Boxing

A FORMER boxing world champion ate curry and chips in a sulk just one week before fighting on the Eubank-Benn undercard.Back in October 1993, the two boxing legends were ready to meet at Old Trafford for their highly-anticipated rematch.Barry Jones ate curry and chips in a sulk just one week before his big breakCredit: GettyFormer champion got a last minute call to be on the Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank undercardCredit: GettyIn a blockbuster month for boxing, Lennox Lewis was fighting Frank Bruno in Cardiff the week before.Future world champion Barry Jones watched the clash with his feet up after being brutally snubbed of a spot on the undercard.The young Welshman had won the first five professional fights of his career and believed he should have got his big break that night, only for Joe Calzaghe’s debut to be chosen instead.But Jones would get his opportunity sooner than expected, telling DAZN: “I remember it so well, I was having curry and chips from in a rugby club from a polystyrene tray.READ MORE IN BOXING”I was watching Bruno vs Lewis on the screen and I was sulking because I wasn’t on the show because I was undefeated and a big ticket seller. “On the Sunday morning, I got a call from my trainer, not asking me but telling me, I was fighting on the undercard at Old Trafford. “I boxed out my skin and I remember the atmosphere being fantastic.” Jones beat John White on points that evening before Eubank and Benn was judged a draw.Most read in BoxingCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSIt turned out to be just his first huge win and he went on to claim the WBO super featherweight title in 1997.But Jones was stripped of his belt after a routine brain scan flagged an anomaly.Chris Eubank Jr silences press conference with moving speech on brother’s death and dad thinking he’s a ‘disgrace’There was a gap in his membrane and doctors were concerned over an increased likelihood of him suffering brain damage as a boxer.The British Boxing Board of Control suspended him and stripped him of his title before he was cleared to fight again a year later.Since retiring, Jones has become a top commentator for the likes of Sky Sports and BoxNation.Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor BennTHE countdown is ON to one of the biggest boxing events of the 21st CenturyFamilial tension and a rivalry that has been brewing for years will finally be resolved when Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn meet at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night.There has been huge drama in the build-up with the pair engaged in a war of words and multiple clashes in person.SunSport will have full coverage of the blockbuster clash all week and LIVE round-by-round coverage of every fight on a stacked undercard.Latest NewsAll the info More

CHRIS EUBANK JR plans to erase “cheating” Conor Benn from the sport of boxing.The British rivals went face to face ahead of Saturday’s grudge match — two-and-a-half years after the original bout was called off when Benn failed two drugs tests.Chris Eubank Jr plans to erase ‘cheating’ Conor Benn from boxingEubank Jr taunted Benn ahead of their grudge matchBenn and Promoter Eddie Hearn heard heavy words from Eubank JrEubank taunted his opponent on Thursday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, saying he was out to rid boxing of cheats who cut corners.And Eubank, 35, said: “I know what’s coming. I have prepared my whole life for these moments. “I’ve put the time in and dedicated decades to the sport and did it all without cheating or cutting corners.“I am proud of that. The mentality, experience, fortitude and will that I have are what I’ll use to take him out. Read More on Boxing”We are not doing percentages any more. That was for the first time around before Conor got caught cheating.“Now it’s  about preparing to get this kid out of boxing — we are not taking him lightly.“He should have taken the chance he had in that first fight when I underestimated him. That was his best shot. Now it’s gone.“Now I have a duty to boxing, to the public and to fans who he and Eddie Hearn have lied to for the last two or three years.Most read in BoxingCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS“I have a duty to erase these guys from the picture.”The WBC claimed contaminated eggs were to blame for testosterone-boosting clomifene being in Benn’s system.Chris Eubank Sr astonishingly says his son’s boxing licence should be ‘REVOKED’ after slapping Conor Benn with an eggAnd both the World Anti-Doping Agency and the British Boxing  Board of Control opted not to appeal when the National Anti-Doping Panel lifted Benn’s ban.Eubank smuggled half a dozen eggs in his jacket on to the stage and smashed one into Benn’s face at February’s first press conference.And Eubank  accused Benn of “fleeing” the UK for a training camp in   Majorca.Eubank claimed: “Conor speaks about dealing with  pressure but there is a reason he did his camp in Spain.“The kid had to flee his own country. He couldn’t handle the pressure of  having people calling him a cheat and shouting egg jokes at him.“I have been in the streets and been to gyms all over London. I’ve felt the energy in the UK.”Benn, 28, who has always  maintained his innocence, said: “I’m coming to take his head off.”Read More on The SunEubank also  insulted Benn’s promoter Hearn and tried to force the businessman to take a £1million bet on the result.Eubank said: “I am confident. I want the million-pound bet with Eddie Hearn. His excuse is he will be fined by the Board. He always finds a way to weasel out and not stay to his word.” More

