Chris Eubank Jr ‘must see sense’ and name time on his boxing profession
Father Time has caught up with Chris Eubank Jr – and he would be an absolute fool to consider a third fight with Conor Benn after he was beaten over the weekend
Conor Benn isn’t in the business of doing his most bitter of rivals favours.
But that’s what he did when battering Chris Eubank Jr around the ring inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Benn taught Eubank a host of lessons on a night to forget for the latter. But also one he should go on to remember as the one which defined his life.
And the most valuable lesson of all that should be ringing in the head of Eubank is the one top level sportspeople learn when it comes to knowing when to retire. Because that time is now. Age, combined with a punishing career, has caught up with Eubank.
He looked punched out and ultimately punch drunk come the final bell of a fight which might go down as one of the most over-hyped fights in history.
The public has had an unquenchable thirst for the feud between these two boxing families, which has now spanned more than three decades.
Back in the 1990s, Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr were entwined in a poisonous partnership which gripped the nation. And that grip has never been released.
Their sons took it into the next generation. Fuelled by years of bad blood and serious animosity, Benn Jr and Eubank Jr exploited the history created by their fathers, to make names and fortunes for themselves in boxing as well.
Just like their dads used to, it felt like the pair needed one another. Rapper 50 Cent, who walked Eubank into the ring, took to social media afterwards to call for a trilogy. But that’s what the uneducated do, because of the obsession mentioned earlier.
But Eubank should listen to the advice of his old man. Heed the words of someone who isn’t just a bloke who cares for a loved one, but knows only too painfully how dangerous this pugilistic sport can be.
Back in 1991, one brutal upper cut from Eubank Sr left Michael Watson with near fatal injuries. Watson spent 40 days in a coma, underwent six brain operations and his life has never been the same since.
In a gripping documentary about the complicated relationship between the Eubanks, Eubank Sr urged his son not to take last weekend’s fight.
He told him his life would be in danger, due to the sacrifices he needed to make to be in the ring in the first place. Thankfully Eubank Jr only saw his reputation damaged this time round.
But if he ignores growing calls to hang up his gloves at the age of 36, then he will look an even bigger fool than he made himself in what should now be his final scrap.
He once smashed an egg into the head of Benn. But he’s now the one wiping yolk off his face. Yet once he’s done this, he should accept his career is over and find a new one.
Money shouldn’t be the motivation behind the debate about whether he should continue fighting or not. Common sense should be. But then again, this is one of the Eubanks we’re talking about.
Some people choose to look down their noses at darts. Mock it as a pub sport played by men and women who don’t have to be athletes.
But a lot of other sportsmen and women could learn a lot from how the top darts players conduct themselves before, during and after the heat of battle.
Luke Littler and Luke Humphries showed as such during their clash in the final of the Grand Slam of Darts. Humphries was magnanimous in defeat, while Littler was humble in victory.
The duo might be enemies, but remain superb ambassadors for darts. The two are head and shoulders above the rest – and have led darts into a golden era.
The sport has never been in better hands, with the World Championship just around the corner. And the chances of someone called Luke winning it, has to be the safest bet in sport.
