JOE CALZAGHE reckons Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn are lucky their dads made them the best of frenemies.
Chris Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn became eternally entwined after sensational fights in 1990 and 1993.
Brighton icon Eubank Sr, now 59, won the original and the second ended in a controversial draw.
And in April their sons shared around £20million for their middleweight blockbuster at Tottenham’s stadium, with no belts on the line, just their fathers’ legacies.
Eubank Jr, 36, kept up the winning ways with a unanimous decision but is still yet to win a world title.
And Benn, 29, insists he will return to his old welterweight division and fight for a world title next.
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But Welsh icon Calzaghe, who outpointed Eubank Sr in 1997, reckons the second-generation scrappers are better off cashing in on their fathers’ names.
The undefeated 46-0 super-middleweight master, 53, told SunSport: “This is going to be — by far — their biggest payday.
“So, when they go back to their respective weight divisions, they might find it’s going to be a lot tougher to try to win a world title, and not get the same sort of money.
“So you have to look at it in a business sense.
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“Eubank, with his age, I’d be surprised if he fights for a world title now. With Conor Benn, it all depends what weight he fights at after this fight. We have seen with a lot of fighters in the past who bulk up and then go back down in weight, they’re never quite the same.
“So I think this is the pinnacle. They’re very lucky to have found each other, their dads, they’re warriors and legends, and good luck to them.”
Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn 2 – all the info
TIME for round two of this generation’s family feud!
Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn go punch-for-punch once again as both rivals look to make their fathers proud.
The blockbuster rematch takes place at the 62,000-seater Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, November 15.
Eubank Jr narrowly outpointed his bitter foe after 12 brutal rounds in April to secure the bragging rights in what was certainly a Fight of the Year contender.
And the two British superstars will dance once more as Eubank Jr aims to do the double while Benn seeks revenge after suffering a first career loss.
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The build-up to the first epic clash was two years of scandal, drama and Eubank Jr’s egg attack on his rival.
Benn’s doping case for clomifene — which he won, putting it down to an elevated consumption of eggs — that delayed the bout gave Eubank Jr gallons of fuel to keep the family feud burning.
And, on the night of the fight, Eubank Jr and Sr were reunited after a six-year feud of their own in a script which could have been written in Hollywood.
This time around, with everybody richer and more convivial, there is a blatant lack of menace and spite.
And brilliant southpaw Calzaghe — who beat the likes of Roy Jones Jr and Bernard Hopkins — believes that should help ice-cool former super-middleweight Eubank Jr keep the winning run going.
He explained: “I think Eubank’s going to be quite wary, might use his jab a bit more early on. Knowing that Conor Benn is going to be more dangerous, because he did catch him with some good shots, and slightly buzzed him a bit, in the early rounds.
“Conor needs to take his time a bit more, but he needs to be explosive, so it’s a fine balance from being too cautious but being explosive.
“I think the longer the fight goes on, you have to go with the bigger man. It won’t be as explosive.
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“It will be a more cautious fight, because last time it was fireworks.”
JOE CALZAGHE was speaking ahead of his exclusive appearance at Paddy’s Sportsbook at The Hippodrome Casino for Eubank Jr vs Benn 2.
