Pack a punch
All three judges gave Eubank Jr a 116-112 win on the scorecards. Here are the punch stats.
Eubank-Benn rivalry OVER
35 years of the Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr rivalry were settled with 36 minutes of violence.
All the brothers, all the sons and all the dads were sharing cuddles and hugs and talking to each other with great respect at the end.
If they decide to do a rematch, it can’t be about that same supposed hatred and it shouldn’t involve Eubank Jr having to boil down to this weight again.
Let them move on and get on with their careers.
Read the thoughts of SunSport’s boxing expert Wally Downes Jr…
Proud Eubank
Chris Eubank Jr did not attend his press conference as he was rushed to hospital with injury.
But giving his immediate reaction in the ring, he said: “I knew I was capable of that. I just needed someone to bring that out of me. I’m not going to lie, I did not expect that he’d be the guy to do that.
“But the fact that our fathers did what they did all those years ago, it brings out a different soul, a different spirit. That’s what we both showed here tonight.
“I pushed through. There’s a lot of things that have been going on in my life that I’m not going to get into right now, but I’m happy to have (my father) back with me.
“We upheld the family name like we said we were going to do. Onwards and upwards from here.”
‘I love my son’
Chris Eubank Sr slammed his eldest ahead of the bout, blasting him as a “disgrace”, claiming he did “not understand boxing” and even going as far as adding that his licence should be revoked.
Sr was unhappy over his son’s egg slap and had major concerns over him dropping so much weight to make the limit.
But after his arrival at the stadium last night, Eubank Sr said: “Conor, that’s not fair to say that I don’t even like my son, I love my son.
“I may not like some of his ways, as I don’t like some of your ways, but I love him.”
Dad to dad
Fathers Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr shared a moment post-fight.
Sat next to his son Conor in his press conference, Nigel said: “He [Sr] was sitting there and talking to me saying, ‘My boy’s on top’. Oh here we go.
“But to me really, it was just good having him there, staying there, with the family affair.
“We lost. I didn’t really speak to him much. But praising my son, I accepted that.
“That was about it really. It weren’t no deep conversation.”
‘Happy you’re here’
Conor Benn embraced Chris Eubank Sr in the ring after the fight and he has revealed what he said to his rival’s father.
Eubank Sr had a public fall out with his boy in the build-up to the fight and vowed not to attend last night before a dramatic U-turn.
Benn said: “I grabbed him by the neck, I said: ‘Mate, I’m so happy you’re here. I’m so happy you turned up’.
“Because outside of everything else, outside of all the noise and the commotion and the fight, your relationship with your dad never goes.
“That’s always there, that’s long-standing, that’s without boxing. What’s boxing? What is it?
“Because I’ll pick the relationship with my dad over boxing anyday.
“So to see them two, if this has brought them together, that’s worth its weight in gold.”
