Boxing

CHRIS EUBANK JR and Conor Benn will finally end their long-standing feud on Saturday night.The boxing superstars will go toe-to-toe at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in one of the most-eagerly-anticipated fights in recent history, following in their dads’ footsteps.Chris Eubank Jr is set to go toe-to-toe with Conor Benn in the ring on SaturdayCredit: GettyEubank Jr is part of a huge boxing familyCredit: RexThe fight is not without its controversy though, with Eubank Jr’s own family concerned about his weight cutting to reach the 11st 6lb middleweight cap.Boxing legend dad Chris Eubank Sr lost his own brother, Simon, in 2023 and claimed boxing “killed him”.Eubank Jr’s cousin Harlem – son of Stephen and Chris Sr’s nephew – is also a boxer.SunSport takes a look at the Eubank family tree… including his sister who dates Benn’s promoter in a test of loyalties come Saturday.READ MORE SPORT STORIESChris Eubank Sr – DadOne of the most recognisable people in boxing, Eubank, 58, enjoyed a 13-year professional career in which he held the world middleweight and super-middleweight titles between 1990 and 1995.BoxRec even rank him as the third-best British super-middleweight boxer of all time, retiring with a record of 45-5-2 after three straight defeats to end his career.Eubank fought Nigel Benn – Conor’s dad – twice, winning the first and drawing the second.The controversial former pugilist has a strained relationship with son, with Jr splitting from his dad to take control of his own career.Most read in BoxingCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSEubank Jr recently spoke on Piers Morgan Uncensored, revealing: “It got to a stage where I needed to step out of the shadow completely. It’s a big shadow.“I realised I have to separate myself from this huge character that’s always next to me.’My brother lost his life from boxing’ – Chris Eubank Sr’s emotional fight vs Conor Benn brawl fuelled by tragic deathChris Eubank Sr famously fought Nigel Benn twice in their pompCredit: GettyEubank Sr won their first fight in 1990, with the second match drawnCredit: Getty“He’s different. His father kind of let him do his own thing; jump in and sink or swim.“My old man was always next to me. I got to a stage where I decided that I needed to walk my own path.“He was not happy with that decision. He needs to be able to get over whatever demons he’s fighting.“I still hope he’s there on the night, just like [Benn’s] old man will be.”I hope and I pray that he is [at the Benn fight], and I will do things to try and get him there.”Eubank Sr has endured some other controversial moments in his life, including being involved in a fatal collision after losing control of his car in 1992.He was convicted of driving without due care and attention and fined, while handed six penalty points.In 2005, he was convicted of driving a beer lorry without consent after claiming it was an obstruction.And in 2021, he was prosecuted after being filmed driving through a red light.Eubank Sr was married to Karron, Chris Jr’s mum, between 1990 and 2005, before marrying his manager Claire Geary in 2014.The pair divorced in 2017.Eubank Jr and his dad have endured a strained relationship in recent yearsCredit: News Group Newspapers LtdEubank Sr married his manager Claire Geary, his second wifeCredit: Getty – ContributorEubank Sr was previously married to Karron, Jr’s motherCredit: PA:Press AssociationSebastian Eubank – BrotherFollowing in his father’s footsteps, Sebastian also took up boxing, but tragically passed away in 2021 aged just 29.His widow, Salma Abdelati, later revealed he suffered a “massive heart attack”, caused by a pre-existing condition the family were unaware of.At the time, Jr shared a touching message on Instagram – complete with pics of of him with his younger sibling – saying: “My brother was a special man… a righteous man… who always put others before himself.”A man of many talents, boxing, MMA, poetry, music, coaching, cooking the list goes on but the most important thing to him was helping others less fortunate than himself & that’s what I admired most about him.”I haven’t cried since I was 12 years old… yesterday I cried the whole day. