The Night The Eubanks Beat The System

‘Boxer Chris Eubank’s son Sebastian has died days before his 30th birthday, his father’s representatives have said.’

This was the opening sentence of a BBC News article on 10 July 2021. Sebastian Eubank, Chris’ younger brother, left this temporary world just days before his 30th birthday, and a mere month after his son Raheem was born. Sebastian himself was a budding professional boxer but was gone too soon, far too young and left a family who mourns his departure to this day. A wife tearfully parted from her husband. Eubank Jr no longer without his younger brother. Raheem, the little boy now four years old, with no vivid recollection of spending time with his father even though Sebastian was able to ‘spend a few short and happy weeks with his son before his death’ as per his wife’s sombre statement.

The pain and grief of this loss has followed Eubank Jr for the last 4 years, and he has ensured his brother’s memory is never forgotten by honouring his name on his fight trunks. Without warning or preparation, he has taken on the responsibility of raising young Raheem to ensure the little boy doesn’t suffer any more than he has. We see the outpouring love Junior has for nephew Raheem on his social media channels. We see the bravado but can never truly comprehend the pain nor the sudden weight of responsibility. Credit to Junior though, he has taken on this enormous burden like a true champion. Because truly, we never do move on from grief – we just learn how to live with it.

Imagine then how heart-breaking it must have been for Eubank Jr. when he posted on X ‘”Sorry I wasn’t there to watch your back like a big brother’s supposed to.“

The Shadow of Chris Eubank Sr

For the largest part of his career, Junior could not escape the charismatic yet at times suffocating shadow of his eccentric father. Chris Eubank Sr. is considered a British national treasure, a historical jewel emblematic of the legendary 90’s. His rivalry with fellow super middleweight Nigel Benn was watched by millions around the world and is widely considered to be the greatest rivalry in British boxing history. Senior lived a professional career marred with the lowest of lows – the Michael Watson tragedy, fighting on for far too long and becoming entangled in an unforgiving boxing system he rallied against – coupled with sensational highs such as becoming two division world champion, beating Nigel Benn and getting the respect he finally craved.

Soft spoken and effervescent in the public but when it came to his son, Sr. was militant and instilled in his boy a similar ruthlessness that many believed had been buried by Sr. upon his retirement. That strict discipline served Eubank Jr. well but when he wanted to become his own man, it broke his father’s heart at seeing a boy who was once tethered to him slowly loosen the strings and walk upon his own path.

Sr. believed his son’s supposed disobedience over the last few years was the sign of a young man unravelling and submitting meekly towards his own desires. For the most part, Sr. had carefully managed Eubank Jr.’s professional career in order to prevent his son from falling to the vices of boxing and becoming a victim of the boxing system which had entrapped so many great men. He speaks perfect English – as does his son – and once explained that it was to show that he was not at all and never beneath the upper class, rich white man and that blacks too could be eloquent and articulate. It was Eubank Sr’s way of telling the corporate suits ‘eff you’. He is the author of the unwritten Warrior’s Code, not just a set of rules explaining how a warrior must behave in life but an exposition of how to live the warrior lifestyle. He practices what he preaches, adopting a very hard line stance on unruly behaviour such as drug usage, alcohol intake, foul language and using cheap promotional tactics for publicity.

The Warrior Code is a set of values Sr. instilled in his son and as Eubank Jr. drifted away, Sr. lost not only his son but a sense of his identity. His own son wouldn’t abide by the code his father had created. Imagine the pain and internal failure Senior must have felt then, watching his son wander into the abyss of the boxing system unprotected. Imagine the heartbreak Sr. must have suffered at losing Junior, not long after he’d lost Sebastian.

Conor Benn

If you suggested in 2020 that Conor Benn was ever going to fight Eubank Jr, there’s a significant chance you would have been sneered at.

