Emotional Chris Eubank Jr opens up about becoming a father overnight after his brother’s death and how he won’t imitate his star father

Chris Eubank Jr. wants to use his famous family name to give his adopted son the life he deserves.

In July 2021, nephew Rahim was only a month old when his father Sebastian – Chris Jr.’s younger brother – died of a heart attack in Dubai at the age of 29.

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It means Chris became a father overnight and three years later Rahim, who has just started school, is now following his uncle into the practice ring ahead of his middleweight clash with Poland’s Kamil Szremta in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.

At 35, Eubank Jr looks unlikely to follow in his father’s footsteps and become world champion – Conor Benn is likely to become a rival.

But he said that the entire devastation that happened to his family gave him a new inspiration in the form of his nephew, whom he now treats like his son.

He said: “I remember going to my brother’s grave for the first time and that’s where I first met Rahim and I held him in front of the grave and that brought me peace.

“His energy and how calm he was while on my chest brought me peace.

“Then I thought everything would be fine.

“I thought we might get a second chance here.

“I love that little boy. I use Rahim as a tool to strengthen my will, my soul and spirit.

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“Rahim is going to live a long and full life and I only have a few years of boxing left.

“So I need to do everything I can over the next three or four years to make sure she has the best life possible as she grows up.”

Sebastian’s death apparently had a devastating impact on his father, Chris Eubank Sr.

The dramatic but granite-hard two-weight world champion suddenly became weak and vulnerable and became his victim – saying things that caused a rift with his eldest son.

Eubanks Sr.’s anger was fueled by his son’s displeasure over having to weigh in at 157 pounds to face Benn, who failed a drugs test before the October 2022 grudge bout was canceled.

Sadly, especially for little Rahim, now three years old, the gladiatorial gene pool has not yet fully coalesced.

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Dubai-based Eubank Jr said: “We need to be able to help Rahim without involving boxing.

“But there is still a rift between us. I’ll never see that nail there again until I retire.

“It shouldn’t be like this, but he’s set in his own way and he can’t separate the boxing business from being a father.

“I don’t need a boxer, businessman, coach, mentor, advisor like Chris Eubank Sr.

“He is in a better place now. He was dealing with some demons – and he still is.

“But he has overcome a lot of things and he is in a very healthy state mentally, thank God.

“I am very pleased with it. I talk to them whenever I can, keeping me updated on how everything is going. I’m hearing good things now, whereas a year or two ago I wasn’t.

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“I’m very grateful that we managed to overcome that part of our lives.”

Eubanks Jr. makes his heartbreaking transformation from super-cool uncle to loving father overnight seem like a chore.

But this means that he is now in a hurry to give Rahim the little brother he himself loved in Sebastian.

And then he has to grapple with the idea that both of his boys will walk the same brutally difficult path that his father, brother, cousins ​​and uncles have all walked.

He explained: “Once I was put in this position for Rahim, people saw a different side of me, a softer side.

“Spending time with Rahim makes me think more about having my son, giving him a brother, and raising them together.

“His father was my brother and we grew up together and I want to give that to Rahim.

“My new role means I have to teach Rahim – I can’t be Mr Nice Guy all the time.

“He’s got to learn that some things are not good or okay. In a sports environment, tough love and strict rules lead to success.

My old man says…’What are you doing? Get back in the fucking ring and work and learn and accept your sycophancy like a man.’

chris eubank jr

“Nine times out of ten, if you don’t have tears, punishment and discipline, a kid won’t progress in sports, especially boxing.

“My old man would see me getting hurt, he’d see me getting beat up and he’d tell me, ‘Get back in the ring.’

“There were no hugs, no, ‘How are you, son, are you feeling okay?’

“He’d say, ‘What are you doing? Get back in the fucking ring and work and learn and accept your sycophancy like a man.’

“It would break a lot of people, let alone children, but it pushed me.

“Not everyone has it but you need it to survive in war.

“I have a very soft spot for Rahim because of our situation, so I don’t think I would want to do all this with him.

“Would I like to see him pursue a boxing career? No, I don’t think I’ll like it.

“I know his mom wouldn’t want him to do it – but his dad did it, I did it and our dad did it, so he’s got the genes, he’s part of our gene pool.”

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