Chris Eubank Jr narrowly beat bitter foe Conor Benn as one of Britain's most rancorous and long-running boxing rivalries lived up to the hype at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Both fighters showed wild aggression, taking the centre of the ring and letting their hands go in a 12-round edge-of-your-seat firefight. Neither boxer could land the telling blow but it was the experience of Eubank, 35, which prevailed as all three judges scored it 116-112.
He claims bragging rights in a family feud which began 35 years ago when their legendary fathers first fought. "I knew I could do that, I just needed someone to bring that out of me and I didn't think that he would be the guy to do that," Eubank said.
In a sensational plot twist, Eubank arrived at the venue alongside his father, Chris Eubank Sr. The pair had supposedly been estranged for years, and Eubank Sr had criticised the match-up.
"I'm happy to have my father back with me,” Eubank added. “We upheld the family name - onwards and upwards.”
The heartwarming reconciliation seemingly gave Eubank a boost as he extended his record to 35 wins in 38 fights. In a result which could have easily gone either way, Benn, 28, loses for the first time in 24 professional fights.
Eubank was taken to the hospital after the fight which is standard procedure for boxers after a gruelling fight. Benn suggested his rival was being checked for damage to his jaw.
The boxers signed a two-fight deal and, after putting on such a show, could contest a rematch later this year. The grudge match was two and a half years in the making, ever since Benn failed two drug tests and a scheduled fight in 2022 was cancelled.
The crowd erupted when Nigel Benn and Eubank Sr shared a hug before the first bell. But the bloodline rivalry, doping scandal and egg slap all led to their sons, nobody else, standing face-to-face inside a boxing ring. Actor Idris Elba, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and England footballers Marcus Rashford and Declan Rice sprinkled some celebrity stardust as a trademark Eubank uppercut squeezed through Benn's low guard in the fourth.
Eubank looked weight-drained in fight week after he was hampered by a rehydration clause which limited his weight gain. He was breathing heavily at the end of round five.
Benn - who moved up two divisions from welterweight - had landed the more eye-catching shots in the first half of the fight. "It's too easy," Eubank told Benn as he began to claw his way back into the contest.
Eubank Sr left his front-row seat to join his son's corner after Eubank was cut above the right eye in a clash of heads. A flurry of punches in the 11th earned his nod of approval.
There was a touch of gloves before the final round. After everything these two had been through, there was a smidgen of respect.
Benn remarkably stayed on his feet after a ferocious, sustained attack by Eubank in the 12th. Both men raised their hands at the end of a enthralling all-British contest, one which will live long in the memory of all those in attendance.
After serving up such a delight - one full of drama and a will to win from both men - the clamouring for a rematch will be too loud to ignore.
