Few men have impacted British boxing as much as Chris Eubank. There have not been many like ‘Simply the Best’, from world titles to memorable interviews.
Retiring in 1998, Eubank was able to define a period of boxing in the 1990s with his elite performances.
From Eubank scoring 20-second knockouts to winning his fight series with Nigel Benn, there have been plenty of memorable moments in the career of the great.
Finishing his career with a record of 45-5-2, Eubank went 43 fights undefeated in his career. However, to become the first man to defeat the former champion, one fighter had to use unique tactics.
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Steve Collins reveals unusual tactics he used against Chris Eubank
Chris Eubank tasted defeat for the first time in his career in 1995. Fighting Steve Collins in Cork, Ireland, Eubank lost his super middleweight world title in his first defeat.
Eubank was knocked down by a body shot in his first loss, as Collins became a world champion via unanimous decision. Years on from the bout, the Irishman revealed what pre-fight strategies he had to defeat the champion.
Speaking to TalkSport, Collins was asked about the pre-fight mental strategies he deployed against Eubank.
“It was a case of taking away the mind control Eubank had over the whole show,” Collins said. “We all came to watch the Eubank show. I wanted to take that away. I wanted to make that my show.”
“I wanted to steal his mantle, I wanted to undermine him.”
Collins then revealed that he delved further into sports psychology to get inside the mind of Eubank. “We brought in the hypnotist, which I did use for sports psychology in my preparation, and told him I had been hypnotised to not feel any pain.”
The Irish fighter also told Eubank that he was hypnotised to see him moving slower, and that he would be a bigger target to hit.
Eubank was apparently upset about the tactics, according to Collins. However, the former champion joked by saying, “It was unfair, so I’ll give you another shot.”
Collins and Eubank would rematch, but it would have the same outcome as their first meeting.
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Steve Collins defeated Chris Eubank for second time in rematch
Despite his dominance before meeting Collins for the first time, Eubank was not able to right his wrong against the Irishman.
Picking up two first-round knockouts after his loss, Eubank would face Collins again in September 1995, six months after their first meeting.
Fighting once again in Cork, Ireland, the super middleweights competed in a stadium for their huge second meeting. However, Eubank would not reclaim his crown.
Being narrowly defeated via split decision, Collins defended his WBO World Super Middleweight crown against Eubank, ending their rivalry. Not only would ‘Simply the Best’ be defeated twice by the Irish fighter, but Collins boasts two wins over Eubank and Nigel Benn, also.