Nick Blackwell vs. Chris Eubank Jr.: Winner, Recap and Reaction

Nick Blackwell (19-4-1) was a tough and resilient champion, but Chris Eubank Jr. (22-1, 17 KOs) broke him Saturday night at Wembley Arena in London. Behind a relentless body attack and a sea of uppercuts, Eubank strong-armed the British middleweight title away from Blackwell via 10th-round technical knockout.

Early in the fight, Blackwell was doing his best to keep pace with Eubank, but it seemed clear from the second round on that it was a matter of time before the latter would wear down the champion.

Ringtone Boxing noticed Eubank seizing control of the bout but also acknowledged the spirited competition:

Beginning in the third round, Eubank started to hammer away at Blackwell's body. In boxing, fans often refer to that approach as putting money in the bank. If that could be taken literally, Eubank put away enough dough to send the next generation of his fighting family through college.

His vicious right and left power shots seemed to be guided by GPS signals as they thudded against the champion's midsection. Blackwell has a great poker face. It took a while before the shots forced him to show any outward give, and even in defeat, no one can question his toughness.

The other punch Eubank used en route to victory was the uppercut. He couldn't miss with the punch. The 26-year-old connected repeatedly with the shot on Blackwell's chin. During close encounters, you could see Blackwell's head flying out of the clinch as though his hair were being yanked by a leash.

Eubank's body work and demolition with the uppercut opened up his full arsenal. In Rounds 6, 7 and 8, he had Blackwell hurt against the ropes. Each time, he went all out while trying to get the stoppage. However, the 25-year-old Blackwell took the punishment well.

Just when it looked as though he would accept the stoppage with inactivity, he fired back with just enough offense to stay in the fight; his bravery only prolonged the inevitable.

With Blackwell's left eye grotesquely swollen, his ribs pounded like hamburger meat and his chin almost certainly stinging from uppercuts, the ringside doctor intervened and called for a halt to the fight. Blackwell did not complain.

His impaired vision left him compromised, and he knew he was a beaten man. When it was over, Laceup Boxing applauded the stoppage:

"

Great stoppage I think no complicates from me he was taking allot of punishment.

— Laceup Boxing (@Laceupboxing) March 26, 2016"

With Eubank having already won the interim WBA middleweight title with a 12th-round technical-knockout win over Dmitry Chudinov in February 2015, winning the British title could be seen as a step backward. He's already discussed a fight between him and WBA regular 160-pound champion Danny Jacobs.

Per Terence Dooley of BoxingScene.com, Eubank hasn't forgotten about that potential blockbuster bout. "Jacobs will get his soon enough. I've always wanted to become a British champion," he said.

Now that he's accomplished that, he can set his sights on Jacobs, a rematch with WBO champion Billy Joe Saunders or even a shot at lineal middleweight kingpin Gennady Golovkin. After Saturday's performance, Eubank may not be the favorite against any of those fighters, but most would at least watch to see the outcome.

Blackwell went out on his shield, but he was shown his ceiling Saturday night. His lack of punching power and suspect defense were his undoing. The latter part of that costly combination is repairable, but the lack of pop will likely keep him from going to the next level.

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