They are the sons of two icons but both were on different career arcs and it never appeared ostensible that they would ever clash due to the significant weight differential between them. Logistically, it seemed too far-fetched as Benn was a welterweight and Eubank Jr. a middleweight. But money is the only law that matters in boxing and once the dollars started making sense and Eubank Jr. was willing to sacrifice some of his health, both men were originally slated to fight on 8th October 2022 at a catchweight of 157 pounds, with Eubank Jr. coming down in weight and Benn moving up. It was heavily promoted under the tagline ‘Born Rivals’ and advertised as the third instalment of the Eubank vs. Benn saga, a meeting between two sons who had inherited a blood feud from their fathers which began in 1990. Eddie Hearn repeatedly stated it would be ‘the biggest fight in British boxing history.’

The box office attested to that as tickets were sold out very quickly, but the fight was widely criticised as being a circus, a spectacle only happening because of their surnames and the intertwined history. Even more dangerous was the fact that Eubank Jr. was willing to come down to 157 lbs – a weight he hadn’t seen in nearly a decade – and also agreed to a rehydration clause, meaning he could only rehydrate by a certain amount of weight following the weigh-ins. This was evidently a grown adult making extremely dangerous decisions on his own accord for a payday, risking the vulnerability of his brain for what many deemed to be a farce.

Instead, the fight never happened in 2022. News broke on fight week that Benn had failed two drug tests and all hell broke loose. The Benns were mortified. Conor’s promoter Eddie Hearn vowed to do everything possible within his remit to prove his man’s innocence. Eubank Jr. was disgusted. Unsubstantiated internet opinions suggested Eubank Sr. himself made the results of the drug test public in order to save his son from being potentially hurt. Nobody will ever know the truth but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Eubank Sr had taken such a stance in order to protect his son.

In fact, the biggest critic of Eubank Jr vs. Benn happening was Eubank Sr. himself, as he refused to become involved in the build-up (unlike Nigel Benn) of what he repeatedly believed to be a circus. Senior was never supportive of Eubank Jr’s decision to take this fight and angrily questioned the integrity of this bout even coming into fruition, publicly admonishing Junior for not taking heed of his suggested guidance of working towards a mega fight with Canelo Alvarez instead. For Sr., the ghosts of the past were to remain there, and there was no need for another instalment of Eubank vs. Benn at the expense of his son’s health and career aspirations.

Eubank Jr. marched on, being sensationally stopped for the first time in his career by Liam Smith before returning the favour months later. Eubank Jr. would only fight once in 2024 following a year long layoff, that too against Kamil Szeremeta in October 2024 in Saudi Arabia. Benn would spend 2023 and 2024 fighting only once in each year in the US, with the rest of his time spent fighting to prove his innocence but the name “Chris Eubank Jr.” was never far away from Benn’s lips. He would aggressively champion for a Eubank Jr fight, continuously calling him out at every opportune moment for what he felt was unfinished business. He even followed Eubank Jr. to Saudi, confronting him and Neymar in the ring following Eubank Jr.’s dissection of Szeremeta.

By December 2024, Conor Benn was cleared to compete again in the UK. A month later, Eubank Jr vs. Benn was confirmed to be revisited for April 26th, 2025, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. No tune up for Benn following his clearance; he was intent on marching directly towards Eubank Jr. with a bloodlust hatred that had become increasingly manifest since the events of October 2022. The weight was also increased from 157 lbs. to 160 lbs., giving Eubank Jr an additional three pound leeway but compromised once again with the recurring ten pound rehydration limit clause.

But amidst the chaos, Team Eubank became evermore fractured and Team Benn become ever more united.

There were no cracks in the Benn camp, no losses to grieve and no internal hostilities. Where Eubank Sr. and Jr. had deemed each other ex-communicado, Conor and his father Nigel were a tightly woven father and son duo. Where Eubank Jr. was marching onwards with very little promotional backing, Benn conversely had been fully supported by Matchroom supremo Eddie Hearn. He had spent the last few years fighting the World Boxing Council (WBC), UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC) in proving Benn’s innocence. To stoke the flames even more, Hearn’s right-hand man in running Matchroom operations, Frank Smith, was and still is the boyfriend of Chris Eubank Jr’s sister.

