Chris Eubank recognisable celebrities of the period. In his final two years of boxing he challenged then-up and coming contender Joe Calzaghe in a bid to reclaim his WBO super-middleweight title, with a victorious Calzaghe later claiming that it was the toughest fight of his whole career. Eubank's last two fights were against WBO junior-heavyweight champion Carl Thompson, both of which were brutal encounters. In the rematch, Eubank was stopped for the first and only time in his career. Eubank is credited for his bravery in the ring, in which he was able to take considerable amounts of punishment from power punchers
Chris Eubank Jr. can stand up to my power and I'll only get better and stronger. I'm ready for a title fight now." On 10 May, at the Olympia in Liverpool, Eubank dropped Polish boxer Robert Swierzbinkski (13-2, 3 KOs) seven times, eventually stopping him in round 7. Eubank was then added to a 7 June card, two days prior to it taking place at Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle. It was said that a win would move Eubank closer to a potential grudge match with Billy Joe Saunders, who was challenging for the vacant European title in July. Czech boxer Štěpán Horváth