Chris Eubank Jr still seems to be raring to go for his fight with Conor Benn, despite his dad telling him to pull out of the showdown.
The two legendary boxer's sons will clash on October 8 and reignite their families' decades-long feud after their dads did battle in the 90s in an iconic British boxing feud. But Eubank Sr wasn't keen on his son competing due to the drastic weight cut he will have to undergo in order to make the fight official.
However, promoters on both sides of the fight have confirmed the event will go ahead as scheduled, with Eubank Jr finally taking to social media today to let fans know his status. He shared a photo on Brighton Pier sitting on his car, with a caption confirming that the fight is still on.
"24 days left until me and Benn scrap for all the marbles," Eubank Jr wrote alongside a freezing emoji and a pair of photos showing him with his car. One picture shows him giving a knowing smirk, possibly referencing the controversy over the past week.
Benn vs Eubank is one of the famous rivalries in the nation's sporting history, with Nigel Benn facing Chris Eubank Sr in 1990 and 1993 with the middleweight and super-middleweight titles on the line respectively. Eubank stopped Benn in their first meeting before the pair fought to a draw at Old Trafford three years later.
Now, the rivalry is renewed with their sons, although the circumstances are very different. Conor Benn will have to jump up essentially two weight classes to make the weight, while Eubank Jr comes down to a career low of 157lb after tipping the scales as heavy as 168 during his earlier career.
Are you excited for the next iteration of Eubank vs Benn? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
This concept terrified Eubank Sr, who told Nigel and his son Chris during a media call with the Daily Mail that he had informed his son that he should pull out of their bout due to the severity of the cut. However, the British Boxing Board of Control have told Eddie Hearn, who co-promotes the event with Wasserman, that the weight is fine and they have no concerns.
Eubank Sr recently lost his son Sebastian, and said that he is concerned he could lose another if he engages in such a dangerous weight cut. “If he doesn’t take my advice then I have to put my foot down," Eubank explained. "He is coming down 1oz below 160lbs which cannot happen on my watch.
“This is modern day ‘gladiating’, this is not a plaything for the audience. We have to be strict, otherwise lives are put in danger and my son’s life cannot be put in danger. I’ve already lost one, it can’t happen again. If you have a child and someone’s trying to actually take that child away from you, and do something wrong to that child, as a dad you wouldn’t let them. That’s all I’m doing.”
Eubank Sr and Benn are scheduled for a speaking tour over the next few months, with the key date on their calendar standing out as October 8. They will go head-to-head verbally at the O2 Indigo just hours before their sons meet in the ring that evening.
