If ever there was a reminder of the magic of violence, it was when Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn first clashed.

They put on arguably the greatest fight seen in a British boxing ring in 1990. Two fighters nearing or in their prime, ambitious, hungry, and with a venomous disdain for one another.
Benn was the blue-collar man of the people; a rough, tough, free-swinging warrior who was dangerous on the front foot, yes, but perhaps even more so if backed against the ropes.

Eubank was the braggadocios eccentric, who wore jodhpurs, a monocle, and spoke with an unusual but precise articulation.  

If you were to pen a sketch of their polar opposite, there is a fair chance you would draw their opponent’s portrait.

The combustible combination detonated first, in Birmingham, on November 18, 1990. Eubank stopped Benn in the ninth, but walked through the fire to do it to claim the WBO middleweight belt.

Those present will never forget what Benn and Eubank created.

Claude Abrams, a former long-serving editor of Boxing News, was ringside that night and for the rematch.

“First fight, in Birmingham, was atmospherically the best fight I have ever attended. The tension in the air was like nothing I ever experienced at another event.”

Abrams was in the sport for some 30 years.

Also ringside was fight historian George Zeleny. 

“Agree,” he said of Abrams’ assessment of the feeling of being there live for the war. “First fight had amazing atmosphere and I have experienced a few. Benn was expected to win as Eubank had come up off the radar. The fight was breath-taking and Eubank proved his toughness and strength.” 

Also covering the fight was CompuBox’s Bob Canobbio, who noted at the time: “In a fight that exceeded expectations in terms of personal hatred being translated to in-ring drama, Eubank captured Benn's WBO middleweight championship by dramatic ninth-round TKO. Eubank overcame a horribly cut tongue from a massive right uppercut in round four as well as a pro-Benn crowd to score the biggest win of his career. Statistically speaking, he did so by controlling the pace (Eubank averaged 53.4 punches per round to Benn’s 45.4), jabbing brilliantly (23.2 attempts/7.4 connects per round to Benn’s 11.2/3.6) and answering every Benn surge with one of his own. A final right-left-right caused Benn to slump into the ropes, a sight that prompted Richard Steele to intervene at the 2:56 mark. Benn’s superior accuracy (40%-34% overall, 43%-35% power) enabled him to take a narrow 163-162 lead overall as well as a 5-4 edge in the CompuBox round-by-round breakdown of total connects, and, as expected, Eubank led 67-32 in landed jabs while Benn prevailed 131-95 power.”
Benn was up on two cards, 76-75, and trailed on the third by the same margin.

Three years later, and the occasion magnified with both having moved up in weight, they fought again, and this time it was big enough to fill a soccer stadium, with more than 45,000 in attendance in Old Trafford, home of Manchester United.

By the end, the judges couldn’t split the fighters, though plenty felt Benn had done enough to level the rivalry.

“The second fight was still an amazing event,” said Abrams. “To pack out Old Trafford. Seems like when you put a Eubank in with a Benn it’s an easy sell.”

According to Zeleny, Benn felt so aggrieved he stormed form the post-fight press conference, but once he recognised Zeleny on his way out (Zeleny had recently interviewed him for Boxing Monthly), Benn stopped. “Hello, mate,” said Benn, embracing the writer before leaving.

But the fireworks of the first fight were not there in the second. 

Zeleny remembered it as a comparative “damp squib” and felt Benn had shaded it.

“The second fight was tinged with controversy,” added Abrams. “I scored it a draw, I believe, from memory. Majority seemed to think Benn deserved the win. He was the moral winner, a bit like Hearns in the rematch with Leonard. On paper at least, Benn never beat him.” 

According to Canobbio that night, “The post-fight conventional wisdom was that Benn had done enough to become the unified WBC/WBO super middleweight champion, thanks to his aggressiveness and harder hitting, but the official decision was a draw. The numbers bear out the Benn backers as he led 226-136 overall and 218-108 power as well as 39%-20% overall, 23%-11% jabs, 40%-26% power and 10-1-1 in the CompuBox round-by-round breakdown of total connects. Benn stunned Eubank in rounds four and 10 but was denied the official win after incurring a rightful point deduction in round six for low blows (he had been warned several times). Eubank might have won rounds by being more active (55.8 punches per round to Benn's 48.1), by throwing flashier, long-range combinations while Benn fired heavy

single shots, and connecting more often to the head than to the body (96 vs. 40 for Eubank, 93 vs. 133 for Benn). Benn was very aggressive with his punch selection (94% were power shots compared to Eubank's 61.2%), so he was the cleaner puncher, the more effective aggressor, the better ring general and the better defender. Yet it was a draw. Scoring: 114-113 (U.S. judge Carol Castellano), 115-113 Eubank (British judge Harry Gibbs), 114-114 (U.S. judge Chuck Hassett).”

They were, say those there, incredible events to have covered. Michael Nunn, ringside at fight two to scope out a contest with the winner, borrowed Zeleny’s fight programme “and tried not to give it back.”

The British sporting world will stop tonight to watch the sons try to recreate the magic.

“Hopefully this one will generate as much electricity as these two fights,” said Canobbio.