"You do not, I would hazard, expect to be moved to tears by a documentary about the Eubank family. But I suspect I am not the only one to find myself unexpectedly moved by The Eubanks: Like Father, Like Son, which follows Chris Sr and Chris Jr (also a successful boxer) as the latter prepares for a fight against Conor Benn, son of his father's great 90s rival Nigel Benn, and tracing the rapprochement between the Eubanks after four years of estrangement."
"Eubank Jr has all his father's gentleness and none of his eccentricity. He also has less of his need to be noticed, and the patience of a saint. He treats his father with such quiet respect absorbing all his performative flourishes, and clearly trying to keep his mind's eye and his heart fixed on Eubank Sr's underlying love that your own heart is semi-pulverised long before we get to the meat of the programme."
The documentary follows Chris Eubank Sr and Chris Eubank Jr as Jr prepares to fight Conor Benn and the pair work toward a rapprochement after four years apart. Jr exhibits gentleness, patience and a refusal of spectacle while absorbing his father's performative flourishes. The estrangement began when Jr dismissed his father as coach to seek new strategies and personal independence. Sr reacts with hurt, asserting control and questioning who else is qualified. Archive press-conference footage shows Sr's showmanship. Plainspoken moments reveal surprising honesty and emotional reconciliation amid the pressures of boxing and public scrutiny.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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