Benn had just lost his undefeated record to bitter rival Chris Eubank Jnr in a pulsating London war. He was not crying robbery, nor did he say the better man won. He needed to watch it back to draw more measured and less emotional conclusions.

At the conclusion of the 12 rounds, it was Eubank who was given a unanimous points decision to leave Benn devastated but humble in defeat. Both men were subsequently taken to the hospital as a precaution after what had been a brutal 36 minutes of non-stop action.

The rivalry between Benn and Eubank dates back to a pair of fights between their fathers in the 1990s. Eubank Sr. knocked out Nigel Benn in the first meeting before the pair battled to a draw in the rematch in a rivalry that did big domestic business in the United Kingdom.