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“On the 13th of this month, we buried my brother.” Those are the first words out of Chris Eubank’s mouth after he takes a seat beside his nephew Harlem, son to the late Simon Eubank, in a Westminster high-rise on an October afternoon. Loss has been far too rife in the Eubank family in recent years. Simon’s death, at the age of 61, came two years after the passing of Chris’s son Sebastian, who was just 29 when he died of a reported heart attack – the same age that Harlem is now. But Chris and Harlem are not focusing on endings. They are focusing on beginnings. Both think in “spiritual” terms. They make that clear. “Divine intervention” brought the icon and the contender together, as Harlem puts it, while Chris describes Simon’s death as the former boxer having “now left this dimension”. It was at Simon’s funeral that Harlem and Chris connected in a way that they had not done previously. Now, Harlem is Chris’s “son”, the former two-weight world champion stresses repeatedly. “This is our life, this is more than boxing,” Harlem tells The Independent, reflecting on the bond behind the new partnership, which has been forged in the lead-up to his fight with Timo Schwarzkopf on 10 November – and a year after Chris’s split from his son Jr. “To have each other close and to have him by my side is very important, it’s a big deal. Boxing is a spiritual experience. You’re going into the fire, and it means the world to have my uncle Chris, who is a king of this realm, by my side.” Chris, meanwhile, takes a moment and a breath before weighing in. “What does it mean?” The 57-year-old has always taken his time choosing his words, and it has always made him a mesmeric orator. “It means I’m delighted. Delighted. I’ve given him tips over the years, and every tip I’ve given him, I’ve seen him actually carry them out in fights. Even just coming up from Brighton this morning in the car, the amount of information that I’ve been able to give him, it’s like: ‘Is he gonna be able to actually take on board this much experience and wisdom? Not only in boxing, but also to do with the media, the public, being still. Is it going to overload him?’ But it’s fun. When I get up, I pull him up; and when he gets up, he pulls me up.” By the end of the day, the duo will be back in Brighton, where their fighting family have roots – including Simon’s twin brother Peter, and Chris’s son Jr. It is there that the unbeaten Harlem will box Schwarzkopf, marking the Brighton Centre’s first fight night since 1991, when Chris retained his WBO middleweight title. Three years after that bout, to the day, Harlem was born. Some will call it coincidence; Harlem, with his feel for the spiritual and the divine, might point to something more. The 29-year-old also has a feel for philosophy. “I think I’ve always been attracted to philosophy, and the philosophy of fighting, because it’s so real,” Harlem says. “There’s nothing fake about it. When you step in the ring, you see someone’s personality in true form.” “It’s the only vocation that’s real,” Chris concurs. “Almost all vocations are pretend, but when you get hit, there’s no pretence behind it. I think of our trainer, Charlie; he’s a fireman, and he’s beautifully placed, because his spirit teaches what Harlem has to do when he’s in a fight. If it’s not going your way, you’ve got to stay in that fight, and if you get knocked down, you’ve got to get up and run back into the fire. Do you have the courage, the testicular fortitude to do what most people can’t do?” Chris, wearing a glinting badge in acknowledgement of Charlie’s service and his own unique role as a US city marshal, turns to Harlem. “I was gonna say, ‘I pray it doesn’t happen to you.’ Sorry, it’s not like that; I pray it does happen, because that’s how you cut yourself away from the rest of the pack. “That’s the warrior, and that’s why we’re creatures of irony, because we really are here to protect and bring peace, but in the ring we’re fierce!” Chris leans forward as he says it, contorting his face into a mock kind of menace. Now, he is posturing as only he can. Then, he leans back and laughs. “Sorry, I’m taking over the interview, but this is why I’m here, because I’ve got to give you copy!” Chris, who places much focus on the idea of “protecting” Harlem, takes over a few times. I wonder if Harlem minds, but he smiles softly as if to suggest he doesn’t. I certainly don’t – as keen as I am to hear from Harlem. When I ask the younger Eubank what he will be thinking as he emerges in front of a home crowd in Brighton, he manages, “You don’t have time for thoughts. I’m ready, I’m ready to go, I’m ready to––” “Inflict punishment,” Chris cuts in, before apologising to Harlem again. “I’m sorry! But that’s what I’m here to teach: He has to inflict legal punishment on his adversary. That’s right. I’m gonna teach you a quote by...” he searches for the name, thinking of Samuel Johnson but saying Winston Churchill. “‘Treating your adversary with respect is giving him an advantage to which he is not entitled.’ So, treating your adversary with respect is striking soft in battle. The battle has already started, Harlem’s job is to eviscerate them. We’re here to smash it, we’re going to smash it.” Again, Chris is posturing in trademark fashion. “When you walk into that arena,” he continues, “and you hear the crowds booing you – or cheering, but it’s better when they boo – oooh, it’s beautiful!” There will be no boos in Brighton. Harlem will be the hero, Chris his mentor. But for all that Chris feels he can teach his new mentee, he effuses about his nephew’s learnings so far. To Chris, Harlem is a “pure” soul and a “sweetheart”. As a boxer? “Beautiful, brilliant, sugar.” They will hope for a sweet homecoming. Harlem Eubank vs Timo Schwarzkopf will air live on Channel 5 on Friday 10 November. Coverage begins at 10pm GMT, with ring walks due at 10.05pm. Read More Harlem Eubank is the latest brick in a house of glory and grief What is an exhibition fight and how is it different to a professional bout? The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings What is an exhibition fight and how is it different to a professional bout? 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Middleweight contender Hamzah Sheeraz believes fighting in Dmytro Mytrofanov’s “lion’s den” in Poland will make victory even sweeter when the pair face off on Saturday night. Sheeraz has the chance to extend his unbeaten 17-0-0 record against former Olympian Mytrofanov (13-0-1) as part of the undercard to Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois’ heavyweight bout. The London fighter acknowledged his opponent’s quality but remains confident he is stronger in every department ahead of their hotly-contested clash. “It’s going to be my toughest fight to date, but with the sparring and training I’ve been doing I’m confident in my ability,” Sheeraz told the PA news agency. “It’s in his back yard and I’m walking into the lion’s den and that’s something I’m going to thrive off, it’s going to make victory that little bit more sweet. “He’s been to the Olympics, he’s got a good amateur pedigree, he’s undefeated, he’s had a few knockouts and knows his way around the ring, so it will be a good test for me. “In every department I am that bit better than him – close fighting, long-range fighting. The only thing he’s banking on is that he’s never been stopped or hurt in the amateurs, but when you get in there with someone who can whack a bit it’s a bit of a different story, and so when I fire shots and land we’ll see what happens.” Sheeraz boasts an impressive record of 11 straight fights since 2018 where he has stopped or retired his opponent. But the 24-year-old insisted he is ready to go the distance if required, adding: “All of these fights which I’ve won by knockout I was prepared to go the distance and as a pro fighter and future elite fighter, that’s what you are ready to do. All of these fights which I’ve won by knockout I was prepared to go the distance and as a pro fighter and future elite fighter that’s what you’re ready to do. Hamzah Sheeraz “The knockouts come naturally and I haven’t not had one for a few years now and long may it continue.” Sheeraz is relishing the opportunity to gain exposure through fighting on a big card and backed fellow Brit Dubois to claim heavyweight glory against WBO, IBF and WBA king Usyk. “It’s a great undercard to be on, someone like Usyk, I aspire to get to his level,” Sheeraz said. “Even though I’m focusing solely on my fight, the cameras, the interviews and going over to Poland, getting that different bit of exposure on that eastern block of Europe, it will be good for me and I’m looking forward to it. “In terms of boxing and what it actually is, he’s an elite heavyweight and he has a puncher’s chance, so all he’s got to do is land his shot and once he lands his shot – such as a right hand – it could be over (a Dubois win). “It’s definitely a tough ask, but it’s not an impossible one.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Spain captain Olga Carmona dedicates World Cup triumph to late father Who will win the frantic battle for the final two Super League play-off slots? Everton condemn ‘vile’ racist abuse aimed at midfielder Amadou Onana

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