Eubank Jr. claims Blackwell doesn’t really want to fight him, will get stopped – just like ‘Spike’

LONDON (18 MARCH) Chris Eubank Jr. says British middleweight champion Nick ‘Bang Bang’ Blackwell will go the same way as his last opponent, Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan, when the pair meet on March 26 at The SSE Arena, Wembley.

Three months ago Eubank Jr. settled a bitter feud with O’Sullivan by stopping the Irishman in seven rounds, and next weekend, live on Channel 5, he looks to do the same to Blackwell, a man who has claimed Eubank Jr. has been avoiding him for much of his career.

“It’s laughable for him to say I’ve been avoiding him,” said Eubank Jr., 21-1 (16 KOs). “He’s a boring guy. He has to say something to try and get some attention. His stories about me avoiding him are fantasy. He wants to get under my skin by saying I’m scared and have been dodging him.

“The truth is, every single middleweight in Britain has at some point said on Twitter that they’d love to fight Chris Eubank Jr. They’ve said it to their friends and to their promoter. I get tweets from fighters all the time. I guess I’ve ducked every fighter in Britain then. It doesn’t make any sense.

“It’s exactly the same as O’Sullivan – be careful what you wish for. Blackwell and O’Sullivan are in the same situation. They talk it up, they know they’re going to get paid nicely and that is genuinely the only reason why they want these fights. They know they are not on my level. They just want a payday. Blackwell will get a payday, but he’ll also get beaten.

“A fight between Blackwell and O’Sullivan would be close. I couldn’t say who would win. They both have different styles but are one dimensional, in my opinion. It wouldn’t be a very exciting fight.”

Eubank Jr.’s win over O’Sullivan marked his third stoppage victory of 2015 and showcased the Brighton man at his most aggressive and potent.

“I did everything I needed to do,” he recalled. “I went in there, made a statement and punished him for the disrespect he had shown me in the lead up to the fight. I boxed him into submission and made him quit. I made him give up. That’s the most dishonourable thing you can do in boxing really. He gave up when he could have continued.

“A knockout is lovely, but to see someone really and truly understand that there is no way they can win is a nice feeling as well. He realised he was being hurt, outboxed, outfought, humiliated and was out of his depth. He’s a strong guy and all it takes is one punch, but for him to think that he didn’t even have that chance – a puncher’s chance – says a lot. He knew there was no way he could win. That was very satisfying.”

*** Tickets for the British middleweight title blockbuster between Nick ‘Bang Bang’ Blackwell and Chris Eubank Jr. are priced at £35, £50, £75, £175, £200 and £250 for ringside and can be purchased online at ssearena.co.uk and axs.com or by phoning the SSE Arena, Wembley Box Office on 0844 815 0815 ***

Destructive Nick Webb looks to continue his run of first round knockouts on March 26

LONDON (18 MARCH) Undefeated heavyweight Nick Webb has yet to go beyond the two-minute mark as a professional boxer – stopping all four of his opponents within the very first round – and is out to make quick work of his next victim on March 26 at The SSE Arena, Wembley.

Twenty-eight-year-old Webb turned professional in March 2015 and, since then, has knocked out a variety of European journeymen, the last of which, Angel Angelov, was downed with a body shot in just 26 seconds.

“Listen, I’m a heavyweight,” said Chertsey-based Webb. “We want to get in and out of there as quick as we can. I’m happy with the way it’s going at the moment – I’m getting in and out – but if my next fight goes into the second round that’s fine, too. At least I’ll be experiencing something new and learning.

“I’ve always had heavy hands. I used to be a shot putter and discus thrower at a high level and I think that has helped me develop power. Also, as an amateur boxer, I had 27 fights and won 18 by knockout, so I knew I could hit. But being with Scott (Welch, trainer) has helped me refine my game a bit more. He was a puncher himself back in the day and he’s shown me lots of the tricks of the trade and plenty of new techniques.”

In pro fight number two, Webb defeated Hungary’s Martin Szatmari in 1 minute 57 seconds of the opening round – his longest outing to date – and remembers the venue, The SSE Arena, Wembley, fondly.

“I love being on the big stage,” he said. “It’s what I’m all about. I’m thrilled to be fighting at The SSE Arena, Wembley again. I had my second pro fight there and it was an amazing feeling.

“I want these big nights. I want to be winning the Southern Area this year, perhaps by September time, and eventually I want to go all the way and become heavyweight champion of the world.

“To get there, I need experience. That’s why I’ve sparred the likes of Dereck Chisora, Richard Towers and the current Italian champion, Salvatore Erittu. I’m sparring some decent fighters who have competed at a much higher level than I have.”

Suffice to say, Webb won’t have to look too far for inspiration. After all, the heavyweight division in Britain – led by world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury – is positively booming right now.

“Tyson Fury is the best heavyweight we have,” said Webb, 4-0 (4 KOs). “He’s the one with all the belts. He’s the one who beat The Man (Wladimir Klitschko). He’s definitely the most awkward and hard to beat heavyweight out there. If you were to fight him, you wouldn’t be worried, but he’d be very hard to beat.

“Anthony Joshua is the second best heavyweight we have and he’s a banger. He can catch you and knock you out. But, on the other hand, he can also be caught and hurt and is probably easier to beat than Fury.

“I’d love to see them two get it on at some point. That would be very entertaining and exciting to watch.”

*** Tickets for the British middleweight title blockbuster between Nick ‘Bang Bang’ Blackwell and Chris Eubank Jr. are priced at £35, £50, £75, £175, £200 and £250 for ringside and can be purchased online at ssearena.co.uk and axs.com or by phoning the SSE Arena, Wembley Box Office on 0844 815 0815 ***