Chris Eubank and Five Other World Champions Whose Sons Went into Boxing

Chris Eubank was a boxer who divided opinions.

Some loved his calculated way of fighting and ability to take a punch. Others, however, found his cocky nature and pre-fight antics too much to swallow.

What isn't up for debate, though, is that the man nicknamed Simply The Best is one of the finest super middleweights Britain has ever produced.

BoxRec places him third among Brits who have fought in the division, with only Joe Calzaghe, who defeated the Dulwich-born Eubank in 1997, and Carl Froch above him on the list.

The boxing genes were passed on to the next generation in the Eubank, with his son, Chris Eubank Jr., becoming a professional fighter.

The younger Eubank—a middleweight—is currently 19-1 (14 KOs) in his career. He holds the interim WBA world title after defeating Dmitry Chudinov in February this year.

To mark Eubank Sr. turning 49, here are five other world champions who saw their sons follow in their footsteps.

Thomas and Ronald Hearns

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Thomas Hearns was a fighter who lived up to his Hitman nickname.

The Detroit native knocked out his opponent in 48 of his 61 career victories, including flattening Roberto Duran in 1984 to retain the WBC Super Welterweight title.

Hearns, who became a world champion in five different weight classes, was around in a golden age that included Duran, Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard.

Having made his debut in 1977, he made his last appearance in the ring in 2006 at the age of 47.

His son, Ronald Hearns, had a big reputation to follow when he entered the paid ranks in 2004.

His career started brightly as he recorded 21 straight victories. However, his winning streak came to an emphatic end when he was knocked out by Harry Joe Yorgey in 2009.

He was also beaten by Felix Sturm in his attempt to win the WBA Middleweight crown from the German. It was the first of four straight defeats.

However, while the Chosen One has so far failed to live up to his nickname, he is still active. Hearns beat David Thomas in a six-rounder in Chicago in June.

Julio Cesar Chavez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

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Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. was a Mexican warrior who ended his career with a 107-6-2 (86 KOs) record.

He was a six-time world champion in three different weight classes—super featherweight, lightweight and light welterweight.

His professional debut came at the age of 17, and his career spanned over 25 years, ending with him losing to Grover Wiley in 2005.

Chavez Jr. decided to keep the family's fighting tradition going, starting out as a teenager after two amateur bouts against another son of a world champion, Jorge Paez Jr.

He went 47 fights unbeaten and won the WBC Middleweight belt in 2011, getting the nod on a majority decision from the judges after 12 rounds against Sebastian Zbik.

However, Sergio Martinez handed him his first defeat in 2012.

Chavez Jr. (49-2-1, 32 KOs) has also since been beaten by Andrzej Fonfara, who dropped the Mexican to the canvas for the first time in his career.

Floyd Patterson and Tracy Harris Patterson

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Floyd Patterson made history when, at the age of 21, he became the youngest heavyweight champion of the world. He was also the first man to achieve the feat after winning Olympic gold.

The Brooklyn-born boxer knocked out Archie Moore to claim the vacant title, although he lost his grip on the belt to Ingemar Johansson in 1959.

However, Patterson wrote his name into the record books again when he became champion for a second time by beating Johansson in a rematch, making him the first heavyweight to regain the belt.

Sonny Liston proved too powerful for Patterson (55-8-1, 40 KOs) on two occasions, while he also lost in a pair of bouts with Muhammad Ali.

He adopted a son, Tracy Harris Patterson, who went on to become a world champion in his own right, claiming the WBC Super Bantamweight strap in 1992.

The younger Patterson—aka Caesar—also held the IBF version at one stage before losing that title to Arturo Gatti. He retired in 2001 with a 63-8-2 (43 KOs) record.

Leon and Cory Spinks

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Leon Spinks was an Olympic gold medal winner who shocked the world when he defeated Muhammad Ali on points to become heavyweight champion.

Neon Leon—whose brother, Michael, had also been part of the United States' boxing team at the 1976 Games in Montreal—claimed both the WBA and WBC belts on a split decision in Las Vegas.

The WBC quickly stripped him of his title for not agreeing to fight Ken Norton, instead choosing to face Ali in a rematch that he lost to surrender the WBA version, too.

He failed to take the WBC strap from Larry Holmes in 1981 and was also unsuccessful in an attempt to become a two-weight champion when he fought for the governing body's cruiserweight title five years later.

Cory Spinks was always likely to have a career in the ring, considering the success enjoyed by both his father and uncle.

After a successful amateur career that included winning a Golden Gloves title, The Next Generation turned pro in 1997.

Spinks would go on to dominant the welterweight division, capturing the WBA, WBC, IBF belts.

But, Zab Judah took the trio of titles away in 2005, although he would go on to regain the IBF strap from Roman Karmazin.

A brief attempt to become a world champion at middleweight failed, and Spinks retired in 2013 after losing to Carlos Molina. He finished with a 39-8 (11 KOs) record.

Alan and Ross Minter

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A bronze medalist at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Alan Minter became the WBA and WBC Middleweight champion in 1980.

Boom Boom (39-9, 23 KOs) traveled to Las Vegas to upset reigning champion Vito Antuofermo, triumphing via a split decision on the judges' scorecards.

The dethroned champion was not happy with the outcome, per BoxRec: "I thought for sure I won. This fight, they gave it to him. I wasn't wrong, your judge was wrong. They should suspend both these judges."

There was no doubt about the outcome in the rematch, however. Minter stopped his rival in the eighth round at Wembley, London.

Marvin Hagler made it a short reign for Minter by taking both belts from his possession.

The fight was stopped in the third round due to cuts. The crowd was so incensed at the decision to call a halt to proceedings so early on that there was rioting at Wembley in the aftermath.

Ross Minter's professional career never quite hit the same heights as his father's.

The Crawley-born welterweight managed to win the English title but retired in 2008 with a 17-4-1 (8 KOs) record.