Chris Eubank Sr has made a strong statement about his son’s upcoming bout with Conor Benn in the most stark of settings.
The British boxing legend today joined Michael Watson – a former opponent who suffered a career-ending and life-threatening brain injury after their 1991 contest – to walk a mile in aid of the charity i-Neuro, previously known as the Brain and Spine Foundation.
Watson’s recovery has been an incredible sight but also a constant reminder of the dangers of the sport of boxing, something Eubank feels is his duty to highlight at every available opportunity.
He believes Chris Eubank Jr versus Benn falls into the category of ‘breaking the rules,’ not only because he feels that his son should be competing at super-middleweight and not middleweight with a 10lbs rehydration clause, but because he believes it is dangerous for Benn to be fighting 14 pounds over his natural weight class.
“They’re breaking the rules. And when you break the rules, we have a country of baboons. This is Great Britain. We developed boxing. So, stick to the rules. Otherwise, what happens to the fighters is what you’re seeing here.”
When asked if he would be in attendance for the fight alongside his former rival Nigel Benn, Eubank made his feelings quite clear.
“Everything I’ve done for boxing, I should tarnish it being involved in some sort of circus? It’s the wrong statement. It’s a disgrace.”
The main event at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 26 is expected to draw massive media attention not least because of the history but also due to Benn’s failed doping tests the first time it was scheduled back in 2022. Fans can expect plenty more of Eubank Sr’s criticism as it draws nearer.
