Conor Benn has revealed the emotional words he shared with Chris Eubank Sr during their surprise encounter at Saturday's boxing match in north London.
The boxing world was stunned when Eubank Sr made an unexpected appearance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, walking arm-in-arm with his son despite their public family feud.
Following the fight, Benn disclosed the heartfelt conversation he had with his father's former rival.
He said: "I looked at Chris Eubank Snr. I grabbed him by the neck and I said, 'Mate, I'm so happy you're here. I'm so happy you turned up'."
Conor Benn has revealed the emotional words he shared with Chris Eubank Sr during their surprise encounter at Saturday's boxing match in north London
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The 28-year-old then emphasised that family relationships transcend the sport itself.
"Outside of everything else, outside all of the noise and the promotion and the fight, your relationship with your dad never goes," Benn explained.
He added: "I'd pick the relationship with my dad over boxing any day of the week. So to see those two, if this has brought them together, cool - that's worth its weight in gold."
The dramatic reunion came just days after Eubank Sr told SecondsOut he would be skipping the bout entirely.
"I will not be an accomplice to their stupidity, their circus," he had declared.
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Pure class from Conor Benn 👏👏👏💙💙💙🥊🥊🥊
— Phil Rostron ⚽️👍🍻 (@bigphil321) April 27, 2025
Family is everything, I love mine to bits, and I’d give anything to be able to share my life, my family, the last 38 years with my late dad x #family #EubankBenn
pic.twitter.com/UYIkXxUtJO
Eubank Sr had been adamant about not returning to his son's corner following an incident where Jr smashed an egg on Benn's face.
He had also expressed concerns about his son being forced to undergo a significant weight cut for the fight.
Until Saturday, Eubank Sr had not been in his son's corner since 2019, after Jr chose to go his own way.
This decision had greatly disappointed the boxing legend.
The crowd erupted when a black car arrived and Eubank Sr stepped out, quickly followed by his son.
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The Benns - Conor and his father Nigel - watched the moment on a monitor backstage as the Eubanks announced their reunion to the world.
In emotional pre-fight scenes, Eubank Jr even shadow boxed with his father, suggesting they had set aside their differences.
Eubank Sr embraced his son in the ring after he was declared the victor and also tied his son's robe before the bout began.
Eubank Jr had previously revealed that the tragic death of his brother Sebastian in 2021 had "destroyed a large part" of his relationship with his father.
Nigel Benn, who had a famous rivalry with Eubank Sr in the 1990s, also expressed his happiness at seeing his old opponent at the event.
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"I wanted him here," he said. "It's a big family affair."
When asked if Eubank Sr's presence might have affected his son's performance, Nigel dismissed the notion.
"Not at all. It's not based on Chris. I don't know what Chris is going to turn up tonight," he explained.
The historic rivalry between the Benn and Eubank families, which included Nigel's defeat to Eubank Sr and a controversial draw three years later, appeared to take a backseat to the family reconciliation.
Eubank Sr himself addressed the reconciliation with his son at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Conor Benn lost to Chris Eubank Jr on Saturday night
REUTERS
"I back my son no matter what," he said.
"The egg thing he did? Very disappointed, but I forgave him instantly.
"He always has to understand you always have to preach that this is not the way we behave as standardbearers, as noblemen."
He concluded with a philosophical note about mindsets: "You have your super conscious mind, which is your spiritual mind, and you have your surface mind, which is your ego mind."
