Chris Eubank Jr declared he had “upheld the family name” after defeating bitter rival Conor Benn in front of his once-estranged father, Chris Eubank Sr, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
In a fight simmering with family history, coming three decades after their fathers’ fierce rivalry first captured British boxing, Eubank Jr edged Benn by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the contest 116-112.
Hours earlier, the crowd went wild as Eubank Sr made a surprise entrance and shared an emotional greeting with his son, the pair having seemingly long been distant and Eubank Sr having been critical of this bout.
“A lot, it was special,” Eubank Jr said of the impact of the presence of his father, who had labelled Eubank Jr a “disgrace” for his egg-slap on Benn in February.
“He needed to be here. All of this is because of what he did – and we did it again. I’m happy to have this man with me.
“I’ve upheld the family name, like we said we were going to, so it’s onwards and upwards.”
He continued: “The fact that our fathers did what they did all those years ago, it brings out another soul and spirit – and that’s what we both showed tonight.”
The 35-year-old did not attend his post-fight press conference after being taken to hospital for checks, but before leaving, he paid tribute to Benn’s unexpected resilience in the ring.
“Everything surprised me, I didn’t know he had what he had in him,” Eubank Jr said. “I thought I’d break him early. I underestimated him.
“I didn’t train for a fight like that — 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.”
Benn, meanwhile, was left devastated after suffering the first loss of his professional career, admitting the defeat was difficult to take.
“It’s a hard one to swallow,” Benn told a press conference. “I didn’t come into the fight thinking it would be that close, I didn’t come into it to lose, I came in to win and I was not good enough and I need to do better.”
He continued: “I want the revenge, I want my revenge.
“I think inactivity played a big part. I think it took me back. I had Eubank hurt multiple times but I couldn’t get the finish and I’ll make sure for next time that the finish is there.”
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