'It's my destiny' - Harlem Eubank on his Brighton homecoming against Timo Schwarzkopf
On November 10 Harlem Eubank will be back in the ring to face tough German opponent Timo Schwarzkopf at the Brighton Centre, for what is expected to be his toughest test in the ring to date.
Transcript
00:00 Hello, it's Darren Howard here, the sports editor for the Brighton Indie and the Sussex World,
00:05 and I'm delighted to be joined today by Brighton boxer, Harlem Eubank. Harlem is currently unbeaten
00:11 with 18 victories and is one of the most exciting and lethal talents in British boxing at the moment.
00:17 And on November the 10th, he'll be back in the ring to face a very tough German opponent,
00:22 Timo Schwarzkopf at the Brighton Centre. And it's expected to be your toughest test
00:29 today, Harlem. Is that how you see it? What sort of type of opponent is Schwarzkopf?
00:35 Definitely. This is a guy that's operated at world level. He went the distance with Jack Cattrell, who
00:45 was arguably undisputed champion at 140 not too long ago with that decision just not going his
00:56 way. But he's been in there with top operators at world level. And he's always come to win the
01:07 fight. He's never been stopped. And he always comes to fight to the final bell, always pushing
01:16 close decisions. So he's definitely the biggest threat I've faced thus far in my career,
01:24 and a good test to come back to Brighton with, a good fight to give my local people here in my city.
01:33 Yeah, it must be a good occasion for you. But is it the right time in your career,
01:39 do you think, to step up that level and face an opponent of his calibre?
01:44 Definitely. I've been fighting away from home a lot and having decent tests that I've come through.
01:54 Now, 18 and 0, it's time to push on in the world rankings and try and get the type of fights that
02:03 put me in a position for a world title shot. And this is that type of fight that places me on the
02:11 world scene in boxing. And that's what I'm going to relish in the ring against Timo, who's clearly a
02:23 solid operator. I want to come home to Brighton and show my friends and family what I've been
02:31 learning and what I can do now. Good, good. Put on a good show. And the Eubank name and the city
02:36 of Brighton, they sort of go hand in hand. But this is the first time a Eubank has fought in
02:41 Brighton since 1991, when your uncle Chris Senior, he beat Dan Sherry in 10 rounds. How much of an
02:49 honour is it to rekindle that legacy in Brighton? It really feels like destiny, the timing of this
02:58 one back in Brighton, in the Brighton Centre, like you said. 32 years since my uncle fought there.
03:05 And the date of that fight against Dan Sherry in his first defence after defroning Nigel Benn,
03:15 it was the 2nd of February 1991. My birthday is the 2nd of February 1994. So I was born three
03:25 years later to the day. And now 32 years later, we're going back to the Brighton Centre. Yeah.
03:34 I looked at the fight on YouTube last night and it was a good atmosphere in there, wasn't it?
03:43 Are you expecting a similar lively crowd in there? Yeah, definitely. It's a nice set up in there.
03:48 We're going to bring all the local people out for a good night of boxing.
03:56 We want it to be the type of event that people can bring their kids to and enjoy a good show
04:07 of boxing and a good night out at the same time. So we're expecting a great atmosphere.
04:13 Yeah. Down on the south coast, right on the seafront in the Brighton Centre.
04:16 Should be a great night. And just because you're from Brighton and because everything that goes
04:23 with it, does that add extra pressure because he's a tough opponent and because it's a Eubank
04:27 fighting in Brighton? Yeah, yeah, definitely. There's a lot more pressure to it. Headlining
04:34 in my home city. But pressure in this game, you have to embrace it. It's one of the most high
04:43 pressure sports there is. You're going to fight to put your life on the line in front of a crowd
04:50 of people. It makes you or breaks you. I think you learn to embrace it and use it to fuel you to put
05:01 on a performance. I feel like that's what I'm going to do on the night.
05:06 Good, good. But Schwarzkopf, like you say, he's a tricky customer. He sounds confident and he says
05:12 he's in his prime at the moment. He said he's going to knock you out, basically. I'm sorry.
