Why Chris Eubank Snr has snubbed ‘disgraceful’ Conor Benn vs Eubank Jr fight

Eubank Snr was once by his son’s side in the boxing ring (Picture: Getty)

Throughout the chaos surrounding Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn over the last three years, there has been one man conspicuous by his absence.

The sons of British boxing royalty have been immersed in a modern reboot that began in 2022; derailed after a drug test scandal that rocked the sport and revived earlier this year.  

One of the protagonists from that classic chapter has been by his son’s side throughout the saga in Nigel Benn. But the man he shared two wars with him in Chris Eubank Snr has chosen to have no role to play.

For so many years, Eubank Snr was a controlling presence in his son’s boxing career, speaking next to him in press conferences, holding the pads in the gym and raising his arm in the ring. That all changed in 2019 as the two parted ways after disagreeing with the direction Eubank Jnr’s career should be taking.

There has been no reunion or reconciliation. And at times, remarks have been brutal. In 2023, Eubank Snr accused his son of abandoning him to instead surround himself with ‘yes men’ and ‘PE teachers’, spectacularly agreeing with critics who labelled his son a ‘charlatan’ following his defeat to Liam Smith.

Amid the unpredictability and disorder of the Eubank Jr vs Benn show, one of the few constants has been Snr’s absence and vehement protests over the fight taking place.

In 2022, the bout was scheduled to be fought at a catchweight of 157lbs. Eubank Jr has never fought below 160lbs as a professional, often competing up at 168lbs in the super-middleweight ranks.

Eubank Snr was his son’s mentor for years (Picture: Mark Robinson/Getty Images)

Weight cuts in boxing can be brutally debilitating. Eubank Snr feared the demands placed on his son could cause serious harm to his first born. Eubank Snr has already experienced devastating heartbreak with another of his sons Sebastian tragically passing away the previous year after suffering a heart attack.

In a joint interview with Metro alongside his old rival Benn in 2022, Eubank Snr insisted he would not allow the fight to go ahead. ‘If you come in beneath that weight, you put your life in danger and no one can put my son’s life in danger. I have already lost one son. It is not going to happen.’

Eubank Jr cracked an egg on his rival’s head (Picture: Matchroom Boxing/Getty Images).

Eubank Snr’s stance remains the same, insisting last week the fight should not go ahead with weight fears again at the centre of his argument. Those concerns also extended to the well-being of Benn, who has fought at 147lbs for most of his career with the intention of dropping back down to the welterweight division after his business with Eubank Jnr is settled.

‘Have you not read the rules? Has your promoter not shown you that there are rules to say you can’t do that?’ he told the Mail last week.

‘Those rules are in place to keep you safe and keep my son safe from ending up from what Michael Watson is having to endure and has been enduring for the last 32, 33, 34 years.

‘There has to be rules and I’m going to be the lawman to put these rules in the minds of the people. And I’m holding these reporters to account. You have to support the rules.’

The Eubanks parted ways in 2019 (Picture: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

While his wars in 1990 and 1993 with Benn were played out with its own venom, the sight of his son cracking an egg across the head of his rival in a wild press conference in February did not please the elder Eubank.

“Who taught you that? Did Karron [Eubank Jr’s mum] teach you that? Who taught you that?’ Eubank Snr said leading up to this weekend’s fight.

‘That is disgraceful. That is disgraceful. I’m going to be in your corner? I would never have been in your corner; that is a disgrace.

‘You are smashing an egg in someone’s face, and you are trying to justify it. There is no justification for it. There is nothing noble about that.’

There have been faint hopes a reunion between father and son could take place with Turki Alalshikh, the man perhaps most responsible for getting the fight back on track, insisting earlier this year Snr will be in attendance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Harlem Eubank, whose career has been guided by his uncle in recent years, was another who was optimistic those bridges could be rebuilt.

But with the fight now looming large, a reconciliation appears further away than ever.