Family Pride at Stake in the Ring

When it comes to boxing, grudge matches and memorable contests from the 80s, one would be partial to thinking about Thomas ‘The Hitman’ Hearns, the late ‘Marvellous’ Marvin Hagler, and Sugar Ray Leonard, but surely one of the most memorable battles from those days gone by were the fights between Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn? 

Next month, thirty-two years on, it’s time for Eubank and Benn to go head-to-head again. But this time, rather than two former champions coming out of retirement, it’s their respective sons, Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn, that have agreed to square off at London’s O2 Arena on 8th October. 

Separated by two divisions in their last fight, Benn is stepping up from welterweight, adding 10lbs to his usual fighting weight, whereas Eubank Jr has agreed to drop down to the lowest weight class of his career, stepping down from middleweight.

Widely thought of as one of the greatest rivalries in British boxing, Eubank won Benn’s WBO middleweight title in November 1990, recording a ninth-round stoppage after a dramatic fight, before the second instalment at Old Trafford, Manchester ended in a split draw with each fighter retaining their super-middleweight belts.

Speaking at a press conference, 32-year-old Eubank Jr said: “This is a fight like no other in the history of the sport. Two legends who went into a ring 30 years ago inspired a nation, became superstars, etched their names into not just boxing history but British history. Seventeen million people watching these guys fight twice and now, 30 years later, their sons who have both made their name in the sport of boxing are going to get into the ring and the Eubank-Benn name is going to go to war for a third time. Something like this has never happened before and I don’t think it will happen again, ever. That is why I took this fight.”

Benn, who could have taken an eliminator for a world title bout at welterweight, feels like he had little choice but to take what he describes as “a once-in-a-lifetime” clash.

The 25-year-old added: “This is a fight which makes sense for now. The world title is still the goal, but this is once in a lifetime. It is a fantasy fight for the British public.”

Eubank Jr has won 32 of his 34 bouts as a professional, his two defeats coming against George Groves and Billy Jo Saunders, while Benn is unbeaten in 21 outings as a paid boxer with 14 knockouts.

Chris Eubank Jr. has followed in his father’s footsteps, fighting in the middleweight and super-middleweight divisions with Benn being lighter than his father.

The bookmakers appear to make the bigger and more experienced Eubank Jr the heavy favourite in what’s classed as a catchweight contest because no belts are on the line. A bout without belts wouldn’t normally be considered a huge draw, but tickets reportedly sold out in 47 minutes as fight fans secured their place to watch the latest instalment of a rivalry that’s literally spanned the generations.