'My dad was always in my corner, so seeing the Eubanks reunited was a special moment. It was beautiful': JOE CALZAGHE opens up on his unique relationship with his father Enzo and his 1997 brawl with Chris Eubank Snr

Joe Calzaghe is perfectly positioned to offer Conor Benn some advice about taking on a Eubank in a seismic fight.

In 1997, the Welshman faced Chris Eubank Sr in a world title scrap - a fight that forced him to confront pain, doubt and exhaustion on new levels.

But what he didn’t have to deal with was the pre-fight rancour that has dogged Saturday’s rematch between Chris Eubank Jr and Benn. And that’s because the duel was sprung on him at short notice.

'With Eubank, my fight was only announced two weeks before,’ Calzaghe, now 53, tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘So luckily for me, I didn't have 12 weeks of mind games. The transition was so sudden. One minute I was preparing for Steve Collins, and then it's, “Oh, wait, you're fighting Eubank”. That was a bit of a shock.

‘The first thing that stands out in my memory was the handshake (in the press conference). Honestly, it was the hardest handshake I've ever had. I knew he was trying to impose himself straight away! 

'And then there is all the waffle he comes out with. There was all the talk about taking me to the trenches.

‘On fight night I was confident in myself. I was nervous but fired up. Doing loads of pads with my dad, I couldn't wait to get in the ring. Then Eubank came up and just roared in my face and that really took me back. No one had ever done that to me before.

'Within the first 15 seconds, I threw a left hook and dropped Eubank flat on his back. I thought, “Yeah, this is going to be another early night. What trenches was he talking about?”.'

But the reality soon set in.

'Then came rounds three, four, five… and for the first time in my career I thought, “Wow, this guy's not going anywhere”. I kept trying to load up, but I was inexperienced. I was used to knocking people out, so I didn't pace myself. After eight rounds, I was absolutely exhausted - completely spent. From there, I had to rely purely on heart and will to get through those 12 rounds.'

Get through them he did and Calzaghe won the WBO super‑middleweight title with a unanimous points decision. But the Sheffield Arena had seen a brawl.

'Chris did exactly what he said,’ Calzaghe says. ‘He took me to a dark place, to the trenches. I thank him for that, and I've got so much respect for Chris because of it. It was a brutal, tough fight. It was the most physically and mentally draining fight I had.

'I remember my dad lifting me up after the fight and hearing them announce I was the new world champion. 

'That moment, finally realising the dream, was incredible. It was a baptism of fire. Maybe I fought better fighters later, but because of my inexperience, that fight was brutal. I ached for a week afterwards. Every muscle, every bone, my arms...I was completely spent.'

A dad hugging his boxer son conjures memories of the enduring image from the first Eubank-Benn fight back in April at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, when Junior embraced his father on the canvas at the end, the pair reunited after years of distance. 

It reminded Calzaghe of his own journey - the tough love and unbreakable bond with his father, Enzo, who passed away in 2018 aged 69.

'It was beautiful,’ Calzaghe says. ‘For me, my dad had always been in my corner, so seeing Eubank Snr and Jr reunited was a really special moment. It was emotional and wonderful to see.

'My dad always trained me from a young age, and sometimes I didn't want to train. He was a real taskmaster. But I'm so thankful to him for kicking my a***. It was tough. It wasn't all smiles in the ring. When I was younger, I'd think, “I'm not going for a run, I'm not running in the snow” and he'd make me go because he saw the talent in me and knew he had to be tough.

'There was a time, around 1999, when I was injured a lot and couldn't spar properly. I even spoke to Frank Warren about possibly getting another trainer. My dad heard about it and was devastated. After a few weeks, it didn't materialise and I realised, you know what, this man has gotten me this far. He was pretty upset at the thought of me leaving, and thank God we stayed together.

'But yeah, we were like a little married couple sometimes. A lot of calm moments, a few rows, a bit of banter, but we just managed to make it work. The key to our longevity was knowing that outside the ring, we were just father and son. In training, we'd hit the bags, work the pads, spar - that was it. 

'Then we'd have a cup of tea in the kitchen, talk about the kids, make a bet, chat about football - Dad loved his football - whatever. And then when we got back in the gym, we knew the roles - father as trainer, son as boxer. That balance kept us going.

'Dad was sometimes more nervous than me. I remember bickering in the changing room while we did the bandages - his hands sweating, shaking a little, trying to hide it. I'd say, “What are you nervous for?” and he'd reply, “My hands are shaking”. But I understood, it's his son in the ring. He hid it well, though. He was a special man.'

As for lessons for Benn ahead of next week’s revenge mission against Eubank Jr, Calzaghe says: ‘Eubank Jr has got under his skin a bit. Junior has definitely inherited some of that mind-game stuff from his dad. 

'He knows how to play it, and it can be unsettling. So my key advice is: stay calm, don't let emotion take over. Boxing is not about getting drawn into the mind games. I know there's a lot of history with their dads, but it's important to keep composure.

'Mind games can be used for TV or to try to get under someone's skin, but inside yourself, you have to remain calm - otherwise it's just wasted energy. That'll be the difference this time.

‘The first fight won by Eubank Jr was a big step up for Conor. He knows he can mix it in at the higher weight (middleweight), and a big part of that is realising he can hurt Eubank. Even if he got buzzed slightly in the first fight, he's going to take a lot from that experience.'

Joe Calzaghe was speaking ahead of his exclusive appearance at Paddy’s Sportsbook at The Hippodrome Casino for Eubank Jr v Benn 2 on November 15