For Eubank Jr, the majority of the press conferences in the build-up to April 26 saw him engage in un-Eubank-like conduct. Profane language was being used more loosely.  He goaded Benn within touching distance, before cracking an egg open with ferocity against Benn’s cranium. He threatened Nigel Benn by warning him that if the elder Benn ever put his hand on Eubank Jr again, he would never get it back. He constantly berated Eddie Hearn and refused to let him speak. All severe infractions of the Warrior Code.

The calm measured and witty Eubank Jr. who had characterised the build-up back in 2022 was now replaced by an angrier, more agitated and volatile version who was “preparing to get this kid out of boxing. I have a duty to boxing and to fans who he has lied to.”

SecondsOut caught up with Chris Eubank Senior for his reaction to his son’s behaviour. It took a few minutes of serenity before Eubank Senior detonated –

“How could you do that to them? How could you do that to them? I know you have what, 2 children? How could you do that to them? Because they’re going to listen to you and say well if dad does it, then I can do it. Junior, you’re smashing an egg against this guys face. Who taught you that, I didn’t teach you that. Who taught you that, did Karen teach you that? Who taught you that? That’s disgraceful. I’m going to stand in your corner? You must be mad!  You must be mad! I will never be in your corner! You’re a disgrace!”

The System

At present, Chris Eubank Sr. hosts his ever-growing series titled ‘Call Chris Eubank’ on his YouTube channel. Around the time the Benn fight was rescheduled for April 26, a caller asked Sr. his thoughts about his son’s headfirst venture into the Benn scrap. Sr. proceeded to explain his inner disgust that the contest was taking place and held the belief that the fight would not happen until the first bell rang. When quizzed on what his preference for Jr. would be, he answered a rematch with Billy Joe Saunders. Senior explained that Jr. was beaten by Saunders in 2014 because he did not take heed of his father’s warning that Jr. was not only against a fellow championship calibre opponent, but he was also against ‘the system.’

The system. But what is the system?

In boxing, it is not just one single person or a lone entity, nor is it an actual piece of machinery or schematic in place. When it comes to the sweet science, ‘the system’ is often referred to a combination of this great sport’s most corruptible elements operating together as cogs in an intangible machine. ‘The System’ is incorrigible and despite many attempts over the decades to abolish it, it simply regenerates its ugly head in forms never seen before. It is blind judges who score a fight incorrectly and damage a fighter’s sporting and financial livelihood. It’s corrupt sanctioning bodies who do as they please provided it benefits their own pockets first.

It’s promoters using underhanded tactics to leverage their fighters and interests into the most advantageous position possible at the expense of everything else. It’s matchmakers who conjure one sided mismatches which serve no purpose. It’s managers who advise their fighters to go the safety-first route if a notable adversary is within the vicinity. It’s referees who are incapable of officiating properly and refuse to use existing technology to overrule dismal calls. It’s fighters who have failed drug tests yet are still allowed to continue boxing with no detrimental punishments. What’s the harm in cheating when all you get is a 6 month suspension and you can continue making millions thereafter?

Eubank Jr had taken aim at one of the cogs in the system in September 2024, when he berated Eddie Hearn, Frank Warren and the Sauerland brothers – all promoters – at being ‘scumbags’. Warren angrily interjected before filing a lawsuit against Eubank Jr, which was ultimately settled thanks to the intervention of Turki Alalshikh. It was defiant from Eubank Jr, spitting in the face of the system he was up against but Warren filing a lawsuit against Eubank Jr was a warning shot to him, that there exists an established order in boxing which will take action where necessary and where threatened.

Sergio Mora once opined ‘Boxing is the most beautiful sport but the most dirtiest business.’ It’s a brutal sport where the cost is your health and in the worst circumstances, your life.

Guardian Angel

“I said to him I don’t need advice. I don’t need a coach. I don’t need a mentor. I just need a dad. But, he can’t do that. He’s still trying to figure that dynamic out, so I’ve just got to let him go, let him do his thing.”

“I felt like I wanted to – and I would say this to him as well – make my own decisions. My career couldn’t be controlled by my father anymore”.

“I’m going to write a book one day and the book can’t be everything that my dad said I should do, I did. I’ve got to find out my own path and I’ve got to make my own choices. I’ve got to write my own future.”

