The fighter/trainer duo of Chris Eubank Jr. and Roy Jones Jr. have officially parted ways, according to Eubank during an interview with Sky Sports. Eubank Jr. has already found a new trainer in the meantime in Brian “BoMac” McIntyre, the coach of the recently-crowned welterweight undisputed champion Terence Crawford.
The reason for this split, according to Chris Eubank Jr. (32-3, 23 KO’s), was supposedly because Roy Jones Jr. had other priorities. Jones is best known for his legendary career as a multi-division champion. Jones has thus far worked in various roles as an analyst/commentator and promoter both during and after his career, and has most recently dedicated his time to becoming a coach.
“Roy had other obligations.” Eubank revealed to Sky Sports. “He said he got other fighters he couldn’t get away from. So you know, it is what it is.
“I understand it. Roy’s a great coach but we move on, we move forward.“
Eubank Jr. is the second fighter to part ways with Roy Jones Jr. within a year. Michael Williams Jr. (20-1, 13 KO’s) had been under the tutelage of Jones for several years before they split following an injury he incurred prior to what was supposed to be a career-defining bout against Adrien Broner (35-4-1, 24 KO’s).
Brian McIntyre, longtime coach of Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KO’s) , has now taken over the training duties shortly before Crawford’s pivotal match against Errol Spence Jr. (28-1, 22 KO’s) which saw him make history by becoming the first male boxer to become undisputed twice in the current four-belt era.
“I think coach BoMac’s training style is very different. With Roy it was just him, with BoMac there’s kind of a whole team around him.
“We worked together for around a week and it’s going great, so I’m excited.” Chris Eubank Jr. went on to explain.
As McIntyre works with a couple of trainers who specialize in different aspects of boxing, Chris Eubank Jr. has arguably made a step-up in his decision to join McIntyre and his team.
Eubank’s timing in joining up with Brian McIntyre allowed him to join under the best circumstances after Terence Crawford produced a significant performance to become a household name in at least America. As Eubank himself clarified, he had joined up not long before Crawford’s undisputed welterweight win last Saturday on July 29th.
“I said to him (Brian McIntyre) I wanted to work with him. If Terence had lost then it would have been like ‘oh, man’, that would have been a big downer. But to come off that huge win, the way he won as well, the morale and momentum is all there and I’m excited.” Eubank Jr. responded to a question on the success of Terence Crawford and Brian McIntyre’s role in his victory.
While the change does sound like it will benefit Chris Eubank Jr. due to being under a renowned coach that comes equipped with a competent training staff, Eubank’s move doesn’t guarantee him a victory when he faces Liam Smith (33-3-1, 20 KO’s) in a rematch on September 2nd.
With Eubank’s last match against Smith ending in a gruesome stoppage, the former British IBO champion will be looking for a better performance in his new coaching setup.
Eubank’s statement about Roy Jones Jr. having obligations has come under scrutiny somewhat given Jones’ only known fighter at the moment is Kevin Newman II (14-3, 9 KO’s) who is yet to reach Eubank Jr.’s level career-wise. Newman, a super middleweight, is not ranked in any of the sanctioning bodies’ ranking boards and currently holds a rather low ranking on BoxRec with his position of #114 at 168 lbs.
Kevin Newman II will be facing fellow American Quilisto Madera (14-3, 9 KO’s) on Saturday August 5th who coincidentally holds the exact same record as him, bar the absence of a draw.
Jones’ most notable win as a trainer was through Chris Eubank Jr. when he achieved a dominant and easy victory over Liam Williams (24-4-1, 19 KO’s) in 2022. Kevin Newman II’s upcoming match on Saturday will be the second time time fighting under Roy Jones Jr.
