Chris Eubank Jr’s fractured bond with his father has been marked by grief, estrangement and pride but Eubank Sr made a surprise appearance at Eubank Jr’s match with Conor Benn
Chris Eubank Jr may have claimed a hard-fought victory against Conor Benn yesterday, but the most emotionally charged moment of the night didn’t come in the ring it came just before when his father, who he’s had a contentious relationship with over the past few years, turned up.
For much of the build-up to the fight, the question looming over the Eubank camp wasn’t about tactics or fitness it was whether Eubank Sr would even show up. The two have barely spoken in recent years, with their once-close relationship unravelled by grief, professional disagreements and deeply personal pain.
Yet, in a surprising turn, Eubank Sr walked alongside his son during the ringwalk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, 35 years after he famously fought Benn’s father, Nigel. The unexpected reunion was met with a roar from the 65,000-strong crowd, many of whom had followed the public tensions between the Eubanks in recent years.
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After securing a unanimous decision victory winning 116-112 on all three judges’ scorecards Eubank Jr paid tribute to the man who, despite everything, remains central to his story. “The fact our fathers did it all those years ago brings out a different spirit in you and that’s what we showed here tonight,” he said.
But the moment of reconnection comes after years of estrangement and pain that has played out both privately and in the public eye. Speaking ahead of the fight, Eubank Jr revealed the extent of their disconnect.
“My own father, a man I idolised for my entire life, and he doesn’t speak to me. We haven’t spoken in years and he thinks I’m a disgrace,” he told reporters. He added: “These things are what pain is to me.”
Once a constant figure in his corner, Eubank Sr managed, trained and mentored his son through the early part of his career. The two were often seen side by side at press conferences and in training camps. But over time, their personal and professional lives began to drift apart, a split that became permanent after Eubank Jr decided to chart his own course in 2019.
In an interview with Piers Morgan, Eubank Jr said: “My old man was always next to me, and it got to a stage where I decided that I needed to walk my own path. He was not happy with that decision. That’s the start of it,” he told Piers Morgan.
Eubank Jr said his father’s refusal to separate their family relationship from his boxing career has made reconciliation difficult.“At this moment in time, he’s having trouble separating the business and the boxing and the coaching from being just my dad…I think it’s going to take me being out of boxing for him to come back into my life. I hope that’s not the case, but that’s how I see it.”
Their fractured relationship has been further strained by family tragedy. In 2021, Eubank Jr’s younger brother Sebastian died suddenly from a heart attack in Dubai. Then, in 2023, Eubank Sr’s brother Simon passed away after a long battle with dementia, believed to be linked to boxing-related trauma. During the fight week, Eubank Jr spoke candidly about the pain he carries not just physically, but emotionally.
“I have a 31-year old brother who is buried in the desert in Dubai, that is pain. I have a son, three years old he asks why can’t I see my daddy? Why can’t he take me to school? That is pain,” he said.
The emotional weight wasn’t lost on Conor Benn either. After the fight, he embraced Eubank Sr and spoke movingly about the power of father-son bonds. “I looked at Chris Senior, grabbed him by the neck and said ‘mate, I’m so happy that you’re here, I’m so happy you turned up,’” Benn said.
For Eubank Sr, his son’s performance was a source of pride and perhaps a step toward healing. In an interview after the match he said: “I am so proud. That’s my son. I was always going to be here.”
After the match, Eubank Jr said: “I’m happy to have this man [Eubank Sr] back with me. He needed to be here. All this is because of what he did. We upheld the family name. Onwards and upwards.”
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