Chris Eubank Jr. made headlines by slapping Conor Benn with an egg at the pair’s launch press conference for their April 26 fight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. His father, British boxing legend Chris Eubank Sr, has now weighed in on the stunt.
Senior and Nigel Benn fought twice in the nineties in perhaps the UK’s most memorable fighting rivalry. Their sons, Junior and Conor, were set to reignite the feud in October 2022 before it was revealed Benn had twice tested positive for a banned substance.
After various run-ins with the British Boxing Board of Control and the UK Anti-Doping Agency – as well as two low-level fights overseas – Benn’s provisional suspension was lifted late last year and his team set about rescheduling the Eubank clash quickly.
With it now signed tot take place in a month’s time at in the middleweight division, the promotion kicked in with two pressers in Manchester and London.
At the first face off in the capital, Eubank Jr cracked an egg on Benn’s head – a cheeky nod towards the WBC investigation into his failed tests which presented ‘a highly elevated consumption of eggs’ as a potential reason for the banned substance clomifene in his system.
On the stunt, Eubank Sr shared his thoughts on the Call Chris Eubank YouTube channel after revealing that he has spoken to his son about the incident.
“This is not behaviour I understand. Where did that come from? I’m supposed to be his example. But I spoke to him a few days ago.
He said about this egg thing: ‘Dad, he’s a cheat and we’re promoting the fight. These people have me under a great deal of pressure and the environment is very messy. I got pulled in. Yes I pre-meditated it because these people are all over me telling me my dad doesn’t like me. It’s me alone, Dad, so that’s what I did and I’ve justified it.'”
The fight is expected to be a stadium sell-out and will undoubtedly to draw more headlines in the lead-up. The undercard features of Liam Smith, Chris-Billam Smith, Viddal Riley and Chev Clarke.
