Exclusive:
The British boxing star is hoping to earn a few high-profile fights this year, but faces his toughest test yet on Friday night against Tyrone McKenna
Harlem Eubank is planning on an active year as he attempts climb up the rankings and push for high-level fights.
The British star will be taking on his toughest test yet inside the ring as he puts his undefeated record on the line against the experienced Tyrone McKenna in what promises to be a mouthwatering welterweight clash. Eubank is arguably one of the top prospects in UK boxing and is just a few fights away from reaching the top of the division.
After taking a year out from the ring, the 30-year-old fought just once in 2024 - a unanimous decision win against Nurali Erdogan. Eubank is set to fight in his beloved Brighton for the vacant IBF Inter-continental welterweight belt. He hopes a win over McKenna will kickstart a busy year in the ring.
Speaking to Mirror Fighting, he said: "The plan was to jump straight back on the horse and make up for lost time. That's the way we've set about the year this year, starting off early in the year with a big fight and starting as we mean to go on." Looking ahead to the McKenna fight, the Brit is excited for what's in store of Friday night: "I think he's a great dance partner. He comes to fight 100 per cent of the time and he always comes to try and do what he says he's going to do. I'm excited for it," he said.
In the build-up to the hotly-anticipated dust-up, the pair have traded verbal jabs, but Eubank insists it's nothing personal. "It's just competitive nature," he explained. "He thinks he's going to come and do something and I think I'm going to put an end to his plans. It's just competitive nature and I'm just excited to go in there and prove my point."
Eubank - who one day hopes to fight at the American Express Stadium, home to Brighton and Hove Albion - is relishing the opportunity to fight in front of his beloved friends and family. "It's great! The first time we came back to Brighton, the first homecoming was a huge success and the people of Brighton were calling out for another one," he said. "So it's great to bring a huge fight like this back to Brighton and there's definitely a buzz around the city. It's great to be heading that bill and putting the local Brighton talent on the map as well.''
The 30-year-old star believes fighting in his hometown will give him that slight edge on fight night. "Definitely, you're performing in front of your people, your family and friends, people you grew up with. It gives you that little bit of motivation when you need it to dig deep and execute. I'm in great shape going into this fight, so I'm really looking forward to putting on a show in front of the home fans."
In terms of his prediction, the Brit just hopes for a 'dominant display' as opposed to chasing the stoppage. "A dominant display, whether that comes with the stoppage or not," he said. "I never go into these fights looking for the stoppage, but when it comes, it comes and that's exactly how I'm going about Friday night.''
Eubank insists his plan is to stay active inside the ring and will no doubt be looking for bigger challenges should he get his hand raised on Friday night. "I need to be active this year. So, I want big fights and I'll be pushing for the big fights in the division and I need to be out very regularly this year to make up for a lacklustre year last year. This year, we mean business and we're going to show that with dominant performances... big names in the division and a lot of activity so I'm ready to get that started this Friday."
While the 30-year-old is looking forward to the prospect of fighting the bigger names later this year, the Brit insists he remains fully focused on the task at hand on Friday night. "There's huge domestic fights at 147 in the UK domestically and abroad in America. It's the hottest division right now, a lot of the big stars at 140 have moved up.
"It's an exciting time for the 147lb division and I believe I'll be a big part of that and I'm excited to get to business. But I'm not looking past Tyrone McKenna. My full focus is for Friday night. He's a tough competitor and he's going to come and bring his best. 110 per cent, he's going to bring a Tyrone McKenna that we haven't seen before and that's exactly what I'm preparing for on Friday night."