CHRIS EUBANK JR poured his heart out in a moving speech during the press conference ahead of his bout with Conor Benn on Saturday.Eubank Jr opened up on losing his brother and his fractured relationship with father Chris Eubank Sr as he stunned the press room into silence.Chris Eubank Jr poured his heart out in a moving speech during the press conferenceCredit: PAEubank Jr is taking on Conor Benn at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on SaturdayCredit: ReutersEubank Jr, 35, lost his brother Sebastian to a heart attack in 2021 while watching the sunset in the sea in Dubai. While he and his dad have fallen out of each other’s lives in recent years after Sebastian’s death drove a wedge between the pair.Now Eubank Jr has said that the pain of making weight and getting lumped in the face by his opponents is nothing compared to the pain he has suffered in losing his brother and stopping speaking to his dad.He said: “The weight is painful, I’m in pain right now. I’ll be in even more pain tonight and tomorrow morning.READ MORE IN BOXING“But the question I ask myself is, ‘What is pain?’“I have a 31-year-old brother, he is buried in the desert in Dubai. That’s pain. “I have his son Raheem, three years old, he asks: ‘Why can’t I see my daddy, why can’t he take me to school?’ That’s pain.“My own father, a man I idolised for my entire life, doesn’t speak to me. We haven’t spoken for years. He thinks I’m a disgrace.Most read in BoxingEubank Jr’s brother Sebastian Eubank passed away in 2021Credit: Instagram @chriseubankjrThe boxer has lost touch with father Chris Eubank SrCredit: GettyCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS“These things are what pain is to me. “If I can deal with all of these trials and tribulations, then the weight-cut and the rehydration clause… these are all things that are not an issue.”’My brother lost his life from boxing’ – Chris Eubank Sr’s emotional fight vs Conor Benn brawl fuelled by tragic deathEubank Jr revealed last month that his brother’s passing was a huge factor in the breakdown of his relationship with his dad.He said: “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.”Despite that, Eubank Jr is still continuing his father’s legacy as he takes on Conor Benn in the reignition of a 25-year-old rivalry between Eubank Sr and Benn’s dad Nigel Benn on Saturday.Benn Sr and Eubank Sr came to blows twice in the early 1990s, sparking one of British boxing’s biggest rivalries.And Nigel Benn has been by his son’s side through all the build up to the next generation bout, something that can’t be said for Eubank Sr.The 58-year-old has voiced his disapproval of the fight, revealing that the tragic death of his own brother Simon is one of the main reasons.Discussing his son’s dramatic changes to make weight, Eubank Sr told SunSport: “I am more concerned about that than anything else.”I don’t want my son getting down to 160lb. And that is why I have spoken about people trying to murder my boy by boiling him down to 157lb.“Trying to boil my son down to 157lb a few years ago, would have killed him.“You might think the word ‘killed’ is a bit strong but my brother is dead from boxing.Read More on The Sun“He lost his life from boxing, with frontal lobe dementia.“In the end, Harlem was feeding him with a baby bottle, he had to feed his own father.”Simon Eubank passed away following a battle with frontal lobe dementia after his boxing careerCredit: Instagram @harlemeubank More

BRANDON GLANTON was slammed for shamefully vowing to give opponent Chris Billam-Smith “brain damage”.The cruiserweight rivals meet on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn’s grudge match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.Brandon Glanton has been slammed for his comments about Chris Billam-SmithCredit: PAGlanton vowed to give Chris Billam-Smith ‘brain damage’Credit: GettyAnd American Glanton branded Billam-Smith a “b***h” for not shaking his hand in 2023 after the Brit’s victory over Lawrence Okolie.He said: “I stuck my hand out, he walked straight past me. It’s disrespectful. “I said in interviews, we’re men before we’re fighters, right? And he’s a father before he’s a fighter so your son has a b***h as a father.”I don’t care about these cameras, these lights, I’m going to f*** you up. That’s why I’m here. It’s not a show everyone knows, I’m going to give you brain damage.”READ MORE IN BOXINGGlanton’s disgusting comments were rightly slammed by fans online as one said: “Brandon Glanton should be reprimanded for his comments on Chris Billam-Smith.”Absolutely no need for that sort of language.”Another added: “Brandon Glanton is a clown. Scummy thing to say in an already dangerous sport.”Why’s he going in that much on CBS? One of the nicest guys in boxing.”Most read in BoxingCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSOne fumed: “In a sport like boxing there needs to consequences for saying you want to give someone brain damage. Appalling.”Another said: “Brandon Glanton absolutely sucks.”EXCLUSIVE: Chris Eubank Jr’s promoter teases stunning Conor Benn rematch at Old Trafford over 30 years after dads’ famous fightClassy Billam-Smith – the former WBO champion – hit back: “I’ll leave my talking to Saturday.”The Bournemouth boxer beat Okolie for the WBO and made two defences of the title until losing it to Gilberto Ramirez in November.Glanton meanwhile is 20-2 with 17 knockouts.Chris Billam-Smith and Brandon Glanton face off ahead of the Cruiserweight fightCredit: Getty More

