Chris Eubank Sr. agreed to accompany his son for Saturday’s fight vs. Conor Benn at the urging of many, and one of the most vocal behind the scenes was Turki Alalshikh.
Several weeks ago, Alalshikh told the elder Eubank he would forever regret it if he didn’t support his son, Chris Eubank Jr., for his long-awaited fight with Conor Benn.
This British grudge match was so highly anticipated because of the shared history between the fighters’ fathers. Eubank Sr. defeated Nigel Benn in November 1990 via ninth-round TKO. Three years later, the pair fight to a draw.
And another 32 years after the rematch, their sons met in an unforgettable action fight that Eubank Jr. won via unanimous decision.
Eubank Jr. and his father have been estranged for years, and during the lead-up to the fight, Eubank Sr. called his son a “disgrace” for slapping Benn with an egg at a news conference, for which Jr. was fined 100,000 pounds.
Eubank Sr. was missing from fight week as his son talked openly about the disappointment of his father’s absence. But Alalshikh, who organized the Eubank-Benn British grudge match, didn’t give up.
He continued to insist to Eubank Sr. that he appear at the fight to support his son. Eubank’s family, too, pushed Senior to end the stalemate. And at 2 p.m. Saturday, just three hours before the opening bell, Eubank Sr. finally acquiesced.
The heart-warming reunion played out before the sold-out crowd of 67,000-plus at London’s Tottenham Stadium as Eubank Sr. emerged from a vehicle to a roar from the audience before Jr. was shown next to him moments later.
Eubank Jr. paid homage to his father during his epic ring entrance, strutting out to his father’s trademark song, Tina Turner’s “The Best,” as Senior accompanied him and played to the crowd.
“He couldn’t move around the ring and so he had to stand toe-to-toe. That is legendary behavior in the ring,” Eubank Sr. said afterward. “Legendary....I am so proud of him. That's my son. That's right. That’s why I'm here. I was always going to be here.”