Chris Eubank is not a joke or a meme – he’s a boxing legend who went to war with Joe Calzaghe, Nigel Benn and Steve Collins
With the lights blaring and strains of Tina Turner bouncing off the arena walls, Chris Eubank lapped up the adulation of the crowd like a Roman gladiator at the Colosseum.
His stoic stance and steely glare belied the fire which burned within him, fuelled by years of poverty living on the mean streets of Peckham and the South Bronx.
Despite insisting he was ‘The Thinking Man’s Fighter’, Eubank was a savage in the ring.
Chris Eubank is a British boxing great and deserves to be remembered as such
Ever the showman, the south London born brawler knew how to entertain a crowd
Forget the theatrical leap over the rope or the Muhammad Ali-esque shuffling he performed, trying to give the impression each strike was an intellectual statement.
For readers of a certain age, this will come as something of a shock. Those under the age of 30 will perhaps know Eubank Sr as the star of Celebrity Gogglebox or the one who dances at weigh-ins.
The truth is, he is one of the greatest British boxers of all time and his legacy in both the middleweight and super-middleweight divisions will forever be etched in history.
Born with a granite chin in Dulwich, Eubank left England for New York as a teenager to live with his estranged mother. After years of bullying from his brothers, he took up boxing and worked as a cleaner to make a living.
Younger boxing fans know Chris Eubank as an entertainer or worse, a meme
The 18-year-old eventually made his way to the semi-finals of the prestigious ‘Golden Gloves’ tournament in Madison Square Garden and his talent was evident to see.
He relocated to Brighton and set about pursuing a world title, developing a near-fascination with power-puncher Nigel Benn and was convinced he could beat him.
Eubank captured the WBC International title in 1990 and then defeated Reginaldo dos Santos in exactly 20 seconds (including the 10 count) to set up a tantalising clash with Benn.
‘The Dark Destroyer’ genuinely disliked the youngster, who admitted to Now Boxing the resentment was mutual and he was jealous of the success Benn was achieving in the sport.
Eubank and Nigel Benn developed a personal rivalry which made for fantastic fights
He said: “I’m just an ordinary guy, you understand? I always was, I still am!
“But Nigel – I saw through him. He had it all on a plate and lacked integrity back then. The law of the universe suggested to me that I should beat him because I was true. I followed the guy – I was intensely jealous!”
The fight was an instant classic, with Eubank winning the WBO middleweight title when Benn was stopped on his feet at the end of round nine.
Despite maintaining his normality and humility, Eubank displayed a public persona which some of the British public began to resent; being twice voted the Best Dressed Man in Britain, displaying huge sums of wealth such as his brand new Range Rover and it all suggested arrogance.
When he defended his title against Michael Watson at Earl’s Court, large swathes of the public wanted the challenger to prevail. But the power and footwork of Eubank proved inviolable on the night and he won another thriller on points.
‘Simply the Best’ became his moniker, one he adopted from the Tina Turner song he used for his entrance music
Outside of the ring, Eubank was beginning to cement his reputation to the masses as aloof and even arrogant. Monocles, sharp suits, walking canes and bowler hats often accompanied the eccentric champion. But his next fight was to prove more abhorrent to the public than any of his garish suits.
A rematch with Watson was made for the vacant WBO super-middleweight title at White Hart Lane in September 1991.
The 26-year-old Watson nearly died in the ring that night in north London, having been just moments from victory. After outboxing Eubank for the entirety of the fight, he was dropped in the tenth and way behind on all three of the judges’ scorecards.
With just 20 seconds of the round left and with his first defeat seemingly moments away, he landed a sickening uppercut to Watson’s jaw before unleashing a barrage of punches before the fight was stopped.
As trainer Jimmy Tibbs recalled to The Telegraph: “He just slumped. I felt him go, he was on my chest and I knew he was gone.”
The celebrations after defeating Michael Watson were short-lived
Watson lay on the canvas at White Hart Lane for around eight minutes
Highlights of the rematch between Chris Eubank and Michael Watson in 1991
The delay in receiving medical attention proved costly as Watson lay on the floor for around eight minutes before getting the required help.