ARSENAL fan Anthony Yarde has a cheeky trick up his sleeve as he prepares to fight behind enemy lines at Tottenham’s stadium. The light-heavyweight Gooner faces Lyndon Arthur in a trilogy bout on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn. Arsenal fan Anthony Yarde has a trick up his sleeve ahead of his fight at SpursCredit: GettyYarde has worn Arsenal attire all week – potentially riling up any Spurs fans attending the event.And now the two-time world title challenger teased going one further by walking out to the Gunners’ tune North London Forever.He told Sky Sports: “I might even come in to the theme song.” Yarde was stunned to a points defeat by Arthur in 2020. READ MORE IN BOXINGBut he viciously got redemption in the rematch with a brutal fourth-round stoppage. Now they prepare to settle the score nearly half a decade after their rivalry first started. Yarde, 33, said: “Sometimes that’s just how it all works out and it’s boxing. “I just take every fight very, very seriously. He’s going to be a person that wants to get, you can call it revenge. Most read in BoxingChris Eubank Jr vs Conor BennTHE countdown is ON to one of the biggest boxing events of the 21st CenturyFamilial tension and a rivalry that has been brewing for years will finally be resolved when Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn meet at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night.There has been huge drama in the build-up with the pair engaged in a war of words and multiple clashes in person.SunSport will have full coverage of the blockbuster clash all week and LIVE round-by-round coverage of every fight on a stacked undercard.Latest NewsAll the infoCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS”I want to do a better job than I done last time. It’s due to be a good clash.” Arthur, 33, said: “I have to be better than the first (fight) better than the second fight. “I have to take from both, good things that I did in both. Obviously, the second fight was only four rounds but there were still some good bits. “Personally, I think he’s taking this fight lightly. By accident, just naturally thinking it will be easy because of how the second fight went.” Yarde was beaten on points in his first fight with Arthur in 2020Credit: GettyHe won the 2021 rematch in the fourth roundCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun More

CONOR BENN has revealed that he will fight Chris Eubank Jr in an 18-ft ring instead of the standard 20-ft squared circle.The bitter rivals will finally do battle at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this Saturday night.Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn are set to fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday nightCredit: GettyBenn and Eubank Jr have agreed to fight at the 160lbs middleweight limit, following the controversy over their scrapped 157lbs catchweight scrap in 2022.Ahead of their much-anticipated dust up, Benn has revealed the contractual demand that he made when agreeing to the fight.The 28-year-old told Sky Sports: “The only thing I asked for in my contract was an 18-foot ring.”Coming in there to steamroll him? Of course I am. You think I’m coming in there to muck about?READ MORE IN SPORT”If you think you’re faster than me, prove it. You think you’re stronger than me, prove it.”You think you’re smarter than me, prove it. Come and meet me in the middle.”Promoter Eddie Hearn added: “It’ll be a nice small ring to have a tear-up in.”It might suit Eubank. He may decide to stand and have a shootout.Most read in BoxingEUBANK JR VS BENN – BETTING TIPS AND LATEST ODDS”Conor can box, by the way, he’s got great legs and his movement’s very good. It’s not like he just comes forward.”There are very few fighters that are as sharp as Conor Benn early in a fight like that.Chris Eubank Sr astonishingly says his son’s boxing licence should be ‘REVOKED’ after slapping Conor Benn with an egg”Conor tries to end the fight in the first round, that’s why he’s so exciting.”Eubank is not one of those fighters that starts fast out of the gate. Look at the Liam Smith fight, it’s a cracking example.”If he decides to stand and trade, it’s all over in three rounds, one way or the other. It will be the British Hagler-Hearns. That’s what it’ll be.”The rivalry between Eubank Jr and Benn stems from the bouts shared by their fathers during the 1990s.Despite this, Chris Eubank Sr will not be in his son’s corner and has been extremely vocal in his opposition to the match-up due to their weight difference.Speaking to SunSport alongside his nephew Harlem this week, the British boxing icon opened up on why he is opposed to the fight, citing his late brother Simon.’WOULD HAVE KILLED HIM’The 58-year-old said: “My son probably walks around at around 180lb and he has to boil himself down to 160lb.“People don’t understand what it means for Junior to get down to 160lb, at his age. They don’t understand the drying out.“Junior is now 35 and trying to get down to 160lb and I know what that feels like. I know about the dehydration and the damage it does to fighters.“I am more concerned about that than anything else. I don’t want my son getting down to 160lb. And that is why I have spoken about people trying to murder my boy by boiling him down to 157lb.“Trying to boil my son down to 157lb a few years ago, would have killed him.“You might think the word ‘killed’ is a bit strong but my brother is dead from boxing. Read More on The Sun“He lost his life from boxing, with frontal lobe dementia.“In the end, Harlem was feeding him with a baby bottle, he had to feed his own father.”Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor BennTHE countdown is ON to one of the biggest boxing events of the 21st CenturyFamilial tension and a rivalry that has been brewing for years will finally be resolved when Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn meet at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night.There has been huge drama in the build-up with the pair engaged in a war of words and multiple clashes in person.SunSport will have full coverage of the blockbuster clash all week and LIVE round-by-round coverage of every fight on a stacked undercard.Latest NewsAll the info More

