Welcome back to the concluding part of…
“The greatest story ever told!”
In part 1 we explored the spectacle of boxing and what it takes to have a career that transcends the sport itself. We also stepped back in time to relive one of boxing’s greatest rivalries between Chris Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn. Against all the odds, these great rivals went on to have sons of a similar age who both rose through the ranks of boxing to become world champions themselves. As fate would have it, the two sons would reignite this rivalry some 30 years after their fathers first stepped into the ring to face one another.
This story was a boxing promoter’s dream and a first in boxing history! No matter what it would take, this fight had to be made. However, the road to glory is very often a rocky one…
Boxing Crazy
The fight was announced! The deal was done! On the 8th October, 2022, Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr would face off in front of a sold out crown inside London’s O2 arena. The fight of the century had finally been booked! But wait a minute…the fight took place in 2025…so what happened??
Would you believe me if I told you an egg sent the greatest boxing event into an absolute nosedive. Probably not, and I’m not sure I do either. But that’s the story we were given by Conor Benn after he failed a drugs test. Crazy right? Fact is, Conor Benn did fail a drugs test and his innocence or guilt would have to be investigated which means the fight that so many had yearned for appeared to evaporate into thin air.
Conor Benn, proclaims his innocence to this day, blaming the failed test on some dodgy eggs he’d eaten. Who knows, maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. As for Eubank Jr, he certainly wasn’t convinced by Benn’s account and made it clear that there was only one “bad egg” to be found.
Whatever the true story may be, the fight was off. Conor Benn was suspended from boxing pending an investigation and Eubank Jr would not be holding his breath while the jury deliberated on a verdict. Eubank had to continue and the fans had to lick their wounds and contemplate the thought of never seeing these two face off in the ring together…
…Yeah right! As if this fight was ever going to be cancelled 🤣🤣 No way Eddie Hearn would ever let this cash cow die. Predictably, Conor Benn was cleared of all charges against him and had his boxing license reinstated. Personally I couldn’t care less whether or not Conor Benn was innocent. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice and with his boxing license reinstated this meant the fight was back on!
2 years had slipped by but both fighters were once again willing and able! However, there was just one more problem to deal with…
During Conor Benn’s 2-year suspension, Chris Eubank had moved up the weight divisions, fighting as heavy as Super Middleweight. Benn’s last fight had been at welterweight, some 20lb lighter. As you’ll find out later, this was a contentious issue that had some unexpected affects.
Although Eubank Jr moved forward with his career, he never gave up an opportunity to publicly humiliate Benn for being a “drug cheat”. Not that these two needed an excuse to hate one another, but Eubanks constant criticism got right under the skin of Benn and made the hatred between them all the more visceral.
While Eubank was keeping active in the ring and winning more belts, it was obvious by Benn’s actions that he had spent the past 2 years stewing on the disrespect Eubank had poured upon his name. Conor Benn wanted his revenge, badly…
2 and a half years after their first fight was cancelled, Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr finally agree the terms of a new fight.
This epic showdown was to be fought at middleweight (160lbs) with a rehydration clause that restricted both fighters putting on no more than 10lb between the official weigh in and the fight. While the weight class favoured Eubank, the rehydration clause certainly favoured Benn. Conor was coming up 2 weight classes to fight Eubank Jr and the rehydration clause allowed him to close the gap on the obvious weight advantage held by his bitter rival.
With the ink dry and the contracts sealed, all that was left to do was to hype up the fight…
…and I think that was going to take care of itself…
Return of the egg
Most pundits predicted Eubank Jr to win, stating the weight difference too much for Conor Benn to overcome. However, the closer the fight came to be, more and more people began to ask some very important questions…
. Could Conor Benn concentrate his rage and use it his advantage just like his father did all those years ago? This is a contact sport after all and it really does only take one punch to end a fight.
. Can Eubank Jr out-box Benn and keep him at bay for 12 rounds? Eubank Jr isn’t known for his knockout power while Benn is renowned for being able to take a punch.
. Is Chris Eubank just too good? He has been in the ring with a much higher class of fighters and Benn is coming back from a 2 year suspension.
. Is Eubank Jr passed his prime? He is the older fighter after all and has more miles on the clock, so to speak. Can Eubank take a young, hungry, highly motivated fighter into the deep waters?
Personally, I think he can. But for that to happen Eubank also needs to be motivated. As I said before, Conor Benn is a chip off the old block and anger is his fuel. As for Eubank Jr, who is also a carbon copy of his father, I think pride, honour, and legacy is what he fights for. And in a fight so intrinsically tied to their fathers, having them in their respective corners would be crucial to giving them the motivation they needed to win this epic battle…
”You’re A Disgrace!!”
Harsh words for anyone to hear from a parent and as stoic as Eubank Jr is I can only imagine the impact this had, especially with this interview being aired to the public just days before the fight.