These were the words of Chris Eubank Jr. in September 2024 to MailSport. Months later, his tenor had softened as he told Piers Morgan: “I still hope he’s there on the night, just like [Benn’s] old man will be. I honestly don’t know. I hope and I pray that he is, and I will do things to try and get him there.”

“He needs to be able to get over whatever demons he’s fighting. Now, this fight is either gonna enable him to get over those demons or unfortunately it’s gonna make those demons grow. I don’t know.”

Senior’s forever rival Nigel Benn also told the BBC “I don’t want him having a disagreement with his son. We all want you there, so we can see each other after the fight and hug each other and say it is all over – so be there my friend.“

All Jr. ever wanted was his father. The father-son relationship had deteriorated substantially over the last half decade and was a constant needle for Conor Benn to prick Eubank Jr with. Even at the weigh in, there was not even a scent Sr. was nearby. Eubank Jr missed weight that day by a mere 0.05 lbs over the limit and was forced to pay £375,000 directly to Conor Benn as punishment. The BBC reported Eubank as cutting “a lonely and expressionless figure” all while Benn had suddenly become £375,000 richer.

And this was the system Eubank Jr. was up against and the system he had to beat. The weight of his younger brother gone. A catch weight and rehydration clause he had to adhere to lest a fine befall upon him. No backing from the bigger promoters. 35 years of age and no longer in his prime. Only boxed once in 2024 so was inactive and inconsistent. Missed weight and ordered to pay a hefty fine. His father no longer beside him and wanted nothing to do with a son whom he had branded as a disgrace. All of this going into the biggest fight of his life against Benn whose circumstances were the complete opposite. If you factored everything in, there was very little chance of Eubank Jr overcoming the odds and succeeding.

As fight night rapidly approached, Eubank Jr was a man seemingly staring down the barrels of a fully loaded shotgun and nobody to help him. The chances of a father and son reunion in time for the first bell were virtually infinitesimal.

Fight Night

The most beautiful aspect about boxing is when it wants to, it will shock and surprise you with the most unexpected moments of sheer joy and ecstasy.

It’s fight night and as the Eubank entourage arrive war ready, the doors slide open – and there he was: Chris Eubank Sr.

Grinning like a Cheshire cat, strolling shoulder to shoulder with a son whom he had labelled as a ‘disgrace’ in the days leading up to the fight. As the pictures beamed of what was transpiring backstage, a volcanic roar erupted and eyes could hardly contain the delight of what they were seeing. This was ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin returning at WWE Backlash 2001. This was Edge returning at WWE Royal Rumble 2020. All that was missing was a prime Jim Ross to soundbite the moment with his signature ‘OH MY GOD I DON’T BELIEVE IT!” but Adam Smith’s ‘AND HERE HE IS !!!’ captured the euphoria well. Team Benn must have mentally and emotionally shocked seeing this. How on earth did this happen? He wasn’t supposed to be here! We thought they hated each other. Yet the Eubanks had done it again. They had outwitted and outfoxed everyone on the only terms that mattered – their own.

Not even old nemesis Billy Joe Saunders could ruin the goodwill. At the request of Team Benn, Saunders was apparently sent to the Eubank locker room to cast eyes over Junior having his hands wrapped. The closest he got was about 10 feet away from the locker room door before being denied entry by members of the Eubank camp and told to scurry back to his seat.

It was time to fight and Benn broodingly made his way to the ring, flanked by his father Nigel Benn, promoter Eddie Hearn and the rest of Team Benn. But it was all about the Eubanks. There they were, father and son making the steady walk towards the canvassed coliseum, with Tina Turner’s ‘Simply The Best’ filling the audio systems of the arena.

“You’re simply the best, better than all the rest”

Both father and son then stood and surveyed the sold-out arena, glittered with mobile phone torchlights. All 60,000 + inside the arena awestruck by the sight of seeing a once beyond repair relationship become healed before their very eyes. A symphony of ‘Still D.R.E’ played before the actual track kicked in and serenaded the Eubanks’ entrance to the ring.

