Benn vs Eubank: Where It All Began

Benn vs Eubank: Where It All Began

By Steve Hunt

For fans of a certain age, the names Benn and Eubank conjure up magical memories of an intense rivalry going back over thirty years.

Great sportsmen and women need great opponents as it is sporting rivalries that burn into our consciousness forever. Borg-McEnroe, Prost-Senna, Palmer-Nicklaus and of course Ali-Frazier. One elevates the other. But being world-class opponents in the same era isn’t enough. It seems with the great rivalries, contrasting and compelling personalities are just as vital and are what conjures the magic. Benn-Eubank had that in spades.

In the autumn of 1990, Chris Eubank was an unbeaten prospect, but nothing on his record suggested nailed-on world-class. His opponent prior to his challenge for Benn’s lightly regarded WBO middleweight title was one Reginaldo Dos Santos, who was in the midst of an eleven-fight losing streak. But Eubank, even then, was a charismatic, enigmatic fighter, the likes of which we have not seen since. After flooring the poor Dos Santos, Eubank stood stock still, as the referee counted over his stricken opponent, staring straight into the camera. You could not look away.

He was dismissive of Benn, always taking his time to choose his words carefully.

“What you have here is the competent, intellectual boxer against the shallow-minded puncher. A puncher never beats the boxer, at least not the competent boxer”.

These were the days of boxing routinely being shown on terrestrial television. The two men came together on ITV’s Midweek Sports Special to sign contracts for the fight, set for 18 November 1990 at the NEC in Birmingham.

Benn spoke to the camera from over Eubank’s shoulder as Chris refused to look at him. 

“Tell him to face me. He’s all hype. I can’t wait to give him a good, good hiding”.

Eubank’s response was nothing less than what we would come to expect from him. 

“I’ll face the man in the ring. I find the man intolerable in that he’s so wild. I have no time for such people. He has no class as I see it.”

Host Nick Owen, playing it straight to perfection, noted that there seemed to be genuine dislike between the two men. This was dismissed by Eubank, saying he just wanted Nigel’s title. Benn had the final word, “Personally, I do hate him”.

If you happened to be watching Midweek Sports Special on this particular Wednesday, there was no way you were missing this fight.

Benn went into the match with the far superior record. His sole defeat, a knockout loss to Michael Watson, was a humiliation at the time. However, Benn took himself off to the US and recorded some decent wins before stopping Doug De Witt for the WBO title and then stopping Iran Barkley in one electric round.

Benn-Eubank 1 took place on a Sunday night, live on ITV. Watch it back on YouTube and have the Big Fight Live music still send shivers down your spine.

Eubank made his way to the ring without the later familiar refrain of Simply the Best. It did not stop him from vaulting the ropes, his face a picture of intense concentration. Benn’s ring walk got the crowd pumped; an army regiment led him out followed by Phil Collins’ In The Air Tonight. If we needed any more reminding that this was the 90s kicking off, among the famous faces in the crowd were Gazza and Nick Berry.

The fight lived up to the hype. Benn’s advisor Ambrose Mendy had been reminding us that the tagline of the fight was “Who’s Fooling Who?” Eubank proved himself on this night that he was nobody’s fool, despite his antics.

Benn landed the first big punch of the fight; a clean right hand in the second round, but Eubank was not shaken. Later in the round, Eubank rocked Benn to his boots. Benn fired back but the omens were not good.

The first signs of swelling under Benn’s left eye appeared in the third round of what was already a fierce battle. As the rounds went by, Eubank showed signs of distress from Benn’s body attack, at times becoming very ragged. But Benn seemed the more vulnerable of the two and the eye continued to swell, inevitably affecting his vision.

Going into the ninth round, however, it felt like an even fight. The end came suddenly, with less than thirty seconds remaining on the clock. A Eubank right rocked Benn back on his heels and to the ropes, badly hurt. A follow-up flurry of punches had a badly shaken Benn retreating again and referee Richard Steele stepping in. Eubank sank to his knees in victory, Benn’s head cradled in Steele’s chest in despair.

A compelling fight was followed by compelling post-fight interviews. Eubank for once struggled for words and proposed to his then-partner, Karron. He praised Benn as “an unbelievable puncher… he’s won my respect”.

