Soap opera twists and fatherly love - but what next for Eubank and Benn?

When the camera panned to a grinning Chris Eubank Sr stepping out of a black car, you half expected the Eastenders duff-duffs to swiftly follow.

His arrival for his son's bout with Conor Benn on Saturday night was a scene worthy of any soap opera plot twist.

In a sport of fine margins, the reconciliation may just have given his son, Chris Eubank Jr - who said before the fight he had not spoken to his father for years - the edge over Conor Benn in a rivalry steeped in history and drama.

After 12 gruelling back-and-forth rounds at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the usually composed Eubank fell to his knees when his name was read out as the winner.

Benn welled up, tears masked by a stone-faced expression as he battled the disappointment.

Anyone who has even loosely followed boxing these past two years will be acutely aware how badly both men wanted the win.

It all began with a clash of personalities and a bloodline feud inherited from their fathers' iconic duel in the 1990s.

The rivalry was blasted to heights higher than Katy Perry's recent brief space jaunt after Benn failed a drugs test, which led to the cancellation of their scheduled 2022 bout.

And it ended with both men, rather fittingly, in the arms of their legendary fathers.

As an emotional Benn took his defeat with humility, he also struck at what has been at the heart of a fight that captivated a nation.

"A relationship with your father is special, I'd pick a relationship with my dad over boxing any day," Benn said.

"If this fight brought Chris and his dad together then that's worth its weight in gold."

In the moment, it's all too easy to rave about the spectacle and exceeded expectations.

But is a rematch the best move for the fighters and British boxing?

Or after a two-year doping scandal, unnecessary egg slap and a criticised weight agreement, should we move on from this family feud?

Eubank Sr beat Nigel Benn in 1990 before a contentious draw three years later. But their sons were so far away in weight and experience that, on paper, they never should have shared a ring.

The smaller Benn had operated most of his career at welterweight, whereas former world-title challenger Eubank was a seasoned pro up at middleweight and super-middleweight.

Such was the demand for the match-up, though, a carefully constructed environment was created to make the fight make sense. This is not uncommon in the world of boxing, see Jake Paul v Mike Tyson for further reference.

A rehydration clause limited Eubank from adding more than 10lb on the morning of fight night.

Benn was approved to use firmer horsehair gloves instead of foam padding and an 18ft ring was used instead of the standard 20ft - both of which suited his explosive style.

Eubank was a fighter who, at the back end of his career, struggled to make the 11st 6lb weight limit.

The clip of him in a sweatsuit - in discomfort and pain - trying to shed whatever fat was left on his body was a sorry sight for the sport.

But promoter Hearn feels too much was made of Eubank's weight cut.

"He has made it the last five times but he just messed up, that's it," Hearn said at the post-fight news conference.

"Apart from his dad, no-one ever said 'do you think it's dangerous for Benn to be moving up two divisions and fighting someone the size of Eubank"Graphic image of, from left to right, Alex Albon, George Russell, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso and Oliver Bearman. It is on a blue background with 'Fan Q&A' below the drivers " loading="lazy" src="https://image.staticox.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fichef.bbci.co.uk%2Face%2Fstandard%2F480%2Fsprodpb%2F7ff9%2Flive%2Fd42302e0-34b3-11f0-8519-3b5a01ebe413.jpg" width="385" height="216" class="ssrcss-11yxrdo-Image edrdn950"/>