Chris Eubank Jr believes his brother's death cast worry into his father's mind - after Chris Snr threatened to withdraw his son from the Conor Benn fight.
Eubank Jr will touch gloves with Benn at London's O2 arena next weekend in a huge all-British clash, which will settle a family rivalry that originated from their fathers' first boxing meeting over 30 years ago. Both Eubank Sr and Benn's father Nigel were expected to be heavily involved in the fight with his rival's dad joining his respective training camp for the build-up to the showdown.
However his father has yet to agree to corner him for the fight, and even threatened to withdraw him from the clash over fears of the agreed catchweight being the lowest his son has tipped the scales since 18-years-old. And Eubank Jr believes his father was overcome by emotion when making the threat, but is willing to go against his father's wishes having already signed the contract.
“My father has kept his distance," Eubank Jr revealed when discussing his fight with Benn during an appearance on Good Morning Britain. "He wanted me to wait, he didn’t want me to take this fight and he wanted me to wait another year. It’s not that he is scared. He is an emotional man and in that moment in time he let his emotions get the better of him.
"I lost a brother a year ago and that is the cold, hard truth of it. And he just doesn’t want to take any risks now. I understand that but as a man I have signed a contract and I have said I am going to do something so regardless of worries and fears I am going to do it.”
The pair suffered a devastating family loss last year when Eubank Jr's brother Sebastian passed away aged just 29 after suffering a heart attack while in the sea on holiday in Dubai. Like both his brother and father, Sebastian was a professional boxer and also had a one-month old son Raheem who he left behind at the time of his death.
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Eubank Sr has shared his concerns over the 157lb catchweight, which will see his son need to drop 3lb to weigh his lowest in the ring since 18-years-old, while his rival will have to pile on 10lb. And the British boxing legend revealed that he did not want to take a risk with his son's live having lost Sebastian just days before his 30th birthday.
"My son’s life cannot be put in danger, I’ve already lost one. It can’t happen again," Eubank Sr told the Daily Mail. "If you have a child and someone's trying to actually take that child away from you, and do something wrong to that child, as a dad you wouldn't let them. That's all I'm doing. 'I gave my son his instructions and he chose to follow a different (path) but he can't override his dad."
