Chris Eubank Jr has shared shocking footage of himself seemingly unconscious in hospital.
The 36-year-old British boxing star, who lost on points against Conor Benn in their rematch last month, admitted he has ‘been dealing with a lot of health issues’.
Eubank Jr is expecting twin boys and it is not known specifically what date the hospital video was taken in November, though it was presumably after his fight on the 15th.
The clip shows him hooked up to machines, surrounded by hospital staff and lying on his side with his eyes closed.
At one point his arm, which is limp, is lifted from his side to rest on his body and the grim footage has led plenty of fans to call for the multi-millionaire fighter to hang up his gloves for good.
Alongside the video, Eubank Jr wrote: ‘I’ve been dealing with a lot of health issues over the last year & yeah it all finally caught up to me last month.
‘I will not box again until I’m back to 100% & I don’t know when that will be, but one things for certain… For the fans that have supported me through thick & thin, I will do everything in my power to make sure that one day, the old me makes a big comeback.’
Today, the Daily Mail’s boxing expert Jeff Powell said: ‘It’s time to retire’.
And that ‘big comeback’ is not one that plenty of fans want to see, with many expressing their concern on social media.
One wrote: ‘You have nothing left to prove Chris…you’ve made good money now retire with your health & enjoy raising those kids you have on the way.’
Another posted: ‘Retire, enjoy life with the kids. Nothing else to prove except having good health and memories with the twins.’
And a third echoed the sentiments of many, adding: ‘Take your time, you’ve given the fans more then enough, health over everything, you’re a father now and that comes before any and everything. Get well and enjoy life, for we only live it once.’
Eubank Jr did not specify what kind of health issues he has been battling and it is not known whether they are related to his gruelling weight cuts to fight Benn twice this year.
He was hospitalised for two days after his victory over Benn in their first meeting in part due to the severe dehydration he endured to cut weight.
He was fined £375k after missing the 160lbs limit by 0.05lbs in the first encounter, having had to abide by strict conditions that were inked into the contract.
Eubank Jr weighed in slightly lighter at 159.1lbs for the rematch and put his body through hell to achieve it under the same stipulations.
He gave an insight into the brutal reality of dehydrating himself to the extreme in order to make the limit, effectively mummifying himself in sweat suits, working out in a sauna on a bike and draining himself.
It was an enormous physical sacrifice to make, lured in by the reportedly £10million payday.
In the aftermath of the defeat, Eubank Jr stormed out of the press conference just as his promoter Shalom began to hint at the significant difficulties he had gone through to make the fight, prompting an irate response from Eubank Jr as he headed for the exit.
Shalom told the press at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium: ‘All I want to say is what Chris went through in camp, he won’t want to talk about it but the things I saw – he did incredibly well to get in the ring tonight. And I just want to say, he’s the reason this has been so big.’
Eubank Jr then interjected, shouting ‘Ben’ from across the conference room, to which Shalom replied: ‘I know you don’t.’
Shalom continued: ‘Chris doesn’t want to say it but I saw what I saw and he deserves a huge amount of credit to get in there tonight. It was an unbelievable spectacle.
‘Thank you to Turki Al-Sheikh, thank you to all the media that turned out – and we’ll see what’s next.’
Before storming out, Eubank Jr had hinted that personal issues, combined with the weight cut, had caused problems during camp, and he knew from the opening round that he was facing an uphill battle in the rematch.
‘I’ve been through hell and back to make it here today,’ he said. ‘I genuinely thought that regardless of the issues that I’ve been dealing with, I would be able to go in there and win.’
Despite being unable to get the job done, it seems he is intent on continuing his boxing career, rather than retiring to family life.
Eubank Jr announced he is expecting twins with his secret girlfriend in the lead-up to the second fight.
Sharing a clip from the family’s reality television show The Eubanks: Like Father, Like Son on BBC, in which he told his famous father the exciting news, Eubank Jr, 36, posted on X: ‘So yes many of you guessed it. I will soon be joining the dad gang.
‘Only difference is I’ll be joining as a father of two! Twin boys!! I’m so grateful for such a blessing & I will do my absolute best to give them the happiest upbringing I possibly can… just like my old man did for me.’
In the BBC video clip, Eubank Jr tells his father: ‘I want to start that next chapter in my life. You’ve got two grandsons that are on the way.’