05:20 How do you respond to that? He is in his prime. He's coming off of great wins against guys like
05:30 Vasquez, who gave some of the top guys in the division in the UK very, very hard fights and
05:41 came off unlucky in the decisions. We know what kind of customer he is. We know what type of
05:51 fighter he is. We know what he brings. Already I'm at a stage in my career where he's going to
06:00 come and he's going to try and do those things and connect with his shots and try to knock me out.
06:06 Unfortunately, that's going to leave gaps that I can expose. That's what we plan to do.
06:17 Great stuff. It should be quite the occasion. You are a Brighton fan, Harlan. A Brighton football
06:23 fan. The city really seems to be embracing the sport at the moment, isn't it? The Seagulls are
06:29 flying high in the Premier League, competing in Europe. De Serby's got them playing some really
06:33 great football. What do you think of their progress at the moment? It's amazing to see.
06:42 10, 12 years ago, I remember them playing at the Wiv Dean. Their journey has been exceptional.
06:51 So proud of the club and to see players that I was playing around and playing with in the same
07:00 teams. You were part of the Brighton youth set-up. Yes, from 12 years old to 16 years old, I was
07:10 full-time in professional football with Brighton Hove Albion. To see them go from strength to
07:16 strength is amazing. At that age, my dream was to step on the field as a professional player for the
07:23 club. At 16 years of age, that all changed. Boxing was my path. Now, I get to enjoy Brighton
07:40 and be a fan and bring some different types of sporting back to Brighton in the form of boxing.
07:54 Yes, it's amazing. I'm so proud of how far they've come from competing at the Wiv Dean to now being
08:06 a force in the Premier League. It's amazing.
08:10 They take on all the big teams. You played with Soli March and Lewis Dunk, did you?
08:16 Yes. At 16, 15, we got on a train with the youth team. Dunk was a few years older.
08:26 One day a week, we got on a train with the youth team and got to play with Dunk.
08:34 Soli, when I got released from Brighton at 16, I went to play for Lewis.
08:39 Soli was at Lewis. He was playing in the under-18s at Lewis. He went from strength to
08:50 strength. He got his growth spurt, his strength. That combined with the skill and speed, he went
08:59 on to do great things. Now he's thriving at Brighton. It's just great to have seen the journey.
09:10 It really makes you proud of where they're at now.
09:17 Great to see.
09:23 I guess boxing and martial arts was always… once you left Brighton,
09:28 boxing and martial arts then became your number one choice?
09:31 Most definitely. I touched on it as a kid. I did karate as a little kid. I won two British
09:37 Championships from seven to 11, just before I went into football. I always had the attachment
09:45 to combat. I was a big fan of Bruce Lee and the philosophy of fighting and stepping into a dojo
09:52 and going and committing to something and dedicating yourself to it for a number of years.
09:59 I always had that background. After football, I needed something to commit myself to on that
10:09 kind of professional level where I'm applying myself every day. I felt like boxing was one
10:16 of the realist forms of combat where I could go in and really commit myself to the sport for a
10:24 number of years to become a good fighter and develop in the art form. Now we're at a stage
10:34 where I've been doing that for the last 10 years. Now I get to bring a headline fight.
10:44 You always look in peak condition in the ring. Are you always training and eating correctly?
10:51 How does it work? Or is it something that you know a fight is coming up
10:56 and then you go into camp? Or is it more of a lifestyle for you?
11:01 For me, it's a lifestyle. My uncle's always been big on that. You have to live the life
11:08 and if you don't, you can come unstuck. For me, I love training anyway and I love developing.
11:19 When I haven't got a fight date, I'm still training and I'm still improving. I think
11:24 that's been a big factor in my progression over the last 10 years is that I have lived the life.
11:30 I haven't had a week off. I haven't had times where I've lost focus. I've been 100%
11:39 dedicated to the sport and I believe that's what's going to tell down the line. Also,
11:50 nutrition is a big thing for me. I've been plant-based for seven years. I like to take
11:58 my health into consideration with the things I eat. I think that combined with really committing
12:07 yourself to the sport as a lifestyle rather than just a camp, I think you get the benefits out of
12:14 that. Do you think the plant-based diet gives you that extra edge and gives you that extra
12:20 fitness levels in the gym and on fight nights as well?
12:26 I think it helps me. From my experience, I think it's the best diet for me.
