MILLIONS viewed on TV as British boxing's greatest rivals, Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn, fight each other twice in 1990 and 1993.
Barry Hearn was the Eubank manager and had to deal with Don King and Bob Arum, former promoters of Muhammad Ali, while muscling in on his UK territory.
Chris Eubank defeated Nigel Benn in their first fight. The rematch was a draw as the pair had a classic rivalry
The Americans underestimated Hearn twice and paid the penalty twice. . .
NIGEL BENN was represented in the USA by Bob Arum, an experienced promoter and Ambrose Mendy who was a wheeler-dealer at the fringes the British boxing scene.
They had reached a favorable deal with their man.
Benn was paid PS300,000.
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The challenger Eubank was to be awarded PS100,000.
Despite being the promoter, I was so determined to win the fight that I had already conceded nearly every request made by Mendy and Arum for Benn.
This was because Benn was the current champion. However, Eubank's team had not insisted on any options in the contract.
Optional boxing is a common practice in big-time.
You have the option of requesting a rematch, or taking a portion of the purse from next year's winner if your man loses.
Mendy and Arum had either forgotten about an options clause, or were guilty of the greatest sin: complacency.
I couldn't resist the call of the bell when it rang.
"You do realize you're totally f***ed," I told Arum.
He was taken aback and said "Why?"
"Because we don't have any other options, and this fight is going to be lost,"
Mendy was turned by Arum. He asked, "Haven't we got options?"
Mendy stated, "We don’t need them."
FREE BETTING AND SIGN-UP DEALS - THE BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERINGSBig mistake.
The fight went according to plan.
Benn attacked, slugging and Eubank responded with a strong defensive defense.
It was punch and counterpunch and hurt and be hurt. The thriller came to an abrupt halt when the referee intervened and stopped it in round 9.
Benn was a disaster.
Eubank, who was subject to a lot of punishment, was WBO's world middleweight champion.
Never in my entire life have I experienced such wild excitement.
Financially, the second Benn/Eubank fight was Britain's biggest promotion to date.
We sold 45,000 tickets, and the TV ratings were off-the-shelf -- there were approximately 18 million people watching ITV live.
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We made a lot of money.
However, the fight was disappointing and not as intense as the first.
Many ringside observers believed Benn would win, and he was certain he had done enough.
The result was a draw.
It is still one of my biggest disappointments in boxing, that we did not get to see the third installment.
The real barney was Don King, who shouted in his loud voice that he was now British boxing's dominant force. He had Benn and Eubank with him and was planning to transfer a large part of his operation to the UK to take over.
"What are your talking about?" I asked.
Barry, you're aware of our deal. "I've got Benn, Eubank so I'm going over the place."
Don, I don't understand what you are talking about. You had Benn and Eubank no matter what, win or lose. But the fight ended in a draw so I suggest that you go back to America.
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King wasn't one to cross the t's or dot the i's. I am.
This was part of my accounting training and has been a strength.
- My life: Snookers and Bullseyes. Tight Lines. Sweet Deals.
