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Harlem Eubank believes a win over David Papot would ‘line up’ a fight against new IBF world champion Liam Paro.
The Brighton welterweight fights Frenchman Papot at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday, with the IBF international title at stake and the winner could move within a shot of IBF titleholder Paro.
Papot’s only defeat came against Paro last September and Eubank knows he could be in for an upset this weekend.
“I’m the betting underdog in this fight,” Eubank told Sky Sports. “He is an experienced operator.
“It’s a fight that excites me and I can’t wait to get out there.”
Eubank’s only loss was unfortunate, coming by technical decision against Jack Catterall last July after completing seven rounds after a clash of heads, but he needs to capitalize on another career-defining fight.
“I see it as a bit of an eliminator,” Eubank said. “He is ranked above me with the IBF and we are both highly ranked.
“Beating Papot would put me in the top five and put me in line to fight the champion, which is a fight that could easily be done. But I’m totally focused on Papot.
“Like I said, I’m the betting underdog here.
Harlem Eubank scored a dominant points win over Josh Wagner in his last fight
Eubank has been absent from the ring since last November, a shutout points win over Josh Wagner, who was previously stopped by Papot in 2024.
“I looked more into his fight with Paro than his fight with Wagner,” Eubank said.
“It was the best version of him.
“We actually thought he won that fight, and my team decided this was the fight I needed and really needed to get a world title shot. We believe it’s a world title-level fight.”
Liam Paro is the new IBF world champion
Paro took the IBF title from Belfast boxer Lewis Crocker with a points win last month, but Eubank believes he can dethrone the champion if he gets past Paro this weekend.
“Crocker started very late and he’ll be kicking himself for that,” Eubank said.
“In the next round, he was giving Paro a lot of trouble.
“Paro is one of those fighters who knows how to do enough to win. He starts fast and closes it off.”
