Nick Blackwell slams Chris Eubank Jr ahead of British title clash
Thursday 17 March 2016 12:34, UK
Nick Blackwell has suggested Chris Eubank Jr is "told what to say by his father" and is a poor role model for youngsters.
British middleweight champion Blackwell (19-3-1-KO8) defends his crown against Eubank Jr (21-1-KO16) on March 26 and the insults have been flying, with the challenger labelling Blackwell "bland" and unworthy of being the champion.
Hitting back, the champion told Hennessy Sports: "He's always trying to be someone he's not.
"He could actually be a nice kid if he cut the apron strings and was himself a bit more. But he's told what to say by his father and he's always in performance mode. There's nothing real about him.
"He's taking bad advice from people. They all think they've got the game sussed but the facts don't back it up. He's not popular, he can't sell tickets and people only ever talk about him negatively. That's okay if you're going to be Floyd Mayweather, but he's not.
"I don't pay much attention to him. He just wants people talking about him and, to do that, he'll say the most stupid stuff possible.
"If we're talking about doing the British title a disservice, how could anybody possibly look up to Chris Eubank Jr? He's the furthest thing from a role model you can get. People talk about him in boxing but not for the right reasons. They never have anything good to say about him. You never hear someone say, 'Oh, yeah, he's a decent guy'.
"If some young kid was getting into boxing and the first boxer they came across was Chris Eubank Jr, they'd be put off the sport for life. They'd think every boxer was as arrogant, big-headed and unlikeable as him.
"If he was to ever get lucky enough to win a British title - and I don't think he ever will - it will be a sad day."
Blackwell won the vacant title when he stopped John Ryder in the seventh round in May 2015 and has since defended it against Damon Jones and Jack Arnfield.