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to watch your back like a big brother’s supposed to.”Can’t believe you’re really gone man but you’ll always be in my heart, mind & spirit & now your legacy will live on through your beautiful new born son & I will treat him like my own.”Sebastian’s death hit the Eubank family hard and Jr admitted it had only further pushed him and his dad apart.Jr claimed: “With my brother passing away, that affected him in a deep way — 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 hasn’t recovered.”Eubank Jr’s brother Sebastian tragically passed away in 2021Credit: Instagram @chriseubankjrEubank Jr admitted his brother’s death only added to the strain on his relationship with his dadCredit: Instagram @chriseubankjrEubank Jr paid tribute to his late brother following his deathCredit: Instagram @chriseubankjrEmily Eubank – SisterThe 31 year old is somewhat controversially in a relationship with Frank Smith – CEO of Matchroom and, therefore, Benn’s promoter.The couple have officially been together since November 2016 having met a year earlier at Chris Jr’s fight with Tony Jeter.So, ahead of this fight, Emily will certainly have split loyalties.Smith even admitted she once called him an “a**hole” and revealed he has to be careful what he says on the phone.He told The George Groves Boxing Club podcast: “‘I know the Eubank character from Emily so I know the way they are and I’ve spent a lot of time with Conor since he’s turned pro.”And trying to get the fight over the line was the point where I probably got in the most trouble.”I had to say things I’d say any other time, but obviously my missus is next door listening to me calling me an a**hole.”Sometimes I have to say ‘wait a minute I’ve just got to leave the room’ or be like ‘right, Emily’s in the car so I can’t talk yet.'”This is a fight that obviously means so much because of the history, but for me I’m probably a bit too close to it to be honest.”Emily Eubank is in a relationship with Conor Benn’s promoter, Frank SmithCredit: Instagram @franksmithThe couple have been together since 2016 with Smith admitting he has to be careful what he saysCredit: Instagram @franksmithSimon Eubank – UncleChris Sr’s brother, Simon, was also a professional boxer – although managed just seven wins and 20 defeats in his career.He was a super-welterweight who enjoyed a good start to his time in the ring, winning four of his first five fights, before going on a run of just one win in 13 across three years.He tragically passed away aged 61 in September 2023.Ahead of Saturday’s fight, Chris Sr told SunSport: “I don’t want my son getting down to 160lbs. And that is why I have spoken about people trying to murder my boy by boiling him down to 157lbs.“Trying to boil my son down to 157lbs 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.”Simon Eubank was Chris Sr’s borther, and tragically passed away in 2023Credit: Instagram @harlemeubankEubank Sr blames boxing for his brother’s deathCredit: InstagramAt the time of his death, Chris Sr told SunSport: “Simon had been living locked in his own body for the last two years. To see someone spasming all the time they’re awake for a year and a half is soul-destroying.“He was in a specialist care home. There was a tremendous pressure for his family and I just think of what he would have had to manage, going through that and not being able to move in his own body.“My brother always showed me love, he always protected me.“Simon saved my life once. He is the one who truly loved me and that is why I recited Corinthians 1:13 at his funeral.“It talks about how love is the most powerful of all things, and I recited that for him and for what he did for me.“In many respects, it is mercy that he has left us. He is truly at rest now.Harlem Eubank – CousinCompeting in the welterweight division, Chris Jr’s cousin Harlem, 31, is the latest in an ever-growing line from the famous boxing family.Harlem was a Brighton & Hove Albion FC academy prospect and a karate world champion, who avoided boxing for the first 18 years of his life because of the burden that comes with following in famous footsteps.But now the deep-thinking fighter concedes it was probably a pre-written path for him.In 2017, he told the Brighton Argus: “Having the name has always put more pressure on from the beginning.”Everyone wants to fight the hardest against you and everyone wants to beat you which just makes every fight tougher.”That is a good thing, though, because you get the best of every opponent so it is improving your game.”Harlem Eubank is a pro boxer in his own right with a stunning 21-0 recordCredit: GettyHarlem is unbeaten in the welterweight division and currently holds the IBF Inter-Continental welterweight titleCredit: RexHarlem now boasts an impressive, unbeaten 21-0 record – most-recently beating Tyrone McKenna in Brighton to win the IBF Inter-Continental welterweight title.And he’s backing his cousin to beat Benn on Saturday, telling SunSport: “[Benn] comes out with a ferocious mentality to the early rounds but gets caught as well.“I don’t think he has looked the same, or shown the same ferocity or intention, that he showed in the fights before.Read More on The Sun“Whoever is looking is going to see that.“And I am sure Chris has taken the same view as everyone looking on.”