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Father and son reunite before high-stakes rematch
Chris Eubank Jr will enter the ring for his rematch against Conor Benn on Saturday with his father, Chris Eubank Sr, in his corner-a reunion few expected after years of public estrangement. The pair reconciled dramatically just hours before their first fight in April, ending a four-year rift that began when Eubank Jr sought independence from his father's mentorship in 2019.
The breaking point and years apart
The relationship between the Eubanks fractured after Eubank Jr's 2019 loss to George Groves, when he decided to "walk his own path" professionally. Eubank Sr, who had trained his son throughout his career, took the separation personally. "That caused us to separate, and it shouldn't have," Eubank Jr admitted in a new BBC documentary, The Eubanks: Like Father, Like Son. "Boxing and father and son should be two separate things."
The divide deepened in 2021 following the death of Eubank Sr's son Sebastian, who suffered a fatal heart attack in Dubai a month after becoming a father. "It consumed my father," Eubank Jr said. "Everybody grieves differently. For him, losing Sebastian widened the gap. He couldn't figure out how to deal with that loss and still maintain a relationship with the rest of us." The pair stopped speaking entirely.
A last-minute reconciliation before the Benn fight
With the Benn fight looming in April, Eubank Jr faced criticism for his father's absence-used as a psychological tactic by opponents. Eubank Sr, who had previously called his son a "disgrace" for slapping Benn with an egg during a face-off and vowed never to attend the bout, made a sudden U-turn. Twenty-four hours before the match, he reached out via text.
"I called him, and he said, 'I want to see you,'" Eubank Jr recalled. "I told him, 'I can't take any negativity.' He said, 'No, I have nothing negative to say. I want to be next to you.'" The pair met in secret that night. Their reunion remained hidden until Eubank Sr arrived backstage just before the fight, emerging from a taxi beside his son-a moment that stunned the boxing world.
"You didn't have any support. That was a very dangerous fight, and I'm so glad I stayed away for so long-and that I said there was no way I was coming. I turned up at the last minute to give you that final piece of energy."
Chris Eubank Sr
Eubank Jr won by unanimous decision. "Him in my corner gave me that extra boost," he said. "When it truly counted, he was there for me."
Hospital vigil and a grandfather's concern
After the fight, Eubank Jr was hospitalized for "precautionary checks," as described by promoter Ben Shalom. Eubank Sr remained by his side for "two nights and three days," even sleeping in the hallway. "Was I expecting that? No," Eubank Jr admitted. "We'd been estranged for four years. When I saw him there, I knew: 'OK, he still loves me. He's still my dad.'"
In the documentary, Eubank Sr urges his son to consider retirement, but Eubank Jr-now preparing for the Benn rematch-insists he's not ready to step away. The film also reveals a poignant moment: Eubank Jr tells his father he will soon become a grandfather to twin boys. The news underscores his desire to parent differently. "I want to be the type of father my kids can talk to about anything," he said. "I couldn't do that with my old man. He was too strict, too disciplinarian."
Rebuilding beyond boxing
For now, the Eubanks are focusing on repairing their relationship outside the ring. "What I want from him as a father is friendship," Eubank Jr said. "I want to go to the cinema, sit at a restaurant, talk about anything but boxing. I just want a dad."
The rematch against Benn takes place on 15 November, with live text commentary available on the BBC Sport website and app from 20:00 GMT. The Eubanks: Like Father, Like Son airs on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer at 21:00 GMT on Tuesday.
