LIKE FATHERS, LIKE SONS

As narratives in sport go, this was pretty much unbeatable. An iconic rivalry between two legendary boxers, Chris Eubank Sr. and Nigel Benn, found its sequel thirty years later continued by their sons, Chris Jr. and Conor, in what was so much more than a novelty fight — it was a serious contender for Fight of the Year. Not even Hollywood at its best could dream up storylines as perfect as this.

For a while, the ghost of Eubank Sr.'s late son, Sebastian, threatened to deny the reconciliation of what appeared to be an irreparable rift between the grief-stricken father and his surviving son, Chris Jr. But in the end, the Gods of Boxing aligned all their fates — alive and dead — in a way that was the stuff of dreams, creating something truly historic in its symbolism. These were elite optics for a sport that so often becomes its own worst enemy when it comes to delivering on hyped-up events like these.

The irony was that when the fight was first planned, it quickly went awry, with Conor Benn testing positive for a banned substance. This led to all sorts of acrimony between the two families, including accusations from Eubank Sr. of attempted manslaughter levelled at Conor and his promoter, Eddie Hearn — especially as Eubank Jr. had committed to a significant weight drain to meet Benn at a catchweight of 157 pounds.

This time around, however, after several years of lawsuits, investigations, and increasingly bad blood brought to boiling point, the fight finally took place on April 26th, 2025, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

When Nigel Benn and Chris Sr. fought in the early 1990s, they represented two opposite approaches to the sport: Benn, the ferocious and explosive fighter who applied relentless pressure, and Eubank, the more defensive and coolly composed technician. Their two fights were considered the peak of British boxing in that decade and have endured in the collective memory of boxing fans ever since — hence the multi-generational interest in the sons' fight.

Though neither Conor nor Eubank Jr. has been regarded as the equal of their fathers in pure boxing terms, their bout last night was more than the equal of the first two battles in 1990 and 1993. Because of the added weight of time — with both families having gone through various personal and public dramas in the intervening decades — the gladiatorial contest felt like the culmination of thirty-five years of bottled-up karma, finally exploding in an 18-foot ring while an audience of 67,000 in attendance watched on in awe, as did the rest of us viewing via our screens, large or small.

Of course, we're often warned about the perils of nostalgia and how you can't resurrect the glories of the past, but last night proved otherwise, as a new generation continued a rivalry with the exact same grit and determination as their fathers — literally spilling blood and enduring gruelling rounds of relentless slugging to uphold their family name at any cost within the Queensbury Rules.

This was mythic because of its unique circumstances. Never before in the history of professional boxing have two sons of two famous fighters fought on such a stage — and it delivered a contest worthy of its extra-special significance.

The moment when the estranged father, Eubank Sr., finally appeared alongside his son — whom he had not spoken to for several years — was spine-tingling and ramped up the electric energy for the night ahead, as his absence would surely have diminished the confluence of destiny mapped out by the stars.

Meanwhile, Conor Benn, a villain in many eyes, was seeking redemption not only for himself as an alleged drug cheat but also to restore glory to his family's name after the controversial draw for his father back in 1993. Whether the fight proved all his doubters wrong or not, it certainly illuminated his character and fighting warrior spirit — and, in the end, it was in defeat that he was truly victorious.

In a profoundly sincere moment of emotional clarity, Benn wisely reminded everyone at the post-fight press conference that there are bigger things in life than boxing — like a son being reunited with his father — and that if the event had brought about a resolution for Chris Eubank Jr. and his father, Sr., then it was truly worth its weight in gold. It was another lump-in-the-throat moment that concluded the night at a pitch-perfect emotional level, ensuring a newfound respect for Conor as he reassesses his path to future victories, possibly at his more natural weight.

Whatever happens from this moment on, the four men (two fathers, two sons) have created a night for the history books, reminding everyone why boxing, at its best, is the greatest sport for drama — and why so many downtrodden and bereft can see glimpses of their own redemption in the stories played out in the ring. If a bitter family feud can be resolved and a 'sinner' absolved through a form of penitence over 12 rounds, then there's surely hope for the rest of us.

And how could I not mention the moment when Eubank Sr.'s signature ring-walk song, Simply the Best, began the ring walk for his son, Jr., before an orchestral version of Dr. Dre's Still D.R.E. set the metronome of destiny for the fight ahead. History repeated itself in one sense and yet diverged in another — but ultimately, past and present were united in a night of boxing for the ages.