Nigel Benn vs. Chris Eubank out. The British public began to demand the fight to be made. Benn, having lost to Michael Watson, began to rebuild in America, winning the WBO middleweight title by knocking out Doug DeWitt. He then savaged Iran Barkley within one round in his first defence. Benn then agreed to meet Eubank with his title on the line, which set up the first fight. A rematch was held three years later. The Hate Game, a book documenting this boxing rivalry, written by Ben Dirs was published in 2013. The Benn entourage began plotting ways to demoralise Eubank and 'even things up'.
Chris Eubank Jr. the first six rounds with his footwork, elusive style and technical boxing ability, as Eubank was mostly inactive, with many speculating to him being over cautious due to nervousness and 'stage fright' as it was his first major title bout of his professional career. Regardless, from round seven onward Eubank took control with a much higher punch output, this resulted in the two young boxers brawling and trading hard shots for the rest of the fight. In the twelfth round, Eubank came out gunning for the knockout but was unable to get it. The early inactivity turned out to be