Chris Eubank Sr says his emotional return to support son Chris Jr against Conor Benn was divinely inspired.
Chris Eubank Sr stunned the boxing world on Saturday night with a surprise appearance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, just moments before his son, Chris Eubank Jr, stepped into the ring to face Conor Benn in a brutal middleweight contest.
The 58-year-old former world champion, long believed to be estranged from his son, emerged unexpectedly from Eubank Jr’s car, leaving fans and media in disbelief. His arrival marked a poignant moment in what had already been a highly charged event, especially after Eubank Sr’s previous public criticisms of the bout.
Reflecting on the reunion on his YouTube channel, an emotional Eubank Sr described it as “a moment of a lifetime”, adding that it felt “spiritually directed” and deeply moving.
“I’m welling up now,” he said, fighting back tears. “For the car to pull up where it did, for me to be on the left-hand side… I pushed the door open, put one foot down, and there was the world’s media. I chuckled. It was like a film. But I was directed spiritually. I’m good, but I’m not that good.”
The two had reportedly not spoken until the night before the fight, when Eubank Sr visited his son in disguise at his hotel. His dramatic return came as a shock to fans who had long followed the ups and downs of their relationship, marked by public disputes and long silences.
But the story took a darker turn following Eubank Jr’s hard-fought unanimous decision win over Benn.
After the fight, the 35-year-old was rushed to hospital — a standard post-fight precaution — but Eubank Sr revealed the severity of the situation was far greater than most knew. According to him, his son was “touch and go” and suffered from extreme dehydration, a result of both the punishing weight cut and a strict rehydration clause that limited how much weight he could regain before the fight.
“My son Junior is very proud, but his face looked like a blown-up football,” said Eubank Sr. “He will never let you see that, but it brought back everything from Michael Watson.”
In 1991, Eubank Sr’s opponent Michael Watson suffered brain damage after their fight — a trauma that still haunts him. Seeing his son battered and dazed on a hospital bed reopened those scars.
“When I looked at him, I broke down,” he recalled. “He was on the bed with his legs bent awkwardly. I said, ‘Are you OK?’ and he said, ‘Yeah, I’m OK.’ That broke me.”
Despite his pride in his son’s gritty performance — especially Eubank Jr’s toe-to-toe exchanges from rounds six to twelve — Eubank Sr was clear: he doesn’t want to see his son in that state again.
“He doesn’t know his life was in the balance, and neither does he care,” he said. “But I do.”
The proud father also paid tribute to Conor Benn, who reportedly arrived at the hospital later that night to check in on his opponent. “I’m proud of that boy of mine, and I’m proud of Conor Benn. This fight will echo into eternity.”
While Eubank Jr’s victory has reignited talk of future fights, Eubank Sr’s emotional plea may cast a shadow over what comes next. The bond between father and son appears healed, but at a cost — one that may now prompt a reckoning with boxing’s unforgiving demands.
