Dubai : It says much for the man that despite carrying the tag "Simply The Best" thanks to his penchant for entering the boxing ring accompanied by Tina Turner's hit, he never considers himself that. That's Chris Eubank for you, suave, eloquent, nattily dressed, very unlike the archetypal boxer, a man who has seen it all and seems to know what life is about.
Incidentally, Eubank's first professional bout was at the Atlantis Hotel and Casino and it was at the Atlantis, Dubai, when XPRESS caught up with him.
Dream place
He was on his umpteenth visit to Dubai, this time to attend the wedding of a friend's daughter, and the 43-year-old Briton, who remained undefeated in 28 fights as a middleweight and was also a super-middleweight champion, told XPRESS: "I first came here when the Burj Al Arab wasn't even built. This place is like a dream, the standard of living is just amazing."
Eubank has many friends in Dubai and although he doesn't own a house here, he plans to do so sometime soon. "I have several friends whom I stay with. So one day you will find me at the Jumeirah Beach, on other days you might find me at the One and Only, or the Grosvenor House. Someday I'd like to have a house of my own here. Dubai is what you call an international city and I consider myself an internationalist," he said.
Eubank's love affair with Dubai began in the ring as well. "I remember having fought and promoted a fight here at the Aviation Club back in 1997. I stopped Argentine Camilo Alarcon in the fifth round," he said. "The place has changed so much since then. I just marvel at the Downtown Burj. That would make any city go green with envy."
So, does he have any plans to start an academy here. "Well... yes I do. I have already started one in Angola and if I get the sponsors here, why not? I have already been approached to start one, so it's just a question of getting things in order," he said.
