Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank’s great British rivalry

By James Hicken

THE two names, Benn and Eubank, whilst holding their own individual value, will be inseparably bound for as long as there are history books to remember their bitter and savage rivalry in the early 90s.

Nigel Benn was a fan favourite of the British public, nicknamed the Dark Destroyer for his brutal fighting style, pulverising his opponents with little finesse but instead raw strength and aggression.

At the time of the fight, Eubank was not a big name in the boxing scene and lacked a credible record up to that point. But he was, as he would become famous for in the future, a true showman. He had charisma, spoke well and had mighty power in his hands, coupled with a granite chin and a slick, unorthodox style.

The bout was staged at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham and the WBO middleweight title was on the line as Benn had gone to America and taken it from Doug Dewitt earlier that year.

Eubank was up to his usual tricks as he entered the ring, somersaulting over the top rope, preening and posing once inside the ring. Benn was steely-eyed and ready to go, such was Benn’s style he would’ve been happier if the fight was in a phone booth.

As soon as the first bell sounded, Benn set the tone, pouncing into the middle of the ring, sending Eubank onto his back foot, forced into using fast footwork and faster counters to keep the Dark Destroyer at bay in the early rounds.

The early rounds were characterised by Eubank, who seemed to be the smarter fighter, using feints, setting traps, counterpunching, and footwork to land clean shots on Benn. But the second Eubank would get too comfortable in range, Benn would unload a barrage of venomous hooks and uppercuts that would send Eubank back on his bike.

One of these Benn uppercuts landed flush in round four and Eubank nearly bit through his tongue, requiring stitches after the fight. He revealed that he had hidden the extent of this injury from his corner out of fear that the doctor would stop the fight.

Sharp jabs and counter right hands had closed the left eye of Benn by round five, but despite their injuries, both men continued to exchange thunderous combinations, which eventually came to fruition. Benn clipped Eubank above his left ear with a looping overhand right which knocked him to the ground. Eubank protested and said it was a slip but was forced to take the count.

But as categorised earlier, any good fight must have twists and turns, back and forth, and an exciting finish. The fans were treated to one in the ninth round – as the round ended, Eubank landed a clean three-shot combination, which sent Benn reeling into the ropes.

Whether this combination was punch perfect or it was simply more than an exhausted Benn could take doesn’t matter because Eubank unloaded his entire arsenal onto Benn, knowing the end was close and with less than 10 seconds left in the round, the referee called an end to the fight.

Eubank took to the centre of the ring and posed, gloves together at his waist, and let out a primal scream only possible from a man who had just been to and pulled himself from the depths of hell. Displaying the brutality of the contest and how much it meant to be the victor in a fight that would become the benchmark for decades to come