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As anticipation builds for Chris Eubank Jr’s high-stakes clash with Conor Benn, the middleweight contender has taken a moment to reflect on the difficult path that led him to this point in his career.
Set to face Benn in one of British boxing’s most talked-about grudge matches, Eubank Jr enters the bout looking to reassert his place among the elite after a rollercoaster few years.
Their fight, a continuation of a fierce family rivalry dating back to the 1990s between their fathers Chris Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn is slated to headline later this month, and it comes with both personal and professional stakes for both men.
Chris Eubank Jr. Opens Up On His Time in a Gang
Speaking on The Main Event with Castillo, Eubank Jr offered a rare look into his upbringing and the environment he left behind to pursue boxing at the highest level.
“I don’t know how it happened, but I was a street kid. I was a road man that was going home to a million-pound mansion every night. It doesn’t make sense,” he said.
Referencing a video of him fighting in a car park, he admitted, “That video in the car park, I was doing that every other week. I was in a scrap like that. I was an enforcer in a gang in Brighton.”
“At 15, 16 years old, everybody’s doing stupid s***. It’s just what you had to deal with or what you are as a kid. You don’t know better,” he added.
Ultimately, the weight of his surroundings prompted a life-changing decision: “That’s one of the reasons why I ended up moving to Las Vegas—to get away from that scene, to get away from that lifestyle.”
The move proved pivotal, allowing Eubank Jr to hone his craft in world-class gyms far from the distractions of his teenage years. Now, with the biggest fight of his career fast approaching, he’s hoping to turn a turbulent past into fuel for a defining performance, and to continue the legacy of the Eubank name.
