Eubank Jr And Benn Are Two Sons Of Privilege Pretending To Be Hardmen

You have to hand it to Eddie Hearn – he could sell ice to the Inuit. Roll up, roll up rings out along the Tottenham High Road. This has it all, he says, a once in a generation fight, the biggest in England outside the heavyweight division since Carl Froch and George Groves danced the fandango 12 years ago.

The fighters in question, Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn, owe Hearn’s iridescent billing entirely to their famous fathers, neither having touched anywhere near the heights reached by Chris Sr and Nigel.

Oh, and one, Benn, tested positive for a banned substance, which forced the cancellation of their first scheduled date almost 1,000 days ago.

Benn continues to scream his innocence, claiming contamination of some sort. Eubank Jr is unequivocal in his rejection of Benn’s version of the truth, a point he made forcibly when smashing an egg into the side of his head during the build-up.

The high consumption of eggs was proposed by the World Boxing Council (WBC) as a suggested source of the female fertility drug clomifene, for which Benn tested positive. Really? Bosh, have some of that, said Eubank.

Benn admitted the presence of the drug, if not guilt. After suspension, he was eventually cleared to fight by the National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP), which was “not comfortably satisfied” that a doping offence had occurred – despite opposition from the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) and the UK Anti-Doping Agency (Ukad).

For all his outrage, Eubank Jr’s willingness to engage also legitimises Benn’s part in a contest that offends those for whom the presence of performance- enhancing drugs in a potentially lethal sport is anathema to the boxing code. But then few sports are as adept as boxing at setting ethics aside when there is a bundle to be made.

There is intense interest, of course, enough to sell out a football stadium in north London, the home of Tottenham Hotspur no less. “When are we ever going to get something like this again?” Hearn asks, blowing hard through his super, massive megaphone.

“Every age group, every demographic knows about Eubank vs Benn. The older generation watched those two epic fights between their fathers. My generation grew up knowing the dads. And now we’re watching their sons.”

So far, so convincing. It doesn’t last.

“And the younger fans? They know Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn as modern stars. We’re talking about two of the most iconic names in British boxing history.

“This is the biggest rivalry in the sport’s UK history. And now, their sons, not just influencers or gamers, but world-level fighters, are carrying it forward.”

Yes, but not in the same way, because neither are proven champions. This a big-budget copy of the spectacles created by the genuine world champions who sired them.

Eubank Jr was brave but well beaten in his only world title fight for an IBO belt against Groves. Benn has yet to challenge for a world title of any sort and for all the muscular boasts of a “beatdown”, his modest knockout record and size deficit spanning two weight divisions suggests the beatdown might be his.

In their quieter moments, both protagonists betray a background that has produced bright young men. So what we are seeing here are two sons of privilege living the gangsta life via boxing, as if stepping through the ropes is in itself the mark of a man.

For their fathers it was much more than that. Both experienced the privations familiar with their backgrounds, tough kids who like so many saw boxing as a way to make their mark, to be seen, to be someone.

After passing through a raft of inner-city London neighbourhoods from Dalston to Peckham, Eubank Sr found himself in the equally inhospitable South Bronx in New York, where at 16 and packed off to live with his mother, he followed his brothers through the doors of the Jerome Boxing Club.

Benn grew up in London’s East End before joining the army, which was, as he describes it, the only sensible alternative to jail.

The migration from martial arts to the noble art was an easy transition in a military environment with a well established boxing infrastructure. For both, the ring – which frames the violence in regulations – was a safer place than the street, where rules don’t exist.

The sons experienced none of that. They were not escaping from anything other than the shadows of their fathers. Eubank Jr was a public schoolboy at Brighton College, fees for which today cost upwards of £50,000 a year.

Benn grew up in a Mallorcan villa with a pool and rooftop garden before the family moved to Australia.

Both have worked hard at becoming fighting men, perhaps too hard, like actors in character. Both appear softer and well adjusted when their guard is down. Benn, like his father, is a practising Christian.

Being a good man is important to him, which reinforces the idea of the hardman business being a performative ritual he parks at the gym door on his way home.

The level of skill and bravery showed by Chris Sr and Nigel, who took each other to the edge in two unforgettable meetings more than 30 years ago, established each as giants of the sport. Their sons are not that, despite the claims of those around them.

It is genuinely moving listening to Nigel talk up his son’s performance in sparring, raising a hand above his head to demonstrate how much better he believes his son to be than he. But which of us has never overstated the gifts of our children? Our dreams for them are bigger than their own.

This is more than a fairground scrap, but its significance is being way oversold. It means more to them than it does to the sport, a boxing curio, nothing more.