Gripping contest in April damaged both men who wouldn’t be in the ring again if it weren’t for their fathers’ fights
B
oxing has always been a deeply cynical business. The overwhelming objective for most promoters, and many fighters, is to rake in as much money as quickly as possible without any undue concern about looking crass or desperate.
Anyone who has spent just a little time in the company of boxers will understand that they deserve whatever cash they can make out of such a hard and dangerous activity. But promoters have ransacked the pockets of boxing fans through the decades while peddling anything and everything from Joe Louis’s “Bum of the Month” club to this week’s proposal that Anthony Joshua may make tens of millions of dollars if he steps into the ring to face Jake Paul, the former YouTuber, next month.
Saturday night’s rematch between Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr is a little different. They shared the ring in April and that fight, which showcased their bravery and resilience, took chunks out of both men. Eubank Jr spent two nights in hospital recovering from the ravaging weight cut and rehydration clause which limited him to adding just 10lb after the official weigh-in. Benn was also taken to hospital after a gruelling battle but was discharged that same night.
