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.
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