Chris Eubank Jr has opened up on his relationship with his father and pleaded with Eubank Sr to be with him for his clash with Conor Benn.
Eubank Jr and Benn are scheduled to go head-to-head at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on April 26. The pair were due to meet in October 2022 before it was cancelled after Benn failed two drugs tests. With Benn since being cleared over the doping claims, the two stars have reignited their historic rivalry, which continues the legacy of their fathers Chris and Nigel. The two legendary fighters fought twice in 1990 and 1993.
Ahead of next month’s showdown, there has been a lot of drama already. During their first face-off in Manchester, Eubank Jr slapped Benn in the face with an egg, sparking chaotic scenes. Benn’s father, Nigel, has been by his son’s side every step of the way and has even been in attendance on stage for the first two press conferences. However, Eubank Sr remains nowhere to be seen.
The 35-year-old has bravely opened up on his relationship with his father and believes the death of his brother Sebastian from a heart attack in 2021 has affected his dad. In an exclusive interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, he said: “It got to a stage where I needed to step out of the shadow completely. It’s a big shadow. I realised I have to separate myself from this huge character that’s always next to me.
“He’s different. His father kind of let him do his own thing; jump in and sink or swim. My old man was always, always next to me. I got to a stage where I decided that I needed to walk my own path. He was not happy with that decision. And then you have a situation with my brother passing away. That affected him in a deep way — affected all of us — mental health is a real thing. That incident, coupled with the fact that we were already not seeing eye to eye, destroyed a large part of the relationship and it still hasn’t recovered.”
Since the confirmation of their fight, Eubank Sr has been totally against the clash and fears for his son. The boxing legend believes his son is putting his life in danger by fighting Benn. On Piers’ show – which is scheduled to be fully released on Friday – Eubank Jr was asked to send a message to his dad.
“I’m here. I’m getting ready for the biggest fight of my life. If you want to be next to me, like his father’s next to him, we can do it together. If not, no hard feelings, I’ll get the job done for you — don’t worry about it. He’s my old man. It doesn’t matter if I don’t talk to him until the day I die. I’m always gonna love him. He taught me everything. As far as I know, he doesn’t want this fight to go ahead.”
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