Chris Eubank Jr. has been on a tear recently. He successfully avenged his loss against Liam Smith in September last year and defeated Kamil Szeremeta via a technical knockout the previous month to win the IBO Middleweight title. Now, the 34-3 boxer is getting ready for the biggest fight of his career against Conor Benn. The arch-rivals were supposed to face each other at London’s O2 Arena in October 2022, but the fight was canceled as Benn failed two voluntary dr*g tests.

However, this three-decade-old family rivalry never really disappeared, and talks began once again as soon as Benn completed his ban. The inevitable fight is going to happen soon and ahead of the bout, Chris Eubank Jr. shared a heartfelt message to his father, requesting the legendary boxer to be by his side for this fight.

Chris Eubank Jr.’s heartfelt message

The IBO Middleweight Champion sat down with iFL TV and discussed various things regarding his future and opened up about his strained relationship with his father. “No, my father is currently not part of my life, unfortunately. I wish it was different, I wish it was something I could change,” said the Hove native.

The 35-year-old further stated that not having Chris Eubank Sr. by his side has been tough. “I think him not being a part of my boxing career, it didn’t go down well with him.” The rift between the father-son pair started when Eubank Jr. had different ideas about his career than his father. Chris Sr. was against the Conor Benn fight and that is why the pair went in different directions. Things turned for worse when Eubank Sr.’s son, Sebastian, passed away in 2021.

“He was in front of me and that’s just who he was. That was a part of his thing so you take that away, which I did. I had to do and I guess he couldn’t he couldn’t accept it,” stated Eubank Jr. The boxer was visibly disappointed with that because he took the decision to part away from his father on a professional level and stated, “This shouldn’t affect the Father and Son relationship but he can’t separate the two.” 

According to Eubank Jr., only his retirement can allow them to connect on a mental level. However, he is hoping that the announcement of Conor Benn’s fight can spark a conversation between the pair again as he wants his father to be in his corner during arguably “the biggest fight in the UK.”

The bout against Conor Benn sparks hope of reconciliation

Chris Eubank Jr. stated, “Maybe once the Conor Benn fight’s announced, that will spur up some type of conversation, some type of feeling that he might need to reconnect with me.” After all, the Benn vs. Eubank rivalry is deeply rooted in British boxing history. Both Chris Sr. and Nigel Benn, Conor Benn’s father, had two of the most high-profile boxing matches in England ever.

Now, the sons are trying to keep the rivalry alive and the IBO middleweight champion hopes this fight can help mend their strained relationship. However, things might not be as simple as Chris Sr. was against his son fighting Conor Benn in 2022. So, it is hard to think he might have changed his opinion on the fight.

However, the 34-3 boxer has made it clear that he wants his father by his side for this fight. “Once the Conor Benn fight is made, I’ll send another text, and I’ll tell him, ‘I want you by my side. This is history. This is going to be the biggest fight in the UK – possibly ever. We should be in it together,” stated Eubank Jr. in a hopeful tone. 

What do you think about Chris Eubank Jr.’s statement? Do you think the fight against Conor Benn will help in mending his relationship with his father? Let us know your thoughts down below.