The Hate Game: Benn, Eubank and British Boxing's Bitterest Rivalry

by Ben Dirs

Chris Eubank, with his jodhpurs and gold-topped cane, who lisped in his posh accent about his distaste for the business of 'pugilism', could not have appeared more different from Nigel Benn, 'The Dark Destroyer', the Essex boy who had battled with his demons to reach the top of the boxing world. Their boxing style was just as contrasting, and it was inevitable that they would have to settle their differences in the ring.

Their first bout for the WBO world middleweight title, in Birmingham in November 1990, was a brutal affair, widely held to be one of the all-time great contests. Eubank emerged victorious over Benn, the people's champion, and immediately fans called for a rematch. But, for three years, the two men circled each other before coming together again in front of over 40,000 fans at Old Trafford and a global TV audience estimated at 500 million.

Author Ben Dirs has interviewed the key protagonists to tell a story that gripped the nation and that still resonates today, 20 years on. It is a tale that reveals the best and the worst of boxing, while rvealing the truth that lay behind the public facade.

361 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 17, 2013

Reviews

[David Erwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Not sure I agree with some that Eubank was portrayed negatively, the man is an enigma though and his input yo the book would have really made a difference. Well worth reading for any boxing fan but especially anyone who remembers those thunderous nights in the 90's

[Oliver Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

a pretty excellent reported book built on original interviews and a judicious selection of primary source material. benn/eubank seems like an inconsequential feud, at least here in the us, but dirs does a hell of a job conveying its cultural impact (as well as what both of these boxers, plus some of their other rivals, meant for UK boxing). i remembered benn as the dude who beat the fearsome gerald mclellan to death, and eubank as a guy who ducked everybody, but there's waaaay more to the story.

highly recommended.

[Jonathan Mccombie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very riveting read, portrays Eubanks in a negative light though and makes him seem quite a fraudulent repulsive character. Well worth reading though, very engaging book