Benn, understandably despondent, had to face his second savage attack of the night, this time from ITV interviewer Gary Newbon, who opened with, “Well Nigel, your dreams have gone out of the window there…”

Nigel, left eye now completely closed, paid respect to the new champion, but included a note to let us know that the feud was not over.

“Chris Eubank is tougher than I expected. What a tremendous fighter he is. The man beat me good. I do detest Chris Eubank, but I can’t knock him for the way he worked.”

And so, for three years they went their separate ways, even though it always felt inevitable that they would meet again. In those three years, Benn fought ten times, picking up the WBC super-middleweight belt against Mauro Galvano in Italy along the way. Eubank had thirteen contests, looking unimpressive in many of them. However, among those fights were the two against Michael Watson. Their second contest left Watson permanently damaged and arguably left Eubank with mental scars which meant he was never the same fighter. 

But now both Benn and Eubank held versions of the world title at 168lbs and so the stage was set for the rematch on 9^th October 1993 at Old Trafford, Manchester.

In the intervening years, thanks to their relatively high level of activity compared to today’s part-time boxers, and coverage on terrestrial television, both men were never long out of the spotlight; the difference between the two men was stark. Benn the warrior, always ready for a fight, in love with the sport. Eubank, who had referred to boxing as a mug’s game, talking in an accent that betrayed his roots, wearing jodhpurs and a monocle. 

For television viewers, immediately prior to the fight live on ITV, there was a pre-recorded show called “Best Of Enemies”. Hosted by Jonathan Ross in front of an audience of 1990’s A-list celebrities, including again Nick Berry. Was he everywhere back then?

The two fighters were interviewed together and separately. Mainly it was knockabout fun, but there were revealing moments as well. Benn, in referring to the first fight, said of Eubank, “He prepared like the champion, and I didn’t, and I paid the price. Badly”.

On the pain of defeat, he added, “I went home and cried for about three months”.

The tragic ending of Eubank’s fight with Watson was still fresh in the memory, and Ross questioned whether Eubank would hold back in future.

“I have faith that I’m going to be alright. My wish and my hope is that nothing detrimental happens to my opponent as I don’t want to live with anything like that anymore or again”.

The fact that this show was put together and broadcast demonstrates the enormity of the rematch and the rivalry. It ended with the two boxers shaking hands and Benn whispering something in Eubank’s ear. 

42,000 people crammed into Old Trafford for the fight with 16.5 million watching on television in the UK. It was a sporting event that could not be avoided. Eubank was the clear bookmakers’ favourite this time around, despite recent patchy form. Both men came to the ring lapping up the atmosphere, in contrast to their focussed ring walks three years prior. As Eubank vaulted the ropes, commentator Reg Gutteridge uttered maybe his most famous line, “The ego has landed”. 

The fight itself, dubbed Judgement Day, did not live up to the build-up or the expectation created by the first encounter. Benn appeared to take an early lead, typically aggressive, while Eubank lacked sharpness. The fifth and sixth rounds were better for Eubank but as was the case at this stage of his career, he could not sustain attacks. 

Benn was docked a point in the sixth for low blows. His work was consistent, compared to Eubank’s sporadic successes. At times Eubank appeared sharp, at others wildly amateurish. Chris’s long-time trainer, Ronnie Davies, bizarrely sharing corner duties on this night with Maximo Pierret, slapped Eubank hard across the face as he sat on his stool before the start of the tenth round. Davies knew the fight was slipping away.

The fight was always exciting but lacked the quality and consistent intensity of the first fight. Benn landed one of the best punches of the fight early in the tenth round, a left hook landing flush on Eubank’s jaw. Nigel remained the busier of the two, seemingly all set for revenge.

The final two rounds were messy. Eubank often flailing away and mostly missing, but at least increasing his output, with Nigel looking like he was feeling the pace. 

The point deduction did prove to be crucial as the judges scored the fight a draw. Without the loss of the point, the decision would have gone to Benn. Most ringsiders felt Nigel should have had his arm raised. Outraged, he left the ring without being interviewed. You can’t blame him for not wanting to be subjected to Gary Newbon again. Eubank declared that he felt he had won a close decision and that he hoped they could do it again.

But there never would be a third meeting. Eubank, in his next fight, had one of his best wins against Graciano Rocchigiani in Germany. But although public support turned in his favour late in his career, he was on the downside. Benn, of course, had one more epic battle left in him; the tragic stoppage win over Gerald McClellan.