Chris Eubank Sr. made an appearance for his son’s most significant fight, as Chris Eubank Jr. secured a massive payday in the UK.
The British boxing legend, who dominated the sport in the 1990s, made a dramatic entrance in an elevator that surprised even the broadcasters and crowd on Saturday.
As cameras focused on the elevator in question at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during the co-feature, Eubank Sr.’s image appeared alongside his son. The reaction from the 65,000-plus attendees was overwhelming, as a huge cheer erupted throughout the venue.
The happening reverberated into the Conor Benn dressing room, where rival Nigel Benn was attempting to calm his offspring down.
Moments later, Eubank Jr. took to the ring, making his walk to Eubank Sr’s ‘Simply The Best’ theme tune from the iconic and late Tina Turner.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Eubank Jr. engaged in a battle that he probably didn’t plan pre-fight, but one that was necessary under the circumstances.
The pair traded blows in the same mold as their parents, as the occasion gave them a purpose for their less-than-impressive boxing careers.
As he emerged with a 116-112 victory across the board after twelve rounds, Eubank admitted his astonishment at Benn’s skills.
“Everything surprised me. I didn’t know he had what he had in him,” Eubank pointed out after this unanimous decision. “I really didn’t.
“You know, I thought I would break him early. I underestimated him, and I didn’t train for a fight like that. I didn’t know he had that in him; he’s never shown that. But then again, he’s never had to show it. He had to show it tonight, and so did I.”
He added, “I knew I was capable of that. I just needed someone to bring that out of me. I’m not going to lie, I did not expect that he’d be the guy to do that. But the fact that our fathers did what they did all those years ago brings out a different soul, a different spirit.
“That’s what we both showed here tonight.”
Speaking at the post-fight press conference, Benn stated that if the payday gave some closure to Eubank’s feud with his father, then he had no problem losing.
“A relationship with your father is special, I’d pick a relationship with my dad over boxing any day,” Benn said.
“If this fight brought Chris and his dad together, then that’s worth its weight in gold.”
A rematch is expected to happen once both men recover, as the Eubank vs Benn lives on after a 35-year gap.
However, if Senior hadn’t turned up to spur on his mediocre son, Benn would undoubtedly be celebrating a victory.
Sign up for the WBN Newsletter for free and get daily news directly in your email. Never miss a story.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, an experienced boxing writer and World Boxing News Editor since 2010.