Truth be told, it was common knowledge that Eubank Junior and Senior were not seeing eye to eye and hadn’t been for some time (two whole years to be precise). I say “common knowledge” but other than remarks made by Conor Benn pertaining to the notion that his opponent was “so annoying, even his own dad doesn’t like him”, I actually had no idea that the Eubank family were so fractured. In fact, it was heartbreaking to hear these words coming from someone I admired so much. Selfishly, I wanted Chris Eubank to be part of this story, to be part of this epic moment in sporting history. He was spoiling it all, I thought, spoiling what could possibly be the greatest fight in the history of boxing. Little did I know, this family feud was ultimately going to make this story even more unforgettable.
While Nigel Benn showed compassion towards his son’s rival and remained respectful of his old adversary, Conor Benn did not. Conor took full advantage of the situation and attempted to leverage the fact that, unlike him, Eubank would not have his father in his corner. This seemed cruel to me but considering how Eubank had attempted to ruin Benn’s reputation during his suspension, I understood how Benn could be so merciless.
Love him or hate him, you can’t help but feel for Eubank Jr and for a moment my thoughts were not for Eubank the fighter, they were for Eubank the man. A man without his father by his side at the moment he needed him most. This was also the moment I thought Conor Benn had mentally broken Eubank and won the fight before a single punch had been thrown. It wasn’t until I saw the following interview that I realised Eubank Jr was a stronger person than I had ever imagined...
These are the words of an unbreakable man and after hearing this I knew Eubank was going to honour his fathers legacy, with or without him. Chris Eubank Snr had taught his son well. Junior was not broken. Junior is a warrior, just like his father was.
As for the fight, it seemed as though the fans were not going to get the fairytale moment we'd all been waiting so long to see. The moment where Conor Benn would stand beside Nigel Benn and stare across the ring towards Chris Eubank Jr and Chris Eubank Snr. The moment when history would echo back to us and allows us all to be part of something extraordinarry.
For now it seemed that the story book had been torn apart and rewritten with a dark and somber twist. The echo of those historic fights had returned to us but in a distorted, Black Mirror kind of way. Were we really going to have to watch Chris Eubank Jr stand alone in the ring? Could we still enjoy the fight this way? And what if we have to watch Conor Benn celebrate the win with his father while Eubank Jr stands beaten and alone? The more I played out the scenarios in my head the more disapointed I became. Whoever the victor may be, Eubank or Benn, the ending to this story would invertible be a sad one.
As disappointing as it was that all the characters had not reunited for this epic event, there was no way I was going to miss the fight. I had waited so long to see Eubank and Benn face each other and although the storyline had not turned out the way it should have, we were still going to watch a great fight. So, in the words of the great Micheal Buffer "Let's get ready to rumble!!!!"
Simply The Best
There are moments in life that just make you smile from the inside and this was up there with the best of them. I'm getting married in 5 month's time and I hope that I smile at my bride the way I smiled at my TV during this iconic moment. Father and son, reunited after two years apart and returning to the ring, side by side, for what is now the greatest story the fight-world has ever told.
As you could hear in the video, the crowd went berserk when they saw Chris Eubank Sr with his son. Even the commentators couldn't contain their excitement. Soon after, the broadcasters replayed the reaction of Nigel and Conor Benn as they watched Eubank step out of the car. They were genuinely pleased to see Eubank Sr, especially his old foe, Nigel Benn. This night was just as much about the fathers as it was their sons. Without them this fight would be just like any other.
The arena was packed. The atmosphere, electric. And by the time Eubank and Benn were due to walk to the ring, the crowd were ready to explode. Everyone, even those watching from home could tell we were about to witness something special and just as our excitement had reached its peak we were treated to one of the greatest ring-walks ever seen...
The music, the shorts, the highlight reels! OMG this was a nostalgia overload and I was like a child who had just opened his eyes on Christmas morning. Every detail had been planned to perfection and things like the shorts worn by the two fighters almost passed me by. Tiny little details that harked back to those epic battles fought by their fathers just added to this great event. And that walk out by Eubank and his dad tipped me over the edge. My Mrs, who had long since left the room, kept sending concerned text messages from our bedroom asking if everything was ok 🤣 All this excitement, and they hadn’t even rang the bell to begin the first round!
The greatest fight, ever?
So here we are. All the talking is over and it’s time for our protégés to back up every word they’ve said. The ring walks are over and our fighters stand in their corners ready for battle. The audience who have waited so long for this fight to happen are all on their feet. The atmosphere is thick with anticipation and everyone is wondering…Will Connor Benn be able to overcome the size difference? Will Eubank Jr be able to survive Benn’s ferocious attacks in the early rounds? Will this fight live up to the hype??? DING! DING! It’s time to find out…
I could tell you what happened in a blow by blow account, but I’m not going to. You’re just going to have to watch the fight for yourself. Believe me, you won’t be disappointed. All I can tell you is that this fight had everything and to say this fight lived up to the hype would be an injustice to just how good it was. I will share this with you though. At the end of the fight I had a tear in my eye and I’ve no shame admitting that. I felt elated to have been fortunate enough to see my boxing idols live on through their sons and do battle once more. To watch these two young warriors honour their fathers the way they did was a privilege. Before the fight began I had hoped for something special. By the time the fight was over I understood I’d witnessed something that will most likely never happen again. As a fan I am blessed and will never forget. This truly was the greatest story ever told.
