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It takes a lot to shock and disturb when it comes to boxing these days, but occasionally one is unpleasantly surprised. There are, it seems, still some unopened doors and unoccupied rooms inside the dystopian world we all call home.
Today, for example, a video of a British MP, Chris Webb, started circulating on social media, and it was hard, at first, to determine whether it was real or not, so peculiar was the content. In this video, which was posted by The Ring’s social media account, Webb, a Member of Parliament for Blackpool, extolled the virtues of the April fight between Conor Benn vs. Chris Eubank Jnr and did so while standing in the House Commons. More impressive than that, he did so with a straight face and only the occasional stutter.
“This week we heard the announcement of the great fight between Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jnr,” Webb said. “This is the best fight in British boxing and showcases what a fantastic sport it is in the UK. Will the Secretary of State join me in wishing both fighters the best of luck in showcasing this brilliant fight across the world?”
Bizarre on just about every level, not only is a statement like that completely unnecessary in a place of supposedly serious business, it was also flabbergasting due to the many inaccuracies it contained. Somehow, in just a couple of sentences, Webb had contrived to sell the April fight between Benn and Eubank Jnr in a way perhaps even its promoters wouldn’t have the temerity to sell it. For one, he called it the best fight in British boxing, confusing the word “best” with the word “biggest” – and still that’s being kind. Then he alluded to Benn vs. Eubank Jnr being a wonderful advertisement for the sport we all love.
Now, Benn vs. Eubank Jnr is many things:
It is a fight between two well-known British boxers.
It is a fight between a welterweight and a middleweight.
It is a fight between two privileged sons of former world champions.
It is a fight which would have happened two years ago were it not for one of the two boxers failing two drug tests.
It is a fight from which all the men involved will take home large amounts of money.
It is a fight that will inevitably lead to a rematch.
But the one thing Conor Benn vs. Chris Eubank Jnr isn’t is a “fantastic showcase” for British boxing.
