Harlem nearly made it in a different sport
Harlem was a Seagulls academy prospect and a karate world champion, who avoided boxing for the first 18 years of his life because of the burden that comes with following in famous footsteps.
But now the deep-thinking fighter – who sadly lost father Simon in September after a devastating battle with dementia – concedes it was probably a pre-written path for him.
He explained: “Sometimes, when you look back on life, it seems what you are meant to do is already laid out for you.
“My whole family boxed, dad, uncles, cousins. It must just be something that runs deep in our blood.
“I stopped wrestling with the idea of wanting to do this and accepted the idea that I am meant to do this.”
What Harlem Eubank said
On the famous pier, Harlem told SunSport before tonight’s fight: “I wasn’t around when my uncle boxed there, my first memory of the Centre was seeing the Harlem Globetrotters there and later the Brighton Bears, lots of basketball.
“This is a great chance to see all my people there; family, friends, fellow Brightonians.
“I have been fighting on the road for a long time now, Newcastle, Edinburgh, London and now I have this chance to fight in the city where I grew up, that shaped me, helped to give me art, culture and creativity.
“It’s really special for me to do this because, while the football club is doing incredibly well and shining a light for the city, there isn’t much other mainstream sporting attention on us. So I aim to do everyone proud.
“I have told my uncle before how inspired I have been by what he has done and I am sure I will tell him again just before my fight.”
Harlem Eubank up next
Harlem Eubank will be the latest family Globetrotter to bring big-time boxing home to the Brighton Centre in mere minutes.
The 29-year-old super-lightweight is headlining a show in the iconic seaside city for the first time in 32 years – since uncle Chris Sr in the very same spot.
The little cousin to Chris Jr wasn’t even alive to watch Sr’s 1991 first defence of the middleweight world title he had won from bitter nemesis Nigel Benn three months earlier.
But the venue has become a spiritual hub for the family and they return to take over the 5,000-seater for the Channel 5 clash with Timo Schwarzkopf.
Mind the gap
About 20 minutes of my life to literally waste now.
No float fight, no trip to the bar, no nothing.
Just an agonising wait until 10pm when the Channel 5 show will start and Harlem Eubank will fight.
What the hell on earth should I do?
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
