Chris Eubank Sr has sensationally claimed that his own son would have been disqualified had he thrown an egg during the boxing icon’s heyday. Chris Eubank Jr will fight Conor Benn on April 26, but his dad has slammed both fighters and does not want the bout to go ahead.
Eubank Sr believes his son brought the sport into ‘disrepute’ by launching an egg into his opponent’s face during a fiery press conference and face-off in February. The event has been billed as a ‘legacy fight’ due to the boxing icon’s clashes with Nigel Benn – Conor’s dad – in the 1990s, but he takes issue with that label. The 58-year-old was appearing on The Sun’s preview show alongside George Groves and his nephew, Harlem Eubank.
“You say this is a legacy fight?” Eubank Sr interjected during the introduction of the show. He was told that it had indeed been billed as a legacy fight due to the history between his family and the Benns.
He continued: “Okay, this has been billed as a legacy fight. So this started in 1990 with me and Nigel. So let me ask you… So my son, he smashes an egg on the face of Conor. You want me to be associated? That’s what you call legacy? It’s not legacy. That [action] is bringing the game of boxing into disrepute, that of which would have [had] a disqualifying effect back in my day.
“No different to the language of Conor. The man speaks like he’s a possessed drunk. From a boxing point of view, and the fighters here (Groves and Eubank) will actually back this up, if Junior has only fought three times in three years, and if Conor has only fought three times in three years, it’s hot air.
“However much hot air and energy you have is false. It’s not there. You have to train to be superior, you have to train to be effective, you have to train to be dangerous.”
Groves then asked Eubank Sr if the fight being billed as one of Britain’s biggest of the year reflected the sorry state of boxing. The former WBO middleweight and super-middleweight champion responded: “It’s the biggest fight for what reason? One is swearing like a possessed drunk, and another is using an egg…
“This is not boxing, it is disgraceful. The fight will not happen because if it happens, it means rules have failed. And I believe in the rules, no matter what.”
Groves asked what rules had been failed, prompting Eubank Sr to continue: “Well, I heard Conor Benn speaking on Piers Morgan’s [show]… He literally said this, you can go back and listen. He said, ‘I am really a 147[pounds] fighter, but for this fight I’m going up to 160[lbs] and then I’ll come back down’. Who are you? So the rules don’t apply to you? So do the rules apply to him, or is he exempt? These rules are put in place to look after us.”
There is no suggestion that Benn moving up two weight divisions for the fight is against the rules. Eubank Jr and Benn will not be able to weigh more than 170lbs on fight day.