In the early 1990s, there were a number of boxers making their names. At the top of the middleweight division were two pugilists: WBO Middleweight Champion “The Dark Destroyer” Nigel Benn and “Simply the Best” Chris Eubank.
This duology of matches brought back that degree of drama and showmanship to boxing. The match itself wasn’t the only reason to follow Benn vs. Eubank I, there was some animosity between the boxers’ camps and that became evident in interviews and the day of the fight.
Seeds of War
Nigel Benn began his career in January 1987 and earned his “The Dark Destroyer” early on as a destructive ender of matches in the early rounds. In his first two years as a pro, the major of his matches ended before the fourth round.
All but one of his victories ended in a TKO. His first career loss was in May 1989 to Michael “The Force” Watson, another part of the late 80s-early 90s trio of British middleweight fighters. This was the sudden stop of an extremely impressive 22-knockout streak as well as the loss of his British Commonwealth title.
Watson would play a major but sad role in the rematch between Benn and Eubank a few years after their 1990 encounter. Eubank debuted in October 1985 and was 5-0. Early in his career, he established himself as an ironman, often winning by decision.
A pivotal match was his 14th straight victory on an October 1988 card where Benn was one of the major draws. He began calling out Benn for a match that had to stick in his craw. Eubank was fast on the rise, skilled, had yet to experience defeat, and was charismatic as hell.
This was a showdown that was going to happen.
The First Strike: Nigel Benn vs. Chris Eubank for the WBO Middleweight Championship
Before the contender, Chris Eubank could even make it into the ring, Benn’s team had his theme song—Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best”—ended early into his entrance. The record stood with the champion being 27-1-0 with 92-percent of those matches—or twenty-five—being knockouts.
Meanwhile, the challenger was coming in undefeated with a 24-0-0 record and 14 knockouts. This was a battle between a steamroller and a scalpel. Benn was straight destruction while Benn was a more technical boxer who could go the distance.
Credit: KINGOFKUNGFUAMP (YouTube)
Their first match had the makings of a classic on paper and they delivered. Both Benn and Eubank were seeking quick knockouts but Eubank had a backup plan. If he could knock Benn out, he’d rack up points with accurate punching.
The early rounds were more feeling out trying to get an advantage as the early knockout plan wasn’t going to work here. Going back and watching some of Nigel Benn’s prior matches again and this is a guy you didn’t want to be in close range against.
Plus, he could take blows. Eubank found this out after taking an uppercut early on. This wouldn’t stop Eubank as he got back into action and proceeded to drag the match into the middle rounds.
Final Round
By this point, things were pretty even with Eubank fending off Benn’s advantage mid-match. The advantage shifted between the two as the match reached the 8th round. Benn had the advantage after Eubank danced himself into the corner and downed the challenger.
The match ended after Eubank recovered from being downed by Benn after a punch to the ass. Yes, it was a punch to the ass that knocked Eubank off balance. “Simply the Best” managed to catch Benn with a shot on the chin that caused the champ to stagger into the corner. Eubank unloaded but Benn was able to weather that storm.
He wouldn’t weather the second barrage on the ropes with just seconds left in the 9th round. Benn suffered his second career loss but would immediately get back to business with a 10-match winning streak leading up to their second encounter.
Staging for Benn vs. Eubank II
Eubank would defend the belt three times before his fated rematch against Michael Watson in September 1991. In June, Eubank successfully defended the WBO Middleweight title against Watson and would face him for the vacant WBO Super Middleweight title.
Watson continued to fight after suffering a severe injury earlier in the match. A punch from Chris Eubank sent Watson into the ropes head and neck first but “The Force” was able to get to his feet and continue for a bit.
Eubank was given the win after it was deemed that Watson couldn’t respond to his opponent’s blows. His injuries ended up being worse and Watson’s career ended with that match.
Chris Eubank would vacate the Middleweight title and continue as a super middleweight. The Middleweight title would be won by “The G-Man” Gerald McClellan. This would lead to another career parallel between Eubank and Benn in four years.
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