Recalling the 5 Defeats Chris Eubank Suffered During His Professional Career

Chris Eubank provided British boxing with some great nights.

Some found the flashy ring walks and fancy clothes too much to take. Others loved the two-weight world champion for his showmanship as much as his skills.

Either way, Eubank was involved in some classic fights.

He twice went to war with Nigel Benn, defeating his rival the first time before the rematch ended in a draw.

However, the Dulwich-born fighter did not always come out on top. On March 18, 1997, Eubank was beaten for the first time as a professional. Steve Collins not only took away his WBO title that night in Ireland but also erased Eubank's perfect record.

To mark the 20th anniversary of that first loss, we look back at the bouts when the man nicknamed "Simply the Best" came out on the wrong side of the result.

Chris Eubank boasted a 41-0-2 record when he travelled to Ireland to face Steve Collins.

Having beaten Henry Wharton on points the previous December, Eubank held the WBO super-middleweight belt ahead of the bout at the Green Glens Arena in the village of Millstreet.

However, despite heading to the ring on a Harley Davidson motorcycle, the champion never moved through the gears against Collins.

The challenger dropped the Englishman in the eighth round, and although Eubank returned the favour in the 10th, it was not enough to spare him from a first defeat.

The judges scored it 116-114, 114-113 and 115-111 in the home fighter's favour.

Collins had spoken before the bout about using a hypnotist to help him become immune to pain, per Glynn Evans of BoxNation.

Eubank admitted afterward that the issue had played on his mind. He revealed in a television interview later that he was seriously worried he would "kill" Collins, according to SportsHypnosis.co.uk, after knocking him down.

After tasting defeat for the first time, Chris Eubank quickly got back to work with the aim of reclaiming his WBO belt.

He put away both Bruno Ruben Godoy and Jose Ignacio Barruetabena in a hurry, beating both men inside a round, to pave the way for a rematch with Collins.

The second bout between the pair was staged at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork, Ireland, in September, 1995.

Unlike their first meeting, both fighters managed to stay on their feet for the full 12 rounds.

In the end the judges were needed again to decide the winner, with Collins getting the verdict via a split decision to retain the title.

The Irishman later admitted in an interview with Ring Magazine that Eubank was the strongest opponent he faced: "I always wanted to be in punching range against Chris, but he was the toughest, most durable man I ever met."

Eubank announced his retirement the following month, though he didn't hang up the gloves for too long.

Chris Eubank did not fight for another 13 months after his second loss at the hands of Steve Collins.

The retirement plan soon went out the window as he decided to carry on boxing, though he was made to travel on his return to action.

He defeated Luis Dionisio Barrera in Cairo, Egypt, and then also saw off the challenge of Camilo Alarcon in Dubai.

The WBO belt he had previously held became available again after champion Collins decided to call it a day.

Eubank took on Joe Calzaghe, with the unbeaten Welshman quickly giving the former titleholder an idea of his abilities by dropping him in the very first round.

However, he could not find a way to put Eubank away and was instead pushed hard through to the final bell.

For the first time in his career Calzaghe was taken the distance, getting the nod from the judges by scores of 118-109, 118-110 and 116-111.

The new champion confessed he had been made to work for the victory, per BBC Sport: "Physically and mentally, the Eubank fight drained me."

Having failed to become a world champion again at super-middleweight, Chris Eubank decided to move on up in his bid for further glory.

He headed to cruiserweight and was given the chance to challenge for the WBO belt held by fellow Brit Carl Thompson.

The bout, staged in Manchester, was an absorbing battle between two experienced fighters.

Eubank scored a knockdown in the fourth. He could not, though, find a way to finish Thompson, with BBC Sport suggesting he tired as the rounds wore on.

Thompson went on to retain his crown with a unanimous points triumph—two judges had it 114-113 in his favour, with the other scoring the contest 116-113 to the champion.

The spectacle put on by the pair set the scene perfectly for a rematch, and the pair agreed to do it all again just three months later.

Sheffield was the venue for the rematch between Chris Eubank and Carl Thompson.

Thompson had won the first bout on points to retain his WBO cruiserweight belt, but he would not need the judges to triumph the second time around.

Eubank started impressively enough, per BBC Sport's fight report, but suffered damage to his left eye.

The same issue had bothered him in the first meeting, and by the end of the ninth the injury was so severe his eye had swollen shut.

The ringside doctor inspected Eubank, and referee Paul Thomas called a halt to the proceedings.

For the first time in his long and distinguished career, Eubank had been stopped inside the distance.

It was also the final outing for the two-weight world champion. Eubank ended his career with a 45-5-2 (23 KOs) record.

What made the loss even tougher to take for the Brighton-based boxer was he was actually ahead on two of the scorecards at the time the bout was waved off.