Chris Eubank insists he was always behind his son for his showdown with Conor Benn – and that his threats to boycott the fight were mere theatre.
The former middleweight champion claimed he would ‘never’ be in his son’s corner after branding him ‘disgraceful’ for slapping Benn with an egg during a press conference in February.
He even called for the fight to be cancelled due to fears over the fighters making weight, worrying that the fight is ‘against the law of boxing’ in an exclusive catch-up with Mail Sport.
Eubank thus shocked the world when he turned up on Saturday night.
He told Mail Sport at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium: ‘I back my son no matter what. The egg thing he did? Very disappointed, but I forgave him instantly. And now, he always has to understand you always have to preach that this is not the way we behave as standardbearers, as noblemen.
‘The better way for me to explain it is as follows. You have your super conscious mind, which is your spiritual mind, and you have your surface mind, which is your ego mind.
Chris Eubank says he ‘backs his son no matter what’ after his shock attendance for his fight
He had threatened to boycott the fight after calling his son ‘disgraceful’ for slapping Conor Benn with an egg
The boxing legend said his ‘super conscious mind’ casued him to be ‘forgiving’ to his son
‘The super conscious mind was always coming. The surface mind may not have known but a super conscious mind always knows, always does the right thing, because it’s always graceful, always noble, and always forgiving.’
When did his son know he was attending? ‘Now, that’s another story. The idea is to keep everyone in suspense, because that’s when you give away the show. You have bad actors, who give away the show, and then you have good actors, who win Oscars.
‘The build-up was at the start of his career. He’s taken over the last four years. In that time, he’s learned what I was protecting him from.
‘So he now knows, “oh, I shouldn’t have let that go.” Because experience is invaluable, and love is not something you can buy, and everyone’s looking after their own kingdom.
‘When everyone’s looking after their own kingdom, and they’re not your dad, then you’ve been rinsed. That’s a bit cruel – you’re wasting time.
‘What do I want, in terms of goods for my son? Nothing? What I want? Nothing. I’m the father, I’m there, I’m the king. I mean that in the royal frame of mind.’
In Friday’s official weigh-in, Eubank Jr narrowly missed the middleweight limit, tipping the scales just half an ounce over the 160lb threshold.
In the opposite corner, Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) comfortably came in under the limit at 156lbs 4oz after goading his rival by calling him ‘fat boy’ at Thursday’s final press conference.
Chris Eubank Jr missed weight for his middleweight fight against Conor Benn by half an ounce
The 35-year-old shared footage of him exercising in a sauna suit to lose excess water weight, with his father expressing concerns over the safety
Pictured: Eubank Jr’s exhausted look as he climbs out of a body bag used to promote sweating
Eubank Jr (34-3, 25 KOs) will be fined $500,000 (£375,000) for his transgressions. It is the first time in his career that he has missed weight.
After the fact, Eubank Jr cryptically wrote on Instagram: ‘Pain is temporary… Glory is forever,’ under three videos revealing the extreme measures he took to shed as many pounds as possible.
Shortly after, Benn took to social media to issue a response to Eubank Jr, arguing that the latter’s weight cut should not have been so drastic. Benn typically fights at welterweight (147lbs) but initially agreed to fight his opponent at catchweight (157lbs) back in October 2022.
Meanwhile, Eubank Jr has fought at middleweight (160lbs) and super-middleweight (168lbs) in the past.
This rescheduled contest was set at the full middleweight limit, with an additional 10lb rehydration clause in effect for fight day. Neither fighter can weigh more than 170lbs on Saturday morning.
Benn wrote: ‘Christopher who are you trying to fool and get sympathy from, I’m coming UP to your weight a weight you’ve made your last 3 fights and most of your career! It’s like you’re looking for excuses already? First time you’ve ever missed weight and first time you’ve ever posted a weight cut.’
Eubank Jr shared videos of himself in a sauna suit, used to increase sweating to shed as much water weight as possible.
Excessive use can lead to extreme dehydration and heat exhaustion, hence Eubank Jr’s gaunt frame and bone-weary appearance – and his father’s concerns.
He was also seen lying down in a sauna body bag, with only his head exposed. The contraption is electrically heated to a set temperature and promotes passive sweating without physical movement, causing even further weight loss.