CHRIS EUBANK JR has been wearing a custom-made jacket with Liam Smith’s blood stitched into it.The middleweight, 35, is set to take on fierce rival Conor Benn this Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.Chris Eubank Jr appears at this week’s media workoutCredit: ReutersEubank Jr and Conor Benn are set to do battle in Tottenham this weekendCredit: SplashAhead of the bout, stylish Eubank Jr was presented with a remarkable jacket featuring former opponent Smith’s actual blood.According to the Mail, the jacket includes bloody panels from Eubank Jr’s win over Smith stitched into the fabric.They add that the garment, designed by Antonia Bronze, took six months to make.The front of the jacket includes “Eubank Jr” written in big, bold letters, as well as the date of his tenth-round knockout win over Smith, 02.09.2023.READ MORE IN BOXINGA Union Jack adorns the top left of the front of the jacket, while the word “Champion” runs down the right sleeve.The back of the garment features the letters “NG”, standing for Next Gen, in large typeface.While a panel from the Smith rematch ring includes the phrase “It’s In Your Blood” – pointing to both the literal fact of Eubank Jr’s beaten opponent’s blood being on the jacket – as well as being a nod to his upcoming fight with Benn’s familial significance.Chris Eubank Sr warred with Nigel Benn in the 1990s, winning their first bout in 1990 before a controversial draw three years later.Most read in BoxingBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UKFor the original clash scheduled in 2022, Eubank Jr had been set to have to get down to 157lbs, despite usually fighting in the 12st super-middleweight divisionIn the newly-arranged fight this Saturday, Jr must weigh the 11st 6lbs middleweight cap on Friday but he will be fined if he rehydrates more than 10lbs the following morning.Chris Eubank Sr astonishingly says his son’s boxing licence should be ‘REVOKED’ after slapping Conor Benn with an eggEubank Sr, 58, is not concerned about former welterweight Benn packing muscle on for the beltless cash-grab.But he fears for his son boiling down to 160lb and risking the sort of damage that left his late older brother Simon in such a horrific state.Eubank Sr, sitting alongside his nephew Harlem, exclusively told SunSport this week: “My son probably walks around at around 180lb and he has to boil himself down to 160lb.“People don’t understand what it means for Junior to get down to 160lb, at his age. They don’t understand the drying out.“Junior is now 35 and trying to get down to 160lb and I know what that feels like. I know about the dehydration and the damage it does to fighters.’WOULD HAVE KILLED HIM’“I am more concerned about that than anything else. I don’t want my son getting down to 160lb. And that is why I have spoken about people trying to murder my boy by boiling him down to 157lb.“Trying to boil my son down to 157lb a few years ago, would have killed him.“You might think the word ‘killed’ is a bit strong but my brother is dead from boxing. “He lost his life from boxing, with frontal lobe dementia.“In the end, Harlem was feeding him with a baby bottle, he had to feed his own father.”Eubank Jr’s promoter Ben Shalom told SunSport: “It should have never been at 157. It was irresponsible for everyone involved that we asked Chris Eubank Jr to get 157.”I almost can’t believe it now, knowing, working with Chris and seeing what his weight’s like, 160 is a push.Read More on The Sun”Yeah, absolutely crazy that that was ever agreed to but we’re here now. He’ll make the weight and he’ll be ready to go.”Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor BennTHE countdown is ON to one of the biggest boxing events of the 21st CenturyFamilial tension and a rivalry that has been brewing for years will finally be resolved when Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn meet at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night.There has been huge drama in the build-up with the pair engaged in a war of words and multiple clashes in person.SunSport will have full coverage of the blockbuster clash all week and LIVE round-by-round coverage of every fight on a stacked undercard.Latest NewsAll the info More