Chris Eubank Jr explains origin of rift with father as Conor Benn clash nears

Nigel Benn will be in his son’s corner as Conor boxes Eubank Jr, whose father Chris Sr is due to be absent

Chris Eubank Jr has explained the breakdown of his relationship with his father, boxing icon Chris Eubank Sr, ahead of a fight with Conor Benn on 26 April.

Eubank Jr and Benn will clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, more than 30 years after their fathers clashed for the second and final time. In 1990, Eubank Sr beat Nigel Benn, before the Britons fought to a draw in 1993.

Nigel Benn will be in his son’s corner on 26 April, but Chris Sr is due to be absent.

“It got to a stage where I needed to step out of the shadow completely,” Eubank Jr said on Piers Morgan Uncensored, sat near Conor Benn but separated by security guards.

“It’s a big shadow. [Conor is] also in a big shadow. Mine was a blessing, too, but it got to a stage where I realised: ‘I have to separate myself from this huge character that’s always next to me.’

“[Conor is] different. His father kind of let him do his own thing and jump in and sink or swim. My old man was always next to me, and it got to a stage where I decided that I needed to walk my own path. He was not happy with that decision. That’s the start of it.

“Then you have the situation with my brother passing away. That affected him in a deep way – it 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 doesn’t seem to have recovered.

“Of course [I’ve reached out]. No, no he hasn’t [rebuffed me]. He needs to be able to get over whatever demons he’s fighting. Now, this fight is either gonna enable him to get over those demons or unfortunately it’s gonna make those demons grow. I don’t know.

Chris Eubank Jr (right) and his father, boxing icon Chris Sr (Getty Images)

Eubank Jr slapping Conor Benn in the face with an egg in February (Richard Sellers/PA Wire)

“I still hope he’s there on the night, just like [Benn’s] old man will be. I honestly don’t know. I hope and I pray that he is [there], and I will do things to try and get him there. But if he isn’t, guess what? I’m still gonna go out there and do the job.”

In 2021, Eubank Jr’s brother Sebastian was found dead on a beach in Dubai aged 29. In 2023, Eubank Sr’s brother Simon died aged 63. Eubank Sr has since taken on a role on the team of Harlem Eubank – his nephew, son of the late Simon Eubank.

While Eubank Sr vs Nigel Benn was a defining rivalry in British boxing in the 1990s, Eubank Jr and Conor Benn have forged their own grudge.

At a pre-fight press conference in February, Eubank Jr slapped Benn in the face with an egg, an act that saw him fined £100,000 this week. The stunt was a reference to Benn’s two failed drug tests in 2022, which derailed a planned fight with Eubank Jr that year – and which the WBC said could have been caused by “elevated consumption of eggs”.