Chris Eubank Sr. has found his way back into the spotlight, once again. Initially, during the lead-up, he made headlines by publicly calling his son a “disgrace” and vowing not to be in his corner for the highly anticipated fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 26 between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn. But in a dramatic last-minute twist, straight out of a Hollywood movie, the British boxing legend showed up to the fight, and even walked in to the ring alongside his son in what is now considered one of the best ring walks ever. Despite being fined £375,000 ($500,000) for coming in 0.05 lbs over the 160 lbs limit during the weigh-in, Chris Eubank Jr. pushed through and secured a hard-earned victory, finishing the fight with a cut over his right eye. In doing so, he echoed the legacy of his father’s iconic rivalry with Nigel Benn. But soon after the fight, the cries for a rematch began to ring.
“Conor’s just desperate to run it back,” promoter Eddie Hearn revealed, adding that September 27th is being targeted for the sequel. Now, while Eubank Jr. is not entirely against the idea of a rematch, his father, Chris Eubank Sr., just like the first time around, seems to be against it fully.
Chris Eubank Sr. is calling for his son to hang up the gloves for good. The surprising demand was spotlighted on Instagram by @secondsout, quoting Sr. with the ominous message: “‘𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗜𝗦 𝗢𝗡 𝗬𝗢𝗨!’ .” A few hours ago, on his YouTube channel, Call Chris Eubank, the former world champion, suggested that he himself might return to the ring, for one night only! The last chapter of his epic boxing journey ended in 1998 after two back-to-back losses to Carl Thompson, the last of which included a stoppage(his only one). However, Eubank Sr. is now threatening his son with a return to the ring once again, if Chris Eubank Jr. decides to put on the gloves.
“What suits Junior, in my view? No! He doesn’t need to do anything else. He’ll never better that performance,” Sr. said, urging his son to walk away from the sport at his peak. He even took it a step further, issuing a strange ultimatum directly to his son. “If you don’t get back into the ring, Junior, then neither will I. But if you get back into the ring, then I’m gonna fight someone in some exhibition match. I’m putting the pressure on you. You want to see me fight again? Well, you take another fight and I’ll fight too. Cause I’m with you,” Eubank Sr. asserted boldly.
While many fans would prefer to see him preserve his legacy, the idea of a one-off exhibition could prove tempting in today’s era of nostalgic matchups and big-money spectacles. And as for Chris Eubank Jr., retirement doesn’t appear to be in the cards, despite his father’s insistence.
Chris Eubank Jr. not ready to call it quits just yet
Given how captivating and competitive their April 26 showdown was, a second fight seems like a no-brainer. Still, Chris Eubank Jr. hasn’t fully committed. “The possibilities are endless,” Chris Eubank Jr. told Sky Sports Boxing earlier this month. “If the rematch is meant to be, it will be.” While the payday for a Benn rematch would be hard to pass up, Eubank Jr. made it clear that he has options, and big ones at that.
One of those options, perhaps the most ambitious, is a dream showdown with Canelo Alvarez. Eubank Jr. has long studied the Mexican superstar and believes now could be the right time to chase that legacy-defining fight. “He is an opponent that I’ve been looking at for many years now,” the 35-year-old said. “The fans would love to see that. That’s a name that’s in my line of sight. We will be doing whatever we can to secure that fight in the future.”
Interestingly, Chris Eubank Sr. has always shown support for a potential Canelo fight. If there’s one matchup that could convince him to drop his recent push for Jr. to retire, it could be this one. With that said, what are your thoughts on Chris Eubank Sr.’s ultimatum? And if he truly considers returning for an exhibition match, who do you think he should face?
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