On Saturday, July 18, Harlem Eubank faced David Papot at the Copperbox Arena.
His opponent was a tough operator and a considerable step up from his last bout against undefeated Josh Wagner.
Harlem dispatched Wagner at the Brighton Centre, just under eight months ago.
It was a fight the boxer needed, after a bizarre title fight loss against Jack Catterall earlier in 2025.
A clash of heads in that bout sent the competition to the judges' scorecards.
It didn’t go to plan, with Harlem being knocked down three times in the IBF International title clash. The first knockdown came in the second round.
Eubank struggled to get a footing in this bout, and his counterpart was able to win most of their fast-paced exchanges.
Round seven was definitely Brightonian's best. A pinpoint left hook sent David to the canvas, with the 35-year-old mustering all his courage to survive it.
However, things got bleaker for Harlem Eubank in the tenth. While he looked to capitalise through the final part of this fight, he was on the deck twice
Papot ultimately ran away with scores of 115-109, 115-110 and 113-111.
After the fight, Eubank said: “It was a slow start (for me). David Papot, all credit to him. He’ll be champion, he’s a great fighter…
“I feel like I was feeling my way into it but got caught with a few shots, felt good, come back strong…
“He’s a great champion, all credit to David Papot… For me, I’ll come back stronger, I’ll learn, I’ll get more experienced.”
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