HARLEM EUBANK is fighting to help honour his cousin’s memory and build for his godson’s future.
The Brighton boxing family was rocked last summer when british ring legend Chris Eubank Sr, 55, and middleweight heir Chris Jr lost their son and brother Sebastian to a sudden heart attack in Dubai.
The tragic passing hit super-lightweight Harlem hard too as the pair shared a childhood love of martial arts and bonded further into adulthood over interests in plant-based diets, alternative lifestyles and spirituality.
But Harlem – who enjoyed a breakout 2020 winning back-to-back 50-50 fights against rival prospects – now holds his godfather duty to little nephew Raheem incredibly dear.
And, ahead of Saturday’s clash with Viriol Simion, he lit up a grey and drizzled Brighton beach when discussing Seb and the next Eubank generation he will help mould.
“Losing Seb was really hard because he was a wonderful person,” Harlem told SunSport. “We were very close, we shared a connection over our passions that were a bit outside the mainstream.
“Seb was a great teacher so I learned a lot from him and I am sure Chris did too.
“We used to laugh that even though Chris didn’t follow our plant-based diets we would sometimes find some of the vegan proteins or super-foods we liked tucked behind his steaks and lobsters.
“We all have great memories of Seb and we need to make sure his son Raheem in Dubai learns all about his father and I will be getting out there as often as possible to take my godfather duties seriously.
“Grief hits people in waves and everyone handles it differently. I was really proud of how Chris coped and won his next fight. And now we move on and work together to help raise Raheem and honour Seb.”
Harlem, 27, boxes on 32-year-old Chris’ undercard for the first time in his 12-0 career on Saturday in Cardiff, live on Sky Sports.
It is a huge leap up in profile and platform after boosting his ratings with his most recent wins in Latvia and Yorkshire going untelevised in the UK.
But Harlem’s name has hit the headlines after Chris’ opponent Liam Williams moved into his gym to work under coach Adam Booth in Surrey.
Eubank Jr was fuming his cousin had been put in such an awkward possession but Harlem handles it with the sort of maturity that will help when guiding Raheem through life.
He said: “When Adam told me it was almost as if he was joking about it but when it became a reality I had to address it quickly.
“It was awkward but I just said I wanted our training schedules aligned so that we never crossed paths in the gym.
“I didn’t want to stop any of the trainers from making a living or doing their job and I wanted to be professional, so I just made it clear that our timetables had to be adjusted accordingly because Chris is my blood.
“I wouldn’t want any confrontation or awkwardness but training together in a gym environment also builds camaraderie among fighters and that wouldn’t be right either.
“If a photo or video emerged from the gym of me and Liam training together or just meeting, it could get misconstrued.”
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Harlem’s behind-closed-doors wins – over an old rival who beat him twice in the amateurs and an unbeaten threat who called him out on social media – catapulted him into the British top-10 of the 10st division.
But he refuses to use his famous name or social media accounts to talk trash or chase opponents.
“That’s just not me, that side of boxing, the bragging and the trash talk does not suit my character,” he said.
“I came to the sport relatively late and I have been quietly building my skills and foundations to make sure when the right opportunities come I could take them.
“That has happened in my last few fights, my critics and doubters aren’t as loud but I still want to perfect my craft, a lot of fighters rush into mistakes and I don’t want to do that.
“Boxing on Chris’ undercard for the first time is an achievement I am really proud of and I am going to take the opportunity with both hands.
“But I still think I am a couple of years away from fulfilling my potential and winning a world title.”
Harlem Eubank is sponsored by ROC LTD construction, New Era Metals and Raw Sport nutrition.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