The Eubanks inflicted a major blow against the system but despite this monumental moment, there was still a fight to win. The bell rang and with his old man reacting and gesticulating at each moment of savagery, Eubank Jr kept willing and kept going and kept willing and kept going. Chapter three of the Eubank vs. Benn saga was perhaps the most brilliant of them all, a wonderfully violent grudge match contested between two sons who fought with something to prove to their fathers.

The final bell rang and with a well-deserved unanimous decision, Chris Eubank Jr had finally, finally, beat the system – and his father was there with him. Years lost, time wasted, money spent, reputations damaged and blood spilt – but it was worth every atom of glory. It was the tale of a father and son uniting together to take down a bigger enemy, the enemy of impossibility. There was no conceivable chance everything would transpire the way it did – but it did. The last few years have not been kind to the Eubanks but in one night, everything was redeemed. No amount of collusion of elements of the boxing system could stop two men who were so stubbornly determined to do it their way and their way only. In fact, Eubank Jr’s performance in the ring characterised the grit, determination and heart of a lion that his father so famously possessed. It was a performance so endearing that Senior ‘That is legendary behaviour in the ring, I am so proud of him!’. To the beat of their own drum, they beat the system.

When you look back at what happened that April night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and factor in all the events leading up to it, it wouldn’t be remiss to suggest that Eubank Jr. vs. Benn was one of the greatest build ups of all time, culminated with a battle forever etched into the tapestry of British boxing’s greatest nights.

Talks will intensify of a sequel, or rather Eubank vs. Benn chapter four, but there doesn’t need to be another. This was as perfect as it will ever get for the Eubanks – why ruin it? This was a battle in which both men left a piece of their souls in the ring. Some fights need to be left alone and buried in a time capsule for the forthcoming generations to study. A sequel only benefits the pockets and Team Benn, who’ll have another crack at attempting to add a win the column at the expense of a yet-again drained, yet-again weight restricted and yet-again aged Eubank Jr. At what point would it ever end?

Both men should continue marching on their own separate paths. Both Eubank Jr. and Benn have not yet accomplished what their fathers did, and that was winning a world title. Whilst Benn has time left due to being the younger man, the clock isn’t as kind towards Eubank Jr. There may not be better moments for him to capitalise on attempting to win a world championship than this and if he opts to forego a championship challenge for Benn the sequel, then perhaps there are still remnants of the ‘system’ which the Eubanks still cannot beat – the lure of the almighty dollar. The carrot of that final payday or final glory is a seductive temptress in a sport littered with too many tragic stories of icons trying to come back for one more shot at glory.

But beyond the ring, this was also a beautiful story of the vital role fathers play in their lives of their children. It is true that this fight would probably have never happened had they been christened with different surnames, but the sons were able to step out of from the gigantic shadows of their fathers and forge their own story. Both men just wanted to make their fathers proud, irrespective of the end result.

A 2014 study by the Centre for Social Justice found that 15-year-old boys in the UK were more likely to have a smartphone (62% of boys) than be living with their father (57%). These are grim figures, and indicates that boys need their dads around them. In a sport that thrives of machismo, controversy and blood lust, it was beautiful to see the ring being used as a platform of healing. It was sold as a grudge match, but ended in love. Conor Benn vocalised as such, stating in the post right press conference –

“I looked at Chris Eubank Sr. I grabbed him by the neck and I said, “Mate, I’m so happy you’re here. I’m so happy you turned up. You know, because outside of everything else, outside all of the noise and the promotion and the fight, your relationship with your dad never goes. That’s always there. That’s long standing. That’s real without boxing. What’s boxing? You know, what is it? Because I’d pick the relationship with my dad over boxing any day of the week. So to see those two, if this has brought them together, cool – that’s worth its weight in gold.”

What can’t be denied is that across flour decades and two generations, the scorecard now reads The Eubanks 2, The Benns 0 and 1 draw in the middle. The Eubanks and the Benns will forever be linked but British boxing’s most famous rivalry can only be summarised as follows –

Still E.U.B.A.N.K.