Thirteen million viewers on ITV considered switching off their television sets in fear they had just watched a man die.
Speaking on television, Eubank admitted this fight cost him his cutting edge.
He said: “I lost my finishing instinct in the ring – I couldn’t finish fights any more. However, I needed to work and so I carried on and I won most of my fights on decisions.
“And I blamed myself, after all, it was me who threw the punch.”
Successful defences of his title followed at 12 stone, but it was clear Eubank the slugger had retired from fighting. That was until a rematch with Benn beckoned.
Eubank fought in 20 consecutive world title fights
“I do detest him, I really do. It’s no joke, I can’t stand him,” Benn admitted before their first fight in 1990. Three years on and now the WBC super-middleweight champion, retribution was all he could think about.
Half a billion people around the world were glued to their TV screens for the fight at Old Trafford, with the ferocious action ending in a draw.
Arguably the greatest super-middleweight title fight in history, the two cemented their legacies in their sport forever in their sensational sequel.
After six defences of his title, Eubank lost to Steve Collins in Ireland after admitting his opponent had managed to get inside his head. Claiming to be hypnotised, Collins handed Eubank his first professional defeat.
Eubank vs Benn II will forever be a British boxing classic
CHRIS EUBANK’S WORLD TITLE REIGN
Eubank fought in TWENTY consecutive world title fights in just five years
- vs Nigel Benn, Nov 1990 (won WBO middleweight title)
- vs Dan Sherry, Feb 1991 (defended WBO middleweight title)
- vs Gary Stretch, Apr 1991 (defended WBO middleweight title)
- vs Michael Watson, Jun 1991(defended WBO middleweight title)
- vs Michael Watson, sep 1991 (won vacant WBO super-middleweight title)
- vs Thulani Malinga, Feb 1992(defended WBO super-middleweight title)
- vs John Jarvis, Apr 1992(defended WBO super-middleweight title)
- vs Ron Essett, Jun 1992(defended WBO super-middleweight title)
- vs Tony Thornton, Sep 1992 (defended WBO super-middleweight title)
- vs Juan Carlos Gimenez, Nov 1992 (defended WBO super-middleweight title)
- vs Lindell Holmes, Feb 1993 (defended WBO super-middleweight title)
- vs Ray Close, May 1993 (defended WBO super-middleweight title)
- vs Nigel Benn, Oct 1993 (defended WBO super-middleweight title)
- vs Graciano Rocchigiani, Feb 1994 (defended WBO super-middleweight title)
- vs Ray Close, May 1994 (defended WBO super-middleweight title)
- vs Mauricio Amaral, Jul 1994 (defended WBO super-middleweight title)
- vs Sam Storey, Aug 1994 (defended WBO super-middleweight title)
- vs Dan Schommer, Oct 1994 (defended WBO super-middleweight title)
- vs Henry Wharton, Dec 1994 (defended WBO super-middleweight title)
- vs Steve Collins, Mar 1995 (lost WBO super-middleweight title)
A second defeat followed in 1995 and it seemed as though the former two-weight world champion was finished in the sport.
He came out of retirement in 1997 to fight the rising Joe Calzaghe for the vacant WBO super-middleweight title which had once resided on his waist. But, after taking the youngster lightly, he found himself down for the first time in his career inside 15 seconds.
Although he gave the Welshman the toughest night of his career, Eubank left the 168lbs division and challenged the much-bigger Carl Thompson for the cruiserweight title.
His bravery in the ring in those two fights in 1998 proved in vain as he was again defeated, finally stopped for the first time in his career by the much bigger champion.
Carl Thompson defeated Eubank twice, but was forced to dig deeper than ever before
With his left eye severely damaged and swollen in both fights, Eubank defied critics as he battle in vain and fought valiantly before being stopped.
He called time on his spectacular career which had spanned three weight divisions, 10 countries, 30 pounds and 13 years.
By all means, celebrate Eubank the celebrity whenever you see him dance or cry when he hears Celine Dion. But remember Eubank the conquerer, one of the hardest and bravest champions this country has ever produced.
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