Thursday 17 December 2015 06:38, UK
Barry Hearn is backing Chris Eubank Jr to become a bigger superstar than his father.
Eubank Sr rose to the top in the 1990s when his success was overseen by Hearn, who was at ringside on Saturday to see Eubank Jr put on a show by stopping Gary 'Spike' O'Sullivan in seven rounds in front of a sold-out O2 in London.
And while Hearn admits that the man he prefers to call 'Eubank the Senior' is still the "crazy, eccentric, egomaniacal, lovely man," he is certain that Junior will become even better known than the two-weight world champion.
"On Saturday when I saw him standing on the edge of the canvas, I was being a bit old-fashioned and all I wanted to hear was 'Simply the Best' when he came out but apparently that was yesterday," Hearn told Sky Sports.
"Today is Eubank Jr's time.
"But when he jumped over the ropes, you heard the noise, you felt the buzz in the room. I thought this young man might develop into a better fighter than his father and a more famous fighter than his father.
"He has the personality and at the same time, I think he's more likely to express himself on the world stage whereas Eubank Sr was more of a UK-based fighter."
Eubank Sr took his WBO super-middleweight title to Germany and South Africa at his peak, but Hearn believes the younger of the two will be better received in America.
His victory over O'Sullivan made him the mandatory challenger to the WBA middleweight holder, New York's Daniel Jacobs, and is likely to challenge him in 2016.
Eubank Sr took 25 professional fights to be crowned world champion, beating bitter rival Nigel Benn at middleweight in 1990, and with Saturday's fight taking Junior's tally to 22 he could break one family record.
Hearn has no doubt but happily laid down the ultimate challenge when it comes to surpassing dad.
"I don't think there's any question he will get the chance to do it but that depends on him," said Hearn.
"He's got the chance. He's the mandatory challenger for the WBA title and he has the ability to beat his dad, but that is just numbers.
"His dad stayed around for 19 world title fights. That's what I want to see him beat."