Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn will likely not be in hot water for comments directed at Chris Eubank Sr. but has ignited a discussion on the mental awareness of both active and retired fighters, the damage that promotions can cause to people’s careers and the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).
Making an appearance on talkSport earlier this week, Chris Eubank Sr. once more vented his frustrations regarding the upcoming April 26th bout between his son, Chris Eubank Jr. (34-3, 25 KO’s), and the son of rival Nigel Benn, Conor Benn:
“When someone is guilty of something, there’s no way they walk into the light and talk about [what they’re accused of], and the light of Pierce Morgan? That proves [Conor Benn’s] innocence to me,” Eubank Sr. explained to talkSport’s hosts.
“Now who [is] his team? Someone would have to administer these drugs or steroids. Who are these people? Now the only people I know next to him is a former fighter [trainer Tony Simms] and his promoter [Eddie Hearn], so they have to be looked into. The [British] Boxing Board of Control should look into them.“
To clarify, the interview Eubank Sr. held with talkSport that was posted yesterday on April 24th was a re-run of the same interview held in June of 2023, prior to Eubank Jr.’s rematch against Liam Smith that would occur later in September.
Though Eddie Hearn did not gather the full context of the interview, Eubank Sr.’s outdated accusations were not taken too kindly by the Matchroom chairman who responded vehemently to the allegations of supplying performance-enhancing drugs to Conor Benn (23-0, 14 KO’s):
“I’ll sue him. I’ll sue him immediately,” Eddie Hearn responded to Seconds Out reporter Radio Raheem after being made aware of Eubank Sr.’s comments.
“Send me the clip where he said the exact words you just said. Send me the clip. Chris Eubank Sr. is mentally not stable. How people in the media even allow him in that space is a disgrace. Firstly, the guy is not well. Secondly, the guy really should be here [supporting his son].
“The fact that he is not involved, the fact he couldn’t take any money, the fact he couldn’t be involved in any decisions [and] stand in front of the camera is making him sick as a parrot, so send me that [clip] and he’ll be receiving a legal letter tomorrow.
“You think prison is a confined space [where] you can’t get in or can’t get out, when Nigel Benn finds out what they’ve done to his son, prison will not even be safe for the guys.“
With the argument to be made that Eubank Sr. ultimately helped Matchroom rise to the position of one of the most renowned British promotions in boxing history as one of its most prominent fighters during the 90s, the ongoing feud between the Eubank family with Matchroom chalks up a very unique situation in British boxing.
Coincidentally, both Eubank Jr. and Sr. have hit at the same points where Matchroom has been implicated in nefarious dealings, with Eubank Jr.’s well-known rant against Queensberry Promotions and Matchroom last year having clearly caused a nerve with both promotions’ chairmen and driving home at the same points Eubank Sr. has made.
Hearn’s response towards Eubank Sr. being “mentally not stable” is clearly one of frustration, especially given the context of when the actual interview took place, but seems a natural reply to the accusations flung towards him and Matchroom given no proof has been provided by either Eubank Sr. and Eubank Jr. over the years.
While taking any legal action against Eubank Sr. will be complicated due to when his statements were made, Eubank’s remarks were considered “alarming” according to some viewers of the interview at the time and does not entirely paint a realistic picture given the lack of actual cases of promoters supplying fighters with PEDs.
Failed drug tests are unfortunately too much of a regular occurrence but due to the lack of investigation into who supplies them, there is no exact culprit responsible for fighters being caught with PEDs other than the fighter themselves.
The most likely source for PEDs would be the fighters’ own teams, though their coaching team does not fall into the category, linking these potential drug abuses to individuals whose identity cannot be acutely pinpointed if they don’t hold official roles with the fighter. Anyone from family members to close friends could be linked to these instances, but with no actual body in boxing available to perform thorough investigations, the responsibility of PEDs entering a fighter’s system is attributed to fighters themselves through the “strict liability” policy that some organizations such as the WBO have adopted.
