Chris Eubank Sr threatens to pull son out of Conor Benn clash
Chris Eubank Sr has vowed to scupper his son's historic fight with Conor Benn over the 157lb catchweight, insisting: 'His life cannot be put in danger… I've already lost one son, I can't lose another.'
Chris Eubank Jr and Benn are due to meet at London's O2 Arena on October 8, re-igniting a family feud three decades after their fathers met in the second instalment of British boxing's greatest rivalry.
Sources on both sides insist the fight will go on as planned – as only the boxer can pull themselves out of a fight – but on a video call involving both Nigel and Conor Benn, Eubank Sr told Sportsmail he would not allow his son to fight below the 160lb middleweight limit and pleaded with his rival for help.
The 56-year-old said he could take legal action: 'If they're not going to listen to me, then they'll have to listen to my King's Counsel. That fight does not happen.'
Eubank even claimed he had already pulled Junior from the fight, a claim denied by sources around the bout.
'If he doesn't take the advice then I have to put my foot down… have you ever heard of Russian Roulette?' Eubank said. 'When you spin that barrel, that's what he's doing and that I can't let him.
'I've given him my direction. If he doesn't want to follow it, he will be dragged along. But he will do what is right for him… he is coming down 1oz below 160lbs which cannot happen on my watch.'
Eubank Snr, whose son Sebastian died last year at the age of 29, added: 'This is modern day 'gladiating', this is not a play thing 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.'
His comments came as a surprise to both Nigel Benn and his son Conor, who joined the Zoom call and insisted: 'All I know was the weight was agreed.'
Later, having cut short the video call, Team Benn headed to the gym with Conor writing on social media on Monday night: 'Just sparred 10 rounds…. While Someone's having DADDY ISSUES.'
Eubank was also training on Monday. That is despite Nigel Benn asking his old rival: 'So you're putting your foot down, saying to your son, at 32 years old: this fight is not happening?' to which Eubank Snr responded: 'Absolutely.'
It was then pointed out that Junior signed a contract. Conor even promised: 'No one is going to get hurt. That isn't the intention for the sport, or my intention.'
But Senior nevertheless urged Benn, 'my king', to remain at welterweight and instead pursue the likes of Errol Spence and Terence Crawford.
'If your dad won't protect my son, if they won't allow me to protect my son, you protect him,' he told Benn. 'Why would I be in his corner, in a fight where he's coming in, in a situation where he can lose his life.
'He doesn't know who you are. I know who you are. That fight doesn't happen unless he fights at 160 and he's not fighting you because that's not the way for him.
'I would advise you Conor, not to fight my son at 160, because he has the ability to destroy the rest of your career.'
Significant financial penalties are in place, should either fighter come in over the 157lb catchweight. But Eubank Sr invoked the memory of previous tragedies involving himself, his son and Nigel Benn to highlight the dangers of this sport.
'I gave my son his instructions and he chose to follow a different (path)… but he can't override his dad. Because his dad is speaking sense and who will back me up? The public.
'When they understand: I lost a son, Michael Watson happened, Gerald McClellan happened, Nick Blackwell happened, and the many warriors who have fallen or are disabled because of contests in the ring,' he said.
'You cannot come down in weight, especially against a fighter of the magnitude of Mr king, Conor Benn. This ain't no joke.'
