Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn had two epic fights in British boxing’s greatest feud filled with drama, blood and a must see television interview – now t

07/20/2022 02:27 AM

For all the X-rated threats boxers throw at one another, it was a relatively innocent jibe that sparked British boxing’s greatest blood feud between Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank – when the latter declared: ‘Boxing is a mug’s game.’ The ferociously hard-punching Benn was a raging bull who never needed much of a red rag. But this one did the trick. It summed up everything he despised about his middleweight rival. That Eubank – with his jodhpurs, monocle and country gent persona – had a superiority complex above his own sport. Eubank’s demeanour irritated Benn and there was no love lost between themGetty Eubank and Benn despised one another, creating a rivalry that made them household names in the UKGetty When they met in a television interview, Eubank refused to face his rivalYouTube Londoner Benn, a former soldier and East End crowd pleaser, was never going to accept that. The rivalry – which may be continued a generation later by the pairs’ sons – became so white hot that even the contract signing for their 1990 showdown was shown live on ITV. That magnificent slice of drama saw Eubank sit with his back to Benn throughout, refusing to even look at the man next to him. “Tell him to face me,” said Benn, glowering with such malice that Eubank could likely feel the stare burning a hole in the back of his designer suit. “He’s all hype – and I can’t wait to give him a good, good hiding.” Eubank shot back in his own style. “Let’s have some parliamentary procedure here,” he admonished after Benn had interrupted him to label Eubank’s last opponent “another road-sweeper”. Yet both had more in common than they cared to admit. Eubank had grown up in poverty, been expelled from school and aged 16 moved from London to live with his mother in New York’s notorious South Bronx neighbourhood, where he first learned to box. Two of Eubank’s older brothers were journeymen boxers and he regularly declared his disdain for the sport, while ‘Dark Destroyer’ Benn embraced his working-class roots. “I find the man intolerable, he’s so wild,” assessed Eubank. “I have no time for such people.” Their showdown was billed as ‘Who’s Fooling Who?’ – a nod to the fact that both men had labelled the other a fraud. The 26-year-old Benn was a pre-fight favourite and that wasn’t all based on his popularity. He’d responded to his one career defeat, when he’d come in poorly prepared and been stopped by the underrated Michael Watson, in style. Benn had rebuilt in the US, beaten quality opponents and won a world title. Eubank had a flawless 24-0 record but there was truth to Benn’s road-sweeper barb: his record was a who’s-who-isn’t of 160lb boxers. Against Benn, Eubank not only stepped up in class, he had to face a barrage of pre-fight mind games. Ambrose Mendy, Benn’s manager, did everything he could to unsettle the challenger at a packed Birmingham NEC – including turning off his entrance music. Nothing ever seemed to faze Eubank whether he was cheered or booed en route to the ringGetty He loved to entertainGetty Most read in Boxing FLOORED When Tony Bellew made Michael B Jordan suffer whilst filming CREED with 'KO' WOW 'Something's not right' - Josh Warrington fought on with broken jaw and won by knockout CARRYING Jake Paul says he 'had a little accident' as he posts video from hospital bed POWER Anthony Joshua named the hardest puncher he’s ever faced, and it’s not Andy Ruiz Jr furious Fury reveals he's no longer friends with Chisora and plans to punch him in the face TURD White questions Paul for fighting Rahman Jr and rips his poor PPV numbers Instead of the strains of Tina Turner’s ‘Simply The Best’, Eubank had to complete his ring walk to a cacophony of boos and jeers. The 24-year-old soaked it in, snarling and preening, before his trademark vault over the top rope. The intensity of the crowd and ill-feeling between the fighters spilled into the first round. Nominally, Eubank was the boxer and Benn – with 25 KOs in 28 fights – was the puncher. But both had the ability to go to war in the trenches and, forgetting any feeling out process, began loading up with vicious power shots from the opening bell. The action ebbed and flowed, Eubank dangerous with uppercuts and sharp counters, Benn having success with