Chris Eubank Sr has sent a stark warning to promoters and managers following the messy postponement of his son’s fight with Conor Benn.
Eubank Sr was never onboard with his son facing Nigel Benn’s in what was billed as a rivalry reignited. First, it was reported that he told Junior to wait and make it a stadium fight. Then, much more seriously, he expressed extreme worry at the weight cut his son would have to endure to meet the contract terms.
Eubank Jr was due to weigh in 3lb less than he ever has as a professional fighter. As far as his father was concerned, this wasn’t an option. He called it dangerous and said that it was exactly the way that brain injuries happened in the ring.
It turns out that Senior’s calls to boycott the fight were unnecessary in the end. It was revealed days before the event that Conor Benn had been found to have a banned substance in his system. The doping test was enough for the British Boxing Board of Control to prohibit the fight.
Despite the board’s very clear ruling, promoters Eddie Hearn and Kalle Sauerland considered their options for the fight to go ahead for around another 24 hours before eventually announcing its postponement. It’s this day of deliberation that many boxing fans have taken issue with, believing it should have been pulled as soon as the test result was known.
Eubank Sr seems to agree. Speaking to The Fight Is Right podcast, he made his feelings on the businessmen of boxing known
“You have toddlers looking after us fighters. Toddlers. These guys they call managers and promoters. These guys, I’m coming for you. You tried to murder my boys. I’m coming for you.”
Despite the official line being postponement, more information about the drug test will likely have to be made public before the fans buy into the fight once more. Firstly though, Benn and his team will likely be concentrating on clearing his name with the BBBofC, or else risk a ban from the sport.