Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn I is The Fight of 2025

Their fathers had an epic two battles in the early 1990s and 35 years later the sons, Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn, put on the 2025 fight of the year last Spring.

Battling on April 26th before a sold-out crowd of over 67,000 rabid U.K. fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London was an instant classic. And, in the end Eubank Jr. prevailed with the rivalry having been renewed.

The match-up came together as the much more experienced Eubank Jr., who had many fights at super middleweight, was willing to come down to middleweight to meet the welterweight Benn moving up two divisions.

This was also after the fight had originally been scheduled for October 8th, 2022 at The O2 Arena in London. However, after tremendous buildup Benn’s tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing drug Clomiphene, a known PED.

Benn blamed the positive test on eating too many eggs, and it fueled controversy and soap opera that ensued. Benn was banned from fighting in the U.K. and eventually had a couple of nondescript fights a year later in the Fall of 2023 and in early 2024 in the U.S.

No matter. The Eubank Jr. bout could be a gold mine trading on the reverence the British boxing public still has for the two early 1990s epic battles waged by Chris Sr. and newly elected International Boxing Hall of Famer Nigel Benn. Their bitter rivalry was on full display with a tremendous middleweight title bout won by Eubank Sr. and then a super middleweight unification fight that ended in a draw.

So, 30 years later their family names still evoke thoughts of the quintessential British rivalry that their sons could carry on.

Once Benn was cleared to fight again by the British Boxing Board of Control,  it was only a matter of time until the bad-blood grudge match with Eubank Jr. was remade. And now it would be way bigger than it was before the 2022 cancellation.

The buildup to the April battle was as expected, intense. Eubank Jr. smashing an egg on Benn’s face during the publicity face off to taunt Benn's PED excuse at the kickoff press conference was shocking. Eubank Jr. was fined and warned of being suspended.

Then, Eubank struggled mightily to make the agreed weight, but missing weight by 0.05 pounds, which cost him a $500,000 penalty and added to the saga.

Once they finally made it to the ring, all of the silliness and taunting was over and what we got was an unforgettable battle in front of a roaring, massive crowd for nearly 45 minutes.

The two repeatedly stood in front of each other bombing big shots in a raging slugfest of the highest order. There were no  world titles on the line, but for big money and their family name with their famous fathers seated at ringside, it was riveting action.

Eubank Jr. hurt Benn on two occasions in the middle of the fight, but the lesser experienced Benn survived.  And, then with Eubank Jr. starting to fade, Benn bombed him with big right hands to put the bigger man in jeopardy, including in the 10th round.

The 12th round was a memorable as anything their father's had done with both fighters tired and staggered at different stages. A tremendous fight.

In the end, it was the bigger, more experienced Eubank who won the final round on all three cards to seal a unanimous decision, 116-112 on all three tallies.

Re-live Eubank Jr.-Benn I here:

“I knew I was capable of that,” Eubank said with his father at his side in the ring before being taken to the hospital as a precaution and for an apparent broken jaw. “I just needed someone to bring that out of me. And I’m not going to lie — I didn’t expect he’d be the guy to do that. But the fact that our fathers did what they did all those years ago it brings out a different soul and a different spirit into you, and that’s what we both showed here tonight.”

Conor Benn was in tears in the ring next to his father, but showing class, credited Eubank Jr. for beating him.

"I could have done better... it wasn't good enough," Benn would say later. "I need to be better...It hurts me. No one likes to lose, and I didn't come in the fight to lose....I want my revenge (a rematch), man".

Eubank Jr.'s win upped the family record against the Benns to 2-0-1 until Conor dominated their November rematch for a wide decision victory in a far less compelling bout that finally (after 35 years) got them a victory over the Eubanks.

But, nobody will ever forget that first fight.

407 power punches landed (227 by Eubank Jr.) in the 12 grueling rounds between the two fighters.

The long buildup with a drug controversy, an "egg smash" to add to the promotion and then, a tremendous fight in a magnificent setting with the legendary dads close by at ringside.

It's the 2025 Fight of the Year.