Eubank Jr and Benn will follow in their fathers’ footsteps when they meet in the ring at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 26 April, rebooting the engrossing rivalry that consumed British boxing in the early 90s.
One of the protagonists from that classic chapter was present in Nigel Benn – seen grabbing Eubank Jr by the throat during the wild moments that followed his son getting an egg splattered across the side of his face.
But the man he shared two wars with in Chris Eubank Snr was not.
For years, Eubank Snr was a looming presence in his son’s boxing career, by his side in the gym, at press conferences and in the ring.
But the former middleweight and super-middleweight world champion has not been in his son’s corner since 2019, with the two falling out over which direction Jr’s career should take.
Eubank Snr was also vehemently opposed to his son fighting Benn in 2022 at an agreed catchweight of 157lbs, fearing the weight cut could leave lasting damage on his first born.
In 2023, the British boxing legend and his nephew Harlem grew closer together than ever following the death of Harlem’s father and Eubank Snr’s brother, Simon.
His uncle has been a guiding presence in his career since and has been ‘on the phone most weeks giving me advice and instilling that code that he embodies,’ as Harlem prepares to return to the ring next Friday to take on Tyrone McKenna live on Channel 5.
Harlem shares a close bond with both his uncle and his cousin and admits the two are ‘completely different personalities’. With Snr’s presence missed during a chaotic week, Harlem believes his uncle can still have a role to play in the family feud with the Benns in the coming weeks.
‘Potentially, I think so,’ Harlem told Metro. ‘If he is to be involved, it will be on his terms. I don’t think anyone is going to ask him to do anything or he does anything he doesn’t agree with. He could definitely be involved to whatever degree he chooses, that’s definitely a possibility.’
The father-son relationship has been strained in recent years. In an interview with talkSPORT in 2023, Eubank Snr accused his son of abandoning him to instead surround himself with ‘yes man’ and ‘PE teachers’, spectacularly agreeing with critics who labelled his son a ‘charlatan’ following his defeat to Liam Smith.
Last November, Eubank Jr pleaded for his father to return to his side for the Benn fight. While the dynamics of the relationship inside the world of boxing are complicated, Harlem hopes it could lead to some bridges being built.
‘The bridges could be easily mended outside of boxing,’ he said. ‘In boxing, with what Snr has achieved and the history he has left, it is almost like what he says goes. And in boxing people will always have different views. I think it is two different things, inside of boxing with a father-son relationship there is a lot of different dynamics and it’s the same outside of boxing. Everything can be worked out for sure and I hope to see it.’
Eubank Snr and Benn enthralled the public with a rivalry that burned so intensely it demanded the attention of the country as the sport rode the peak of its popularity in the 1990s. While it was often wild, would Snr have approved of Tuesday’s egg attack?
‘Chris Snr and Chris Jr are two different personalities and characters. What happened this week… that was not Snr’s style,’ Harlem admitted. ‘Snr’s style was very different but were in a new generation of clickbait and Jr is very good at capturing that attention. It was something very entertaining but I don’t think Snr would have chosen for him to do that. Times and styles are different and everyone has their own way.’
Like many others, Harlem kicked back and enjoyed Tuesday’s press conference madness. While it was fun and games as Benn was left with egg on his face, Harlem insisted it was ‘the very least he deserves’ after the drama that saw the fight postponed three years ago following two failed drug tests.
‘That’s the most rattled I have ever seen anyone I think,’ Harlem said with a smile. ‘It brought everything that’s happened the last three years back into context and raised the questions that needed to be raised for a boxing community that hasn’t necessarily got all the answers.
‘Chris is always the one that’s willing to ask those questions and if it needed to be instigated by cracking an egg on him, then so be it. There always underlining truths to these things and with Chris, everything is always well thought through.’
Harlem’s immediate focus is on next Friday night when he goes toe-to-toe with McKenna, the battle-hardened Irish fighter who is expected to bring plenty of support over with him to Brighton.
It will be Harlem’s second fight at welterweight with the 31-year-old now focused on making in-roads at 147lbs having been left frustrated in attempts to agree a fight with Adam Azim down at super-lightweight last year.
While chasing down world opportunities at welterweight is the goal, Harlem is still eager to exact revenge on the 22-year-old superstar who ‘wasted a year’ of his career.
‘I prepared for that fight three times over, I was messed about for a year with that fight and it’s the reason I have to make up for lost time in the sport,’ Harlem said.
‘So there is always going to be that feeling of revenge that I want for all that time wasted. So will always be open to that fight.
‘I have built where I am in this sport on my own. That was taken for granted last year. We had the wool pulled over our eyes with the politics of the sport and I will make sure that never happens again. Now it is about being active and making that charge to that world title opportunity.’
Harlem Eubank’s fight against Tyrone McKenna is live and free-to-air on Channel 5 on Friday 7 March.
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