Eubank Sr., who was absent due to a trip to Jamaica, had cautioned him about competing in Manchester, describing it as entering “the lion`s den.” Nevertheless, Eubank felt his game plan was on track when the technical decision occurred in the seventh round.
According to Harlem, this fight was the first time he personally experienced the perceived negativity within British boxing circles towards the Eubank surname. He highlighted his usual fighting style involves coming on strong in the later rounds and securing stoppages, which was also his intention here, and he believed it was starting to succeed.
“Absolutely. He`s a defensive fighter. I was taking that away from him. The strategy was to punish him later in the fight. I was beginning to do that. I was starting to land clean shots,” Eubank concluded.
