‘I just think he’s an idiot’: Benn and Eubank Jr talk tough ahead of fight neither can bear to lose

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Benn vs Eubank is a boxing rivalry that goes back over 35 years.

And as the sons Conor and Chris Jr prepare to reignite that rivalry on Saturday night at a sold-out Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, there was an edgy feel to their final news conference.

Neither fighter could bear to lose to the other and tarnish the legacy of their famous fathers.

Conor Benn, the younger fighter at 28, says he will try to enjoy the occasion.

“I’m undefeated, so every fight is… well, I especially don’t want to lose to this man,” he says.

“But my whole career there’s been pressure. I treat every fight like a ‘I world title fight. You know, the crowd, 65,000 people – I’ve visualised this fight over a hundred times in my head.

“You know, we’re modern-day gladiators. So for me, it is just going there and enjoying myself, trying to take in the moment.

“Every single fight I’m nervous. I thrive off fear, I thrive off the fear of losing.”

For 35-year-old Chris Eubank Jr, this isn’t just about himself but very much about legacy.

His father Chris Eubank won the first Eubank-Benn bout in 1990, while the second fight three years later was drawn.

He also points out often that he believes Benn to be a cheat.

The fight should have taken place two-and-a-half years ago but was called off because Conor Benn failed two drugs tests, blaming contaminated eggs, which prompted Eubank to smash an egg in his face in one of the pre-fight news conferences.

Benn has always said he was innocent and has now been cleared to fight, while Eubank maintains he cheated.

“Every fight is a must-not-lose fight, but this one for sure has an unprecedented amount of pressure and, you know, responsibility,” he says.

“I have a responsibility to my family name, to the public, to the boxing fans who were let down by the fact Conor Benn cheated two-and-a-half years ago when we were first scheduled to fight.

“I have a responsibility to kids who are watching this fight. Knowing that Conor Benn was using performance-enhancing drugs, I have a responsibility to them to [show] that isn’t the way.”

The two couldn’t be more different as characters, just as their fathers were in their prime.

Benn is close to his father, Nigel, who will do the ring walk with him tomorrow night with him, but ordinarily he says boxing isn’t something they talk much about.

“What’s funny is me and my dad, our relationship isn’t boxing at all, it’s just my dad,” he says.

“It’s the maddest thing because me and my dad don’t care about boxing. He cares about me and my wellbeing… ‘How are you son? How are you getting on? How are you coping?'”

Chris Eubank Jr, though, hasn’t been on speaking terms with his father for some time.

He did reach out to him about the fight but Eubank Sr, who has referred to the bout as a “circus” because of the size difference, wants nothing to do with it.

“We had one conversation a few months back and he showed no interest in wanting to be a part of the fight,” Eubank Jr says of his father.

“Obviously I was hoping that would change the closer we got but we haven’t spoken since. So at this moment in time it does not look like he will be there.

“Unfortunately, as sad as that is to say, that is the situation I am in and having to deal with.

“Everyone goes through bad times when it comes to family. It’s just unfortunate I am going through it at a time like this, during such an important event in my life, in my career, but it is what it is.

“I’ve still got to go out there and win.”

The fight is at middleweight (160lbs) meaning that Benn has had to jump up in weight from welterweight (147lbs), while Eubank, who does fight at this weight and above, has had to come down for the weigh in.

There’s also a strict rehydration clause, which means neither fighter can gain more than 10lbs between the weigh-in and the fight itself.

It’s a painful and important next few hours ahead for the bigger fighter.

“Cutting [weight] can be excruciating, and it’s only going to get more intense over the next 12 hours when I have to start really cutting, but that’s part of the game I’m not here to complain,” says Eubank.

Read more:
Eubank Jr vs Benn: Everything you need to know

But what about Benn – how does his father feeling about his son going into the ring with a naturally bigger fighter?

“My dad’s not concerned with size,” he says.

“As I said, us fighters are wired differently. You know, if size mattered, the elephant would be king of the jungle. I don’t sit there and go ‘I’m worried, I’m concerned’.”

The two don’t like each other, that is clear, but neither would they go as far as to call their feelings for the other hate.

“If you hate somebody you’re gonna get emotional – I do not see that as a benefit,” says Eubank.

“Some guys might use hate and anger to be able to fight. I found that being cold, cool, calm and collected, that is what works best for me.”

But what about his opponent?

“As for hate, no, I just think he’s an idiot,” Benn says.

“I don’t say ‘I hate him’. As for the egg slap and all that nonsense, well done, great PR, well done you.

“But apart from that I just think he’s an idiot and I’d love to punch his head in and that’s what I’m going to do on Saturday night.”