Breaking Down the Potential for Chris Eubank vs. Nigel Benn III

A fight between two men with a combined age of 100 might not seem like a great spectacle. However, when the pair involved happen to be Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank, interest levels are suddenly raised.

The duo—who were best of enemies during their respective careers but have buried the hatchet to some degree since—have laid the foundations for a third chapter to their story.

The potential for Benn-Eubank III has been there for a long time, and private discussions have previously taken place. Benn told Riath Al-Samarrai of the Daily Mail a deal has been close before, "We spent three bloody years talking. But Chris is impossible."

However, like butterflies at a wedding, the idea has been released out in the open—and there's no way of getting it back.

In between Bushtucker Trials and forming a friendship with Lady Colin Campbell during his time on the ITV show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, Eubank revealed how Benn had been the only one to ever truly get under his skin (via Mark Jefferies of the Mirror):

"

I am not really competitive. I can easily always walk away and then I come to Nigel Benn, the bad blood between us is fierce. So I am not competitive, only with him.

I got it the first time. I drew with him the second time. He was born to activate me, he won't leave me alone.

He keeps asking for this rematch. If I do fight him again, he is not beating me.

Of course there is a part of Eubank that wants to get back in the ring with Nigel Benn. If you are listening, I am in the jungle and I am getting fit boy.

"

Eubank must have known the comments would get a reaction from Benn. For all we know, it could well have been a planned move all along.

The Dark Destroyer duly obliged on Twitter, seemingly paving the way for another bout:

So not long after celebrating the 25th anniversary of their first fight, which took place at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England, on November 18, 1990, the duo are now considering doing it all over again.

Whether you want to see it, however, is down to personal preference.

Great sportsmen find it tough to let go, to move on from what they achieved in their prime. But that doesn't mean they should keep on trying to recapture the glory years.

Benn and Eubank were brilliant for British boxing in the 1990s. Their rivalry wasn't made up for the purposes of selling tickets or getting viewers to tune in.

Benn confirmed as much to Sky Sports' Ringside show in 2014: 

"

I just couldn't stand [Eubank]—at all. Everyone said 'was it a joke?' But it was real.

Why? He should have been living in Buckingham Palace. He was coming with his jodhpurs, his monocle and his cane, and he was looking down on me and I just couldn't hack it. He was the sharpest dresser going, got to give him that!

I've got nothing against Chris now, though. He was a great ambassador for the sport and I thank the Lord for putting him in my path.

"

Their first fight was a battle between two proud middleweights. Eubank was the one who lasted the longest in a ferocious contest, stopping his fellow Englishman in Round 9.

The rematch, fought at super middleweight three years later at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, was a more cagey contest. Each man walked out of the ring holding a world title thanks to a draw, and at that time, a third bout seemed a certainty.

Nobody, though, would have expected the date for the next instalment to be in 2016.

That's a long, long wait to settle an old score, with "old" being the operative word here. Eubank is the slightly younger man at 49. Benn is 51 and will turn 52 in January.

If, not when, the third fight takes place, it is tough to know quite what to expect.

Benn was a blistering puncher in his heyday, and a YouTube clip of him training with former world champion Ricky Hatton suggests he still has speed and snap in his shots:

But his issue with Eubank was finding a way to knock him down. As Benn told Tom Gray of Ring magazine in 2013: "I could hit Chris’ chin with anything and it wouldn’t even move. It was like hitting a lump of granite but to be honest I enjoyed pummelling that chin."

That same punch resistance may not still be there for Eubank, even if he does get himself into excellent shape.

At least in Benn he would be fighting someone whose skills have also been diminished—but not completely taken away—by the sands of time.

There has been little joy in watching great names, fighters such as Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones Jr. and James Toney, struggling on against younger opponents when they were well beyond their 40th birthday.

Holly Stein/Getty Images

If Benn and Eubank want another go at each other, then that is their choice.

You can suggest they're old enough to know better, but nothing is going to inspire each fighter to get into peak physical condition quite like the desire to get the last word over his greatest enemy. 

Judging by the reaction on Twitter to talk of Benn-Eubank III, there is an audience out there who want to see it happen:

A different beast once he heard the sound of the bell, Benn would surely be unable to hold himself back. He's waited a long time to face Eubank again, so don't expect a patient approach.

He was never a classical boxer. He neglected the notion of defending himself to instead focus all his efforts on throwing leather at his opponents. He worked to the theory that he would always have the last punch, and quite often the risky plan paid off.

Such recklessness for his own safety made him a crowd favourite, even if it was edge-of-your-seat stuff.

Eubank, meanwhile, divided opinion. He was much more of a technician compared to Benn and would pick and choose his moments to work. Winning was all that mattered to him, whether that meant a first-round knockout or a landslide decision on points.

What annoyed his detractors, though, were Eubank's pre-fight antics.

Nicknamed "Simply the Best," he would strut out to the Tina Turner song that shared the same title. He would, eventually, vault over the top rope to enter the ring. There was a lot of preening and posturing with Eubank, often meaning his boxing ability was overlooked.

If his granite-like chin hasn't eroded, Eubank should be able to last the pace against Benn.

No one quite knows how long for, however, as details over the bout's length, location and weight limit are unknown.

A deal for Benn-Eubank III is far from done. Perhaps it could just end up being nothing more than a publicity stunt.

Until it is officially signed, remain skeptical. Perhaps the duo would be better served reflecting on the glory years rather than trying to recreate them.