“I Just Want a Dad” – How Chris Eubank Jr and Sr Found Their Way Back to Each Other

Inside the emotional reunion that saved the Eubanks — and redefined what family means in boxing

Boxing has always been a family business for the Eubanks. The name alone carries a legacy of charisma, controversy, and championship belts — but behind the bright lights and bold suits lies a story of pain, distance, and, ultimately, reconciliation.

For years, Chris Eubank Jr lived in the shadow of his father — former world champion Chris Eubank Sr — fighting not just opponents in the ring, but the weight of expectation that came with his surname. Their relationship, once inseparable, fractured under the strain of ego, grief, and time. But against all odds, in the most public and pressurised of moments, they found a way back to each other.

This is the story of how a son who “just wanted a dad” and a father who couldn’t let go rediscovered what truly mattered — not belts, not fame, but love.

A fractured bond ahead of the biggest fight of his life

When Chris Eubank Jr prepared to face Conor Benn — in a fight steeped in generational rivalry — it should have been a moment of legacy and pride. The fathers had fought 35 years earlier in one of British boxing’s most famous feuds. Now, their sons were set to renew it at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But instead of family unity, there was tension. In the build-up, Eubank Jr cut a lonely figure, speaking openly of the “pain” of not having a relationship with his father. The pair hadn’t spoken properly for years. Eubank Sr had condemned the fight, calling it “a disgrace,” and even telling reporters: “You must be mad — I will never be in your corner.”

To the outside world, it looked final — a clean break between father and son. But beneath the headlines, something deeper stirred.

Just 24 hours before the fight, a message arrived.

“He texted me,” Eubank Jr recalled. “He wanted to see me. I told him, ‘I can’t take any negativity.’ He said, ‘No, I have nothing negative to say. I want to be next to you.’”

And just like that, years of silence melted away. “Regardless of what has been said and done,” Eubank Jr added, “I’m always going to greet him with open arms.”

A quiet meeting, a public moment

Chris Eubank Jr and Chris Eubank Sr side-by-side

What followed was one of boxing’s most emotional moments. The reunion was kept secret — not even Eubank Jr’s team knew. It wasn’t until fight night that the world found out. Cameras caught Eubank Sr stepping out of a taxi backstage, walking beside his son toward the ring.

For fans watching on television, it felt surreal — as if a piece of British boxing history had suddenly come full circle.

Later, Eubank Sr explained why he couldn’t stay away. “You didn’t have any support,” he told his son in the BBC documentary that followed. “That was a very dangerous fight. I’m so glad that I cut off from you for so long, but I turned up at the last minute to give you the last piece of energy.”

Whatever that “energy” was, it worked. Eubank Jr boxed with poise, composure, and conviction, defeating Benn by unanimous decision. When the final bell rang, he didn’t just win a fight — he won back his father’s faith.

“He was there when it truly counted”

For Eubank Jr, having his father back in his corner was the missing piece. “Him in my corner gave me that boost, that extra per cent to get the job done,” he said. “When it truly counted, he was there for me.”

Their reunion was more than symbolic. It marked the start of a fragile but genuine healing process — one that both men admit had been years in the making.

Their relationship had begun to crumble in 2019, when Eubank Jr decided to step away from his father’s influence and train independently after losing to George Groves. For a man as proud and protective as Eubank Sr, that decision cut deep.

“That caused us to separate,” Eubank Jr said. “And it shouldn’t have. Boxing and father and son should be two separate things.”

The tragedy that deepened the divide

But it wasn’t just boxing that drove them apart. In 2021, tragedy struck when Chris’s younger brother, Sebastian, died suddenly of a heart attack in Dubai. He was just 29.

“It consumed my father,” Eubank Jr said quietly. “It affected me deeply too, but I think I was able to deal with it better. Everybody grieves in a different way. For him, the passing of my brother widened the gap and separated us even more.”

Eubank Sr, broken by grief, struggled to maintain connections with his remaining children. “He wasn’t able to figure out how to deal with that loss,” Eubank Jr continued. “We didn’t talk for a long time.”

It was only after Sebastian’s funeral — where Eubank Jr met his nephew, Raheem, for the first time — that he began to feel a new kind of purpose. “All I have to do is pick up my phone, look at a picture of Raheem, and I just light up,” he said. “He’s my brother’s son — so now, he is my son.”

In a way, fatherhood, even by proxy, began to teach him what his own father never could.

A father’s love rediscovered

After the Benn fight, Eubank Jr was taken to hospital for precautionary checks. It was there, in a sterile corridor under harsh fluorescent lights, that the walls between them finally came down.

“He didn’t leave the hospital,” Eubank Jr recalled. “He was sleeping in the hallway. Was I expecting that? To be completely honest, no. We’d been estranged for four years, and when I saw that, I knew — okay, he still loves me. He’s still my dad.”

The moment seemed to close the book on years of misunderstanding. Eubank Sr, who had once been as cold as the marble suits he wore, was once again just a father — worried, proud, and present.

“I want to be the kind of dad my father couldn’t be”

Now, as he prepares for the next chapter of his career — and life — Chris Eubank Jr is approaching things differently. He’s not just a fighter anymore; he’s soon to be a father himself, expecting twin boys.

“I want to be the type of father my kids can come to and talk about anything,” he said. “I couldn’t do that with my old man. He was too strict, too much of a disciplinarian.”

For the Eubanks, the focus has shifted. Boxing — once the glue and the wedge between them — is now off-limits. Their conversations are lighter, their bond more human.

“What I want from him as a father is friendship,” Eubank Jr said. “I want to be able to go to the cinema, go to an event, or sit at a restaurant and talk about anything but boxing. I just want a dad.”

A new kind of victory

For all the world titles, bravado, and ring walks, the greatest fight the Eubanks ever faced wasn’t in the squared circle — it was with each other. And for once, both men can finally say they’re winning.

Theirs is no fairytale ending. It’s messy, real, and imperfect — the kind of story that reminds us even the toughest fighters have soft spots. But when Chris Jr says, “I just want a dad,” it’s not a plea — it’s peace.

After years of silence, grief, and stubborn pride, the Eubanks have found what they were missing all along: not a trainer, not a protégé, but a father and a son — side by side again.