Chris Eubank has been dubbed a ‘caveman’ after his sexist spiel. (Getty)
Trans broadcaster India Willoughby has reacted to Chris Eubank’s sexist rant, calling his spiel “shocking”.
The former professional boxer was interviewed on iFL TV on 12 February about his thoughts on the upcoming Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk fight. However, the discussion quickly descended into a tirade that was both sexist and exclusionary towards the trans community, as Eubank aired his antiquated views on gender