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 SR’s emotional fight against his son’s Conor Benn brawl is fuelled by the tragic death of his brother Simon.In September 2023, the 61-year-old former fighter passed away, with his 31-year-old undefeated welterweight son Harlem announcing the loss and vowing to do his old man proud.Chris Eubank Sr fears for his son having lost his brother to boxingHarlem Eubank with dad SimonSimon Eubank passed away following a battle with frontal lobe dementia after his boxing careerCredit: Instagram @harlemeubankHarlem and his British boxing legend of an uncle were united in their grief and are now in agreement that Saturday’s Tottenham fight is unnecessarily dangerous, in an already deadly sport.Eubank Jr’s best performances, at world title-level, have come in the 12st super-middleweight division, so when he tried to boil down to a 157lbs catchweight limit for the original 2022 clash, he looked emaciated and seriously vulnerable.Following Benn’s doping scandal that got that original clash kyboshed, Jr must weigh the 11st 6lbs middleweight cap on Friday but he will be fined if he rehydrates more than 10lbs the following morning.Two-weight world champ Eubank Sr, 58, is not concerned about bolshy former welterweight Benn, son of his two-fight 1990s rival Nigel, packing muscle on for the beltless cash-grab.READ MORE SPORT STORIESBut he fears for his 35-year-old boy boiling down to 160lb and risking the sort of damage that left his older brother in such an horrific state.Choking back tears, with nephew Harlem alongside him, Sr told SunSport: “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.Most read in Boxing“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.It is disgraceful! Eubank Sr | Eubank Jr V Benn: No Glove Lost fight preview“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.”However, the original fight was due to be at 157lb, with a healthier 160lb eventually agreed by the promoters.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.”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.”Former middle and super-middle king Eubank Sr is one of the toughest men this country has ever produced, he had to go all the way up to cruiserweight to suffer his only stoppage loss in the 52nd and final fight of the iconic career that earned him millions.Simon’s fate was far more cruel, he lost 20 tough fights, 11 of them by stoppage, in backwaters like Wisbech, Battersea and Brentford, and he paid the ultimate price.So when Eubank Sr – who walked a charity mile with his stricken former opponent Michael Watson on April 16 – rallies against anything in boxing, having suffered so much heartache, people should listen.He told SunSport: “I didn’t have the strength to go and see my brother in the last six months of his life because he was locked in spasm all of the time he was awake.“That is boxing and 20 losses at the hands of the promoters. “It’s a business and a racket and when you keep bringing the same guy in to lose, he ends up being killed.“He was my brother. It is real for us.”Simon was the brother of former super-middleweight and middleweight world champion Eubank SrCredit: InstagramChris Sr and Jr have also had to deal with the shock 2021 death of 29-year-old son and brother Sebastian, who suffered a heart attack just weeks after becoming a father.When SunSport suggests the end of this toxic three-year saga – and the shared responsibility of helping to raise little Raheem – will help heal their rift, Sr doubles down on his intentions.“I would be in my son’s corner if he was fighting at the right weight,” he said. “But it mocks everything I stand for and fought for.“I am a dad. I am a protector, I am trying to steer him in the right direction.“I am not giving him any bad or wrong advice.“I am giving him the truth and what works and what will age well.“I am his dad and the fact he has chosen not to listen means all I can do is step back and watch the car crash – because it will be a car crash.“He doesn’t understand that this is boxing and you lose your faculties, this is dangerous.“I warned him three years ago not to do this and now it’s the same again.”One saving grace for the concerned parent is his lack of faith in Conor Benn’s snarling threats to damage his boy.It has been three years since Benn’s last knockout win and his last two wins at the super-welterweight limit of 11st were dull decisions.He explained: “When you want to hurt someone, your energy is halved, you should look to score points and strike with technique.“If he has all of this spite then it’s hot air.“When a fighter goes into the ring with dislike, it’s useless.Read More on The Sun“He’s had three fights in three years, I used to fight five times a year as a world champion.“The more you fight the better you are, these are not dangerous men, it’s all built on hype.”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