The two fights between Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn were part of a great era for boxing in Britain.
Both men remain celebrated sports personalities as well as being known as fierce competitors in the ring. They fought throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with Benn known for his aggression, power and unrelenting pressure.
He became a two-weight world champion after he won the WBO middleweight title and later the WBC super-middleweight belt, fighting 48 times in all, winning 42 and 25 of those by knockout.
Eubank Sr had a more upright stance and a famously tough chin, plus plenty of swagger and confidence, from his ring walks to the way he prowled around his opponents during fights. He was also a two-weight champion who claimed the WBO middleweight and then the WBO super-middleweight belts.
When previously speaking to Bare Truth Entertainment about the fights, he explained what made Benn’s shots so powerful.
“The concussion, the impact of the shots, starts dissipating immediately. With Nigel it stayed with you for like a second and a half.
“In that second and a half, within a split second, he’d be following up with another shot, and each of the shots were like dynamite, which is why he had something like 25 knockouts inside two rounds. So he had that dynamite.”
Although both men retired in the mid-nineties, their heated rivalry played out years later through their sons Chris Jr and Conor, who fought twice, with Eubank winning the first and Benn winning the second. A rubber match has always been on the cards and could well happen in 2027.
