THE sons of legends are known as the “sons of legends” for a reason. It is that no matter how hard they try, they are unable to match or replicate the achievements or legacies of the fathers.

This is precisely where we are with this weekend’s match-up involving Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jnr at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Both have made lucrative careers out of their respective fathers’ ring exploits and legacies, and both will climb into the ring on Saturday night in London as significantly poorer imitations of same.

Their dads earned their corn and more back in the 1990s. The sons are this weekend’s beneficiaries. But such is the parlous British boxing landscape nowadays, the names alone are suffice to tickle the sporting palate of a considerable number of fight fans.

No matter, this is a fight which places spectacle over sport. The weights of both men do not match, neither man has earned the right to be accorded such a stage, yet here we are regardless. If it sells it sells, and the British boxing public enjoys nothing more than bad blood and a backstory to spice things up.

Taking the temperature of Conor Benn first, his past three years have a study in reputational harm after he failed a drugs test in the immediate run-up to the last time he was scheduled to face Eubank Jnr back in October 2022. He comes to the table with the bombast and aggression of a gangster in boxing gloves — a young man who wants to fight the entire world on any given day, carrying on his shoulder a chip the size of a boulder.

Conor Benn has yet to challenge for an English area title, British title, Commonwealth, European or world title. Pity those young fighters striving for a breakthrough in this most unforgiving of sports. Not for them the undeserved and unearned opportunities afforded a fellow fighter on the basis of who his father is. And not for them, either, the major promotional and media backing in this age of celebrity for the sake of celebrity.

Chris Eubank Jnr has at least been a British middleweight titleholder. Apart from that he’s won and held two Mickey Mouse IBO world titles in his time, at middleweight and super middleweight respectively. He has challenged for a legitimate world title three times and come up short on each occasion. He has some notable names on his record and in terms of experience is way ahead of Benn.

But he still hasn’t come near to reaching the heights of his dad in the squared circle.

We all know the history of the Benn-Eubank rivalry. The sporting rivalry of the fathers was part of the social furniture of the early 1990s, at at time when everything seemed to make sense to the extent that they don’t today. The contrast in personality and character made for box office, not forgetting of course the warrior spirit of both. They didn’t so much fight as clash like two men for whom winning the championship over each other came to be far more important than any belt or title.

They fought twice in what was then the newly established super-middleweight divison. The first time was on November 18 1990 in front of a sold-out crowd at the Birmingham NEC Arena. The rematch took place on October 9 1993 at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester in a mega-event that attracted a 10-million television audience, such was the heightened sense of drama generated by the first fight. Eubank won by stoppage in Birmingham, while the rematch in Manchester culminated in a draw.

Eubank Snr was and remains a study in a cerebral approach to this most brutal of physical endeavours. He bestrode boxing like a dandy of 19th century fame. Every step, every gesture, every word was curated with the projection of an aristocratic image in mind. In the ring he brought teak-toughness where skill was absent. He eked out victory after victory on the basis of sheer adamantine will.

Outside the ring, Eubank’s eccentricity and flamboyance was the stuff of the front pages of the country’s newspapers at the time. He spent his considerable ring earnings on designer suits, expensive cars, motorcycles and even an articulated truck at one point. For him the world was indeed a stage.

Nigel Benn was a fighter for whom raw aggression was all that mattered. He came to seek and destroy. The result was a primordial package of bad intentions which earned him the status of boxing folk hero. Whenever and wherever he fought excitement reigned. He was the perfect foil for Eubank Snr and Eubank Snr was for him.

The difference between both men today is that whereas Nigel Benn has been up close and personal with his son, spending his entire training camp by his side, Eubank Snr has been a fierce critic of this upcoming event and made clear by his words and actions that he wants no part in it.

The man has a point when you consider that Conor Benn is moving up two weight divisions from his natural 147 lbs welterweight to an unnatural 160 lbs middleweight. Eubank Jnr is boiling himself down from his natural 168 lbs to make the same weight. Such significant shifts in weight up and down are inherently dangerous, carrying with them the character of a fight in which money has been allowed to triumph over integrity and fighters’ safety.

Still and regardless, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is sold out and there is likely to be a huge pay-per-view audience eager to see the Benn-Eubank rivalry continue. Nostalgia, at the end of the day, is a helluva thing.

Conor Benn will be looking to put pressure on Eubank Jnr from the opening bell. But then this is where the laws of bicomechanics will dictate to what effect. The question of him being able to carry power at 160 lbs will be answered within the first minute of the fight, while the question of Eubank Jnr maintaining punch resistance having boiled himself down in weight will likewise be answered.

This is where the fight will be won and lost in the end. And this is why promoters Eddie Hearn and Ben Shalom deserve a prize for presenting and selling to the fans a turd disguised as a gold nugget.