Harlem Eubank ready to step out of the shadows against Jack Catterall this weekend

Harlem Eubank has vowed to establish himself as a bona-fide world title contender by upstaging Jack Catterall in their hugely-anticipated welterweight showdown on Saturday night.

The Brighton-fighter will undertake by far the biggest challenge of his professional career to date when he trades leather with an opponent who has established himself as arguably the best in Britain at super-lightweight over the past couple of years.

Despite falling agonisingly short in his quest to become world champion at 140lbs, many perceived the Chorley star to have done enough to dethrone former undisputed king Josh Taylor in his one and only crack at world honours in 2022.

But whilst he subsequently avenged that controversial split-decision defeat with a comprehensive triumph over the Scotsman last year, he missed out on capturing coveted gold after Taylor opted to relinquish his straps to take on the Matchroom man for a second time.

A crack at WBO title-holder Teofimo Lopez subsequently eluded him earlier this year when he slipped to a narrow points defeat at the hands of Arnold Barboza Jr in a final eliminator, prompting the 31-year-old to jump up a weight class in a bid to fulfil his world title dream.

However, the Lancashire native isn't the only one with aspirations to claim world honours, with Eubank vowing to step out of his more illustrious cousin, Chris Eubank Jr's, shadows by propelling himself into welterweight world title contention.

"A lot's happened in our family, and it's brought everyone closer together and created a stronger unit,” the undefeated boxer told the Brighton Argus.

Right now it's Eubanks supremacy and yeah, and this fight feels like it came at just the right time for me - I'm ready to announce myself on the world stage, believe me!

- Harlem Eubank (The Argus)

"The success that we're all achieving this year, it feels like a wave driving us on to achieve more - It's inspiring.

"I love having my family behind me, having achieved so much in the sport as I go in there to fight for my aspirations at world level."

The 31-year-old extended his record to 21-0 with an impressive stoppage victory over Tyrone McKenna earlier this year, putting the Irish star onto the canvas three times en-route to victory.

Eubank is aware of the fact that he is stepping up a level against Catterall and also acknowledges that he will be stepping onto enemy territory to take the fight, but still, he is adamant that he will deliver the same fate to his upcoming opponent as he did to McKenna.

"This is the type of fight I like because this is the type of fight at world level," he added.

"This is against one of the best guys in the division. It's nice to be able to go into their territory, go against the odds and go in there and shock a lot of people.

"It's great to be able to roll from fight to fight. I don't want to be one of these fighters that I need to go away and have rest and time out after a fight - I'm in the prime of my career and I'm still learning, I'm still getting better.

"So, I need the challenges in front of me to be able to come out of a fight and go straight into the next one, the next challenge. That's the type of fighter I am. I'm always looking for the next challenge.

"This is the perfect next step for me, and I can't give you a round, but I can tell you that I will take Jack Catterall out inside the distance."

Eubank vs Catterall sits at the top of Matchroom's bill in Manchester on Saturday 5th July, with the main event scheduled to get underway at 22:30 (BST).

Mark Mothershaw

• Jack Catterall vs Harlem Eubank
• Matchroom
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