Chris Eubank Sr. has opened up about the emotional and long-awaited reunion with his son, Chris Eubank Jr., in the build-up to what was originally slated as a blockbuster clash with Conor Benn. The highly anticipated bout, steeped in the rich history of their fathers’ legendary rivalry, captured the imagination of the boxing world, promising to reignite a generational feud.
Speaking candidly, the former world champion revealed how a simple message reconnected the estranged father and son on the eve of one of the biggest nights of Eubank Jr.’s career.
Chris Eubank Sr. Reveals How His Reunion Happened
Eubank Sr. recounted the moment of reconciliation: “On Friday night I sent him a message,” Eubank Sr. said. “The message said, ‘Call me when you’re in private please.’ At 10:10, I got a call back.”
Their relationship had appeared strained for some time, with noticeable absences and silence between the pair leading many to speculate on the depth of the rift. But Eubank Sr. explained why he had allowed his son the space to find his own way.
“When someone is going the wrong way, you have to watch them go, because the more you try to hold them back, the harder they pull away from you,” he said. “Junior called and said, ‘I didn’t want to call Dad because I can’t hear anything negative.’”
What followed was an unannounced and deeply private meeting at Eubank Jr.’s hotel, with Sr. choosing to arrive in disguise to avoid attention.
“I said to Junior, ‘Where are you?’ He explained he was at the Park Plaza… I put on a disguise and a mask and Junior said, ‘Nobody will recognise you.’ We sat and spoke. These were my words to him: ‘What do you want me to do, son? This is your show.’”
Despite Eubank Jr.’s famously stoic personality, the encounter left a mark. “This is one of the most private things I can tell you because it’s the truth. Junior is not emotional at all. He sent me a message saying, ‘Glad you are here.’ That’s like the moon coming to earth.”
The Anticipated Clash and Fighter Backgrounds
The initial bout between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn was first announced in August 2022, scheduled for October 8, 2022, at The O2 Arena in London. Billed as “Born Rivals,” the fight was set at a catchweight of 157 lbs, a nod to the fierce rivalry between their fathers, Chris Eubank Sr. and Nigel Benn, in the 1990s.
At the time of the initial scheduling, Chris Eubank Jr. (born September 18, 1989) had a professional record of 32 wins and 2 losses, with 23 knockouts. His last fight before the initial Benn scheduling was a commanding unanimous decision victory over Liam Williams in February 2022. Eubank Jr. had primarily campaigned at middleweight and super-middleweight, holding titles such as the IBO super-middleweight belt.
Conor Benn (born September 28, 1996), known as “The Destroyer,” entered this period with an unblemished professional record of 21 wins and no losses, with 14 knockouts. He had built a strong reputation in the welterweight division for his aggressive style and knockout power, holding the WBA Continental (Europe) welterweight title. His last fight before the initial Eubank Jr. scheduling was a second-round stoppage of Chris van Heerden in April 2022.
The Unforeseen Cancellation and Its Aftermath
Despite the emotional reunion and the immense anticipation, the original fight scheduled for October 8, 2022, was dramatically postponed. Just days before the event, it was revealed that Conor Benn had returned an “adverse analytical finding” for trace amounts of the fertility drug clomifene in a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) test. Clomifene is a prohibited substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and VADA, as it can be used to boost testosterone levels.
The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) subsequently prohibited the fight, stating it was “not in the interests of Boxing.” While promoters initially attempted to proceed, the fight was officially postponed. Benn vehemently maintained his innocence, and an independent report by the WBC in February 2023 suggested the adverse findings could have been caused by “highly elevated consumption of eggs.” However, Benn never publicly confirmed this as the cause.
Following the cancellation, both fighters pursued separate paths. Chris Eubank Jr. faced Liam Smith twice in 2023. He suffered a fourth-round technical knockout loss to Smith in January 2023 but avenged this defeat with a tenth-round technical knockout victory in their rematch in September 2023. Conor Benn, after a period of provisional suspension and legal battles, returned to the ring in the United States. He secured a unanimous decision victory over Rodolfo Orozco in September 2023, his first fight in over a year. He then followed this with another unanimous decision win against Peter Dobson in February 2024.
The Rescheduled Bout and Its Outcome
Despite the initial setback, the rivalry between Eubank Jr. and Benn remained a compelling narrative. On January 24, 2025, it was announced that the bout would be rescheduled for April 26, 2025, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. This fight, billed as “Fatal Fury,” was a non-title fight contested at middleweight.
In a contest that lived up to its billing as a classic, Chris Eubank Jr. ultimately won a unanimous decision against Conor Benn on April 26, 2025. The judges’ scorecards read 116–112, 116–112, and 116–112 in favor of Eubank Jr., extending his professional record to 35 wins and 3 losses. This result marked Conor Benn’s first professional defeat, bringing his record to 23 wins and 1 loss.
The history, paired with the massive crowd at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the emotional reunion of father and son, indeed made the event a true classic, as originally anticipated. The outcome of this fight, however, was not the final chapter. A rematch between Eubank Jr. and Benn was scheduled for November 15, 2025, again at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. In this second encounter, Conor Benn gained revenge, dominating the fight and winning via unanimous decision with scorecards of 119–107, 116–110, and 118–108. Benn’s victory avenged his sole professional loss and brought his record to 24 wins and 1 loss, while Eubank Jr.’s record moved to 35 wins and 4 losses. After the rematch, Benn stated the rivalry was over.
