OUT of 30 professional fights, there are just two losses on Jack Catterall's record. The first was to Josh Taylor in 2022 – a result so controversial, the Speaker of the House of Commons referred it to the police. The second was in Manchester in February, where he narrowly lost on points to Arnold Barboza Jr. The just-announced bout, Catterall vs Eubank at the AO Arena on 5 July, will be his first time out since then. A home-town fight, a huge audience in the stands and on DAZN, and a formidable opponent. Of course he's feeling the pressure.

"I put that pressure on myself," he tells me when I chat to him at the press conference held this week. "I believe I underperformed last time. It's down to me now to right the wrongs and put on a good performance. My back’s against the wall with this one and I need to have a good victory in July."

2025 05 28 Catterall V Eubank 5 — **Jack Catterall at the press conference this week** Image: Confidentials

Despite his words, he's relaxed and matter-of-fact about what he needs to achieve. Catterall has the kind of composure you only acquire from fighting for a living, with years of dealing with the literal and metaphorical blows a boxer's career brings.

Born and raised in Chorley, he is the headline fighter on a card full of Manchester names including established fighters and prospects rising through the ranks. Michael Gomez Jr and William Crolla (brother of Anthony) will be there - plus three of Catterall's team mates at Walkden ABC. Namely Aqib Fiaz, the super featherweight from Oldham, Pat Brown, a graduate of Moss Side Fire Station Boxing who fought for Team GB at the 2024 Olympics, and actor-turned-boxer Alfie Middlemiss, whose dad played Des Barnes in Coronation Street. With three definitive wins since his pro debut in December, Middlemiss's famous family will soon become a side note rather than headline information.

Which leads us on to Catterall's opponent: Harlem Eubank. It's unlikely that Chris Eubank Senior will ever become a side note in his nephew's career but that's a reflection of the elder Eubank's legacy and enduring popularity, rather than a comment on Harlem's power as a boxer, which he has proved again and again in the ring.

2025 05 28 Catterall V Eubank 6 — **Harlem Eubank in Manchester this week** Image: Confidentials

With an undefeated record of 21-0, he's not an opponent to take lightly. When I suggest to Eubank that his fight against Catterall is a step-up, he replies, "On paper. My last fight was a big step up - on paper."

He knocked down Belfast's Tyronne McKenna three times before stopping him in the tenth round.

"I was the first man to stop Timo Schwarzkopf, two times European champion. That was a big step up too." He adds with good humour, "I love these quote-unquote step-ups."

That said, his reason for seeking a bout with Catterall is because he knows a win will take him to another level in his career.

"We believe he should have been the undisputed world champion,' he says of Catterall. "And that is the position I want to be in. I want to be a world champion. And I want to be fighting the best. We believe that he is the best in the UK. And this is the fight that opens the doors for me to fight the best in the world."

2025 05 28 Catterall V Eubank 3 — **Equally determined - Catterall and Eubank** Image: Wasserman Boxing

The fight has been dubbed 'The Warrior Code' and when I ask some of the other boxers what that means to them, the answer is a resounding "nothing." For Harlem Eubank, it's a different story. Probably because it's a reference to Chris Eubank Senior's words about the fighter's code he aspires to live by; one which emphasises forgiveness, integrity and wisdom.

I ask Harlem if he has his own code to live by. He says, "Definitely. With no code, there's no value." He says, "I started martial arts because I love the philosophy. I studied Bruce Lee. I know that the martial arts side was big with my uncle as well. So I think that philosophy is a part of our makeup, a part of our DNA, we embrace that and use it to build ourselves to the top of the sport."

So is the mental training a big part of it for him as well as the physical?

"It's 90% mental. Mostly, the mental side is taking yourself to the gym every day for a long period of your life to forge yourself into a better fighter.

"There’s not a lot of people who can really commit to something where you’re not going to see the results for a long period of time, and that’s a big part of the mental battle.

"If you’re willing to commit and dedicate and persevere, you’ll reap the rewards."

2025 05 28 Catterall V Eubank 1 — **The men in the arena - Catterall and Eubank** Image: Wasserman Boxing

This mental toughness was put to the test in 2023 when Harlem lost his father, boxer Simon Eubank, in particularly difficult and poignant circumstances.

Says Harlem, "My dad was in a bad way for a pretty long time. He was suffering with dementia and was deteriorating. To have to visit him in the home and see that . . . He couldn’t use his faculties and that is a result of boxing. So it was hard to see, and hard to apply myself while seeing the results of the bad and horrific side of the sport.

"But I’ve had to use it as motivation and fuel to apply myself to the best of my ability while I’m in the sport. And to achieve things that he can be proud of."

Both Catterall and Eubank have a lot riding on this fight: redemption, family pride, a long-awaited shot at international acclaim. With this much at stake, it's hard to imagine either men losing. Whether they believe in a warrior code or not, this will be a battle hard-fought and fascinating to watch.

Buy tickets for Catterall v Eubank

Main image credit: Matchroom Boxing

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