Chris Eubank Sr sends message directly to Conor Benn minutes before fight

Chris Eubank Sr scolded Conor Benn for claiming he doesn't like his son - minutes before they pair walked to the ring.

Benn and Chris Eubank Jr will continue their family feud at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight - and both dads will be at ringside. Eubank Sr had spent the build-up to the fight criticising his son and refusing to be part of the historic occasion. But he arrived at the ground with Chris Jr to the acclaim of the crowd.

And he immediately set Benn straight when he said: "Conor, that's not fair to say I don't like my son. I love my son; I don't like some of his ways, like I don't like some of your ways, but I love him." Eubank Sr's arrival marked a U-turn after he insisted he would not take his place at ringside along with 65,000 fans.

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He has long been critical of the bout between career welterweight Benn and his middleweight son, going so far as to brand Chris Jr "disgusting" for taking on the smaller man. His fears appeared to well founded when Eubank Jr struggled to make weight on Friday, ultimately weighing 0.05lb over the 160lb limit and landing himself a hefty £375,000 fine.

A controversial rehydration clause in the contract then meant neither fighter could weigh more than 170lb on Saturday morning with Eubank Jr coming just inside the limit. Earlier in the week, the fighter had revealed his torment at the collapse of his relationship with his dad. “My own father, a man I’ve idolised for my entire life, doesn’t speak to me, we haven’t spoken for years and he thinks I’m a disgrace. These things is what pain is to me,” Eubank Jr said at a press conference on Thursday.

Eubank Sr had issued several tirades in the build-up to the fight, including after his son slapped Benn with an egg during a face-off two months ago. "Who taught you that? Did Karron [Eubank Jr's mum] teach you that? Who taught you that? That is disgraceful. That is disgraceful. I'm going to be in your corner? I would never have been in your corner; that is a disgrace," he said.