12:33 Nutritionally, obviously a lot of the nutrients and stuff you get from plants are
12:42 the best and the most easily accessible. Personally, I think it's an advantage and an edge.
12:54 When I started out, a lot of people thought it wasn't an advantage and it wasn't an edge.
12:59 It definitely seems to be working.
13:02 Yeah, that's it. Everyone needs to find what works for them and stick with it.
13:09 That's the path I chose.
13:13 Like you say, you have your own style which is a great watch, really good to watch in the ring.
13:19 Which fighters have you looked at over the past and really admired?
13:24 I love exciting fighters, fighters that bring a style that captivates you. Fighters like Roy Jones
13:34 Jr., Sugar Ray Leonard, Sugar Ray Robinson, guys that can dance, they can punch, they can move.
13:42 The way they operate in the ring is like an art form. That's what brought me into boxing. That's
13:50 what engaged me into the sport, that creative side of it where you can go in there and do things
13:58 differently and put on a show and do something as brutal as boxing, but make it elegant, make it an
14:09 art form instead of just two brutes going at it. The best in the world, the best that I've ever
14:18 lived have done that. They're the guys that really inspire me.
14:25 And then when you get through this one, there's some great potential fights in your weight class.
14:32 What's the next step? I've heard you mentioned Connor Benn previously in other interviews,
14:39 but your cousin Chris Eubank Jr. may be fighting him next. Once you get through this one,
14:45 or hopefully get through this, what do you see as your next step in your path towards world titles?
14:50 The top guys in the division continue towards that number one spot,
14:56 taking on all comers, as I have come to this point.
15:02 I want the guys that are going to set me up for that world title shot.
15:11 They're the opportunities that I will take. And they're the fights. Honestly, I'll fight anyone.
15:18 It's more what fights are going to get me into position to take on them, big fights. There's
15:26 huge fights in the US as well as over here domestically. 140 is one of the hottest divisions
15:34 in the world right now. It's an exciting time, isn't it?
15:36 It's the best division to watch right now. That's great because it means the boxing fans
15:44 will hopefully get the match-ups. That's going to excite a lot of people.
15:50 It's in a good place and I'm looking forward to it. I'm focused heavily on the 10th of November
16:00 in my toughest test yet in Timo.
16:06 It's going to be great on the 10th of November.
16:08 And just a quick one on your cousin, Chris Eubank Jr. He delivered a career-best performance
16:13 in the rematch against Liam Smith. He just looked in complete control, didn't he? All that night,
16:20 so focused. How does that inspire you when you've got this big fight coming up in your hometown?
16:28 Do you look at performances like that and think, 'Ah, that's the level'?
16:34 Definitely. He done everything right in that fight. I went out to Vegas to see his preparation
16:40 and he really left no stone unturned, as they say. That's what I wanted to see because
16:50 he was ready to put in a performance. That's what his preparation told me.
17:00 I knew when I came back, I said to people who were asking, 'How do you think the fight's going to go?'
17:05 I said, 'Watch. This time's different.' That's how it played out. It definitely inspires me.
17:12 That's how I have to approach every fight. Every fight is coming to bring 110% against me.
17:22 I can't look at their past performances because when they're fighting me, they're fighting
17:30 Eubank and they see it as extra motivation. Do you think the other boxers raised their game?
17:44 I think they always have. It's all about taking that away from them on the night and not looking
17:57 at what they've done too much in the past because they're coming to bring their best.
18:00 That's the version of them I get every time. I'm looking forward to
18:09 doing that again on 10th November and proving where I'm at in the division.
18:14 Well, thanks Harlem. It's going to be a great night. We're really looking forward to seeing
18:20 you back in action again. It's so great to have big time boxing back in Brighton as well.
18:26 Wish you the best of luck with your training camp and on the night as well. Tickets to the bout are
18:34 available now on the Brighton Centre website. It should be a good occasion. Can you give us a
18:41 prediction? Thanks very much Darren. It's going to be an exciting night and I'm going to put in
18:50 an explosive performance. A stoppage or a win is what I expect but an explosive, entertaining
18:59 performance is what I promise to bring.
19:03 Great stuff. We're looking forward to it. Thanks again, Harlem.
19:06 >> Last one there.