- Chris Eubank Snr’s brother Simon passed away last month at the age of 61
- Eubank Snr has opened up on his brother’s lengthy battle with dementia
- LISTEN: Exclusive Tyson Fury interview on THE HOOK – our new boxing podcast
Boxing legend Chris Eubank Jr has paid a touching tribute to his brother Simon after he passed away following a lengthy battle with dementia at the age of 61 last month.
Simon’s death was confirmed in September, with his son Harlem – who also boxes – posting a heartfelt tribute on X shortly afterwards.
Eubank Snr has now opened up on the suffering his brother went through in his final days living in a care home after being diagnosed with dementia five years ago.
The 57-year-old revealed he was heartbroken by the loss, but admitted his brother ‘is truly at rest now’.
‘Simon had frontal lobe dementia,’ Eubank Snr explained in an interview with The Sun.
Chris Eubank Snr (right) has paid an emotional tribute to his brother Simon after his passing
Simon passed away last month following a lengthy battle with frontal lobe dementia
Eubank Snr has admitted he is grateful is brother is ‘truly at rest now’ after his suffering
‘He had been living locked in his own body for the last two years. To see someone spasming all the time they’re awake for a year and a half is soul-destroying,’ Eubank Sr told The Sun.
‘My brother always showed me love, he always protected me. Simon saved my life once. He is the one who truly loved me and that is why I recited Corinthians 1:13 at his funeral.
‘It talks about how love is the most powerful of all things, and I recited that for him and for what he did for me. In many respects, it is mercy that he has left us. He is truly at rest now.’
Eubank Snr was known for his warrior-like mentality in the ring that saw him win world titles in two weight divisions, while also taking significant punishment during his 13-year professional career.
Despite being involved in some gruelling battles, he claims he is not concerned about developing dementia himself as he has been working hard on ‘keeping my memory in shape’.
‘You have to train your brain. What I have found to be good is committing to memory philosophies and then reciting them to audiences,’ he said.
‘I have combatted it in that way. I trained myself throughout my career to be cognitive, always keeping my memory in shape by committing those poems to memory.
‘Throughout my career I was clever. I got hit a few times, no doubt. I’ve had some terrible damage done but nowhere like a lot of fighters.’
Eubank Snr has endured an incredibly difficult period in his life, with his brother’s passing coming just two years after his son Sebastian died after suffering a heart attack, aged just 29.
Reflecting on the loss of his son, he conceded he would never be able to come to terms with his death.
‘I will never get over losing Sebastian,’ Eubank Snr continued.Â
Eubank Snr now treats Simon’s son Harlem (pictured) as his own son after his brother’s death
Harlem will fight Germany’s Timo Schwarzkopf (right) in Brighton next month
‘That was my boy. You go through weeks of being fine. Then all of a sudden it comes into my mind and I will cry. Spiritually he is in a better place, I know that and I am at peace with that. But the physicality of that loss I will never get over. Ever.’
The Eubank family appear to have been brought closer together following the recent tragedies, with Chris Eubank Jr regularly being seen taking care of Sebastian’s son Raheem, who was born shortly before his father passed away.
Eubank Snr has also stated he now treats Simon’s son Harlem, who was sat alongside him during the interview, like his own as he continues to make strides in his boxing career.
Harlem is unbeaten in 18 fights as a professional, and is set to step into the ring for the first time since his dad’s passing when he takes on Germany’s Timo Schwarzkopf on November 10 in Brighton.Â