his wrecking-ball right hand. A titanic Benn uppercut in round four caused Eubank to bite a gash into his tongue. Terrified that he was swallowing so much blood that the doctors might stop the contest, Eubank hid the extent of the injury from his corner. Eubank stopped Benn in their epic first encounterNews Group Newspapers Ltd They were bruised and battered, but had a healthy respect for each other after – but it didn’t last longNews Group Newspapers Ltd The pace was unrelenting. Richard Steele, the American referee who was the third man for bouts such as Marvin Hagler-Tommy Hearns and Julio Cesar Chavez-Meldrick Taylor I, later called it the most dramatic fight he had ever officiated. Eubank seemed to carry a slight advantage into round eight, but was caught with an overhand right and slipped to the canvas – a knockdown he protested but which correctly counted. The end was near, but not for the man who’d just scored the knockdown. Benn was a point up on two judges cards going into round nine but the champion – who had reportedly struggled to make weight – was hurt by a straight right hand from Eubank. He stayed on his feet, but was running out of gas as his rival poured it on and Steele eventually stopped the fight with only five seconds left in the round. Eubank, usually so stately with his addresses, was in tears and rambling in the aftermath. After a proposal to his partner, Karron, he heaped praise upon Benn. “He’s the hardest puncher I’ve ever come up against in my life – the man is just an animal,” said Eubank through swollen lips. “I’m in too much pain to talk really, it’s excruciating.” The rematch at Old Trafford in 1993 quickly sold outGetty Eubank beat Benn in their first fight, with the rematch ending in a drawGetty Benn, his left eye swollen shut, added that Eubank had earned his admiration. “What a tremendous fighter he is, he deserved it man.” The mutual respect would not last. Both fighters remained unbeaten for the next three years, winning world titles at 168lb before an inevitable rematch at a sold out Old Trafford in 1993. Both men were even bigger stars and the hype was somehow even greater. Around 18 million TV viewers in the UK alone watched on ITV, the live action preceded by Jonathan Ross hosting an hour-long, pre-recorded interview special with the duo. In front of a ‘celebrity audience’ (Ulrika Johnson, the cast of EastEnders, Wolf from Gladiators), Ross probed Eubank’s love-hate relationship with boxing, while a simmering Benn responded: “I wish he’d get out the game. We don’t need people like him, slagging off the sport.” Live in Manchester, Eubank this time got to posture through his full routine with music before his vault over the top rope (“The ego has landed,” wisecracked commentator Reg Gutteridge). Benn emerged to the sound of Big Ben’s chimes and if the fight could not quite live up to the full-throttle action of the first, it was intensely cat-and-mouse. A more crafty Benn outworked Eubank – whose workrate was not usually his strongest suit – early on, but was docked a point for low blows and was tiring by the end. It took time, but eventually the pair were able to become friends in retirementGetty Images - Getty Now their sons could come face-to-face The last round saw the two weary warriors empty the gas tank, before the verdict: a split-decision draw. The point deduction had cost a distraught Benn a revenge victory but if anyone was feeling worse than Benn it might have been Don King. The wily American promoter had an iron-clad contract saying he could promote the winner and the loser of the contest going forward. But King had nothing in the deal about what occurred if neither man won or lost, rendering his agreement useless – a rare case of Don being absolutely lost for words. Talk of a third fight persisted for some time, given the violent drama of the first contest and the close nature of their second, but never came to pass. Shockingly, both men actually came to be on good terms in their retirement – their boiling hatred finally extinguished. But whether that truce would survive the build-up to a fight between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn is another matter entirely. Offers Of The Day Bet365 – Bet £10 Get £50 in Free Bets* – CLAIM HERE Open account offer. Bet £10 & Get £50 in Free Bets for new customers at bet365. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply 18+ Begambleaware.org SEE MORE FREE BET OFFERS HERE