Chris Eubank Sr has lifted the lid on his shock attendance for his son’s career-defining win over Conor Benn.
The British boxing legend had distanced himself from the legacy fight, but stunned fans by turning up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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Midway through Liam Smith and Aaron McKenna’s undercard bout, the big screen switched to Eubank Sr getting out of a black SUV as the London venue erupted.
Reacting live to scenes compared to WrestleMania by Adam Catterall, former boxer Steve Collins told talkSPORT: “They’ve fooled the world.”
Collins continued: “Did they plan this? What a promotional masterstroke. What a stroke they pulled tonight.”
Catterall added: “It’s like WWE, man. We’re at the wrestling.”
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It was then ‘Simply the Best’ for both Eubanks after an epic main-event, as Junior claimed a unanimous decision win over Benn.
Speaking to talkSPORT’s Gareth A Davies, Eubank Sr said: “I was always going to be here for my son, irrespective of what you thought.
“Suspense is part of the game. The performance, championship rounds, standing toe to toe.
“The credit I am going to give to Conor. I told you he was a superior fighter, but he shouldn’t be fighting at 160lbs.
“He is a 147lbs fighter. What couldn’t he do around the world?
“He has been destroyed by the people who are handling him. They need to be held to account. Do your job, do your job, do your job!”
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Eubank Sr’s former rival Nigel Benn had been heavily involved in his son Conor’s camp for the grudge match.
The former’s surprise showing meant fans enjoyed a reunion between the two fathers after their epic battles in 1990 and 1993.
It looked for so long that that wouldn’t be the case after Eubank Sr had ruled out an appearance.
The latter acted as a mentor and trainer for his son during his early days as a pro, but the pair’s relationship had been strained since Eubank Jr chose to limit his dad’s input in his career.
‘Next Gen’ admitted Eubank Sr struggled with his decision, which was then impacted further by the death of his son Sebastian in 2021.
The father and son duo did cross paths when attending cousin Harlem Eubank’s dust-up with Tyrone McKenna in March.
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Unfortunately, their first exchange in years went poorly, with Eubank Sr originally displeased with the terms of the middleweight fight.
His next gripe centred around his offspring’s decision to slap Benn with an egg, in reference to ‘The Destroyer’ citing an ‘over-consumption of eggs’ behind his positive drugs test for the banned substance clomifene.
Eubank Sr told his son to his face he ‘doesn’t condone’ his actions, and branded the fighter as ‘disgraceful’ over what he did.
The 58-year-old even went as far as to claim that Eubank Jr should have his licence revoked for making a mockery of boxing.
Eubank Jr seemingly made the first steps towards repairing their fractured relationship at Thursday’s news conference.
“What is pain, though?” retorted an emotional Eubank Jr in response to Benn’s vow to inflict ‘pain’ during their bout. “I have a brother who is buried in the desert in Dubai – that is pain.
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“I have his son, three years old, he asks: ‘Why can’t I see my daddy? Why can’t he take me to school?’ That is pain.”
“My own father, a man I idolised for my entire life, and he doesn’t speak to me,” added Eubank Jr.
“We haven’t spoken for years, and he thinks I’m a disgrace. These things are what pain is to me.”
Two days later, Eubank Jr. credited his father for the win over Benn.
“First of all, I thank the one above,” Eubank Jr said.
“I knew I could do that, I just needed someone to bring that out of me and I didn’t think that he would be the guy to do that.
“The fact our fathers did it years ago brings out a different spirit into you and that’s what we showed here tonight.
“I’m happy to have this man [Eubank Sr] back with me. We upheld the family name – onwards and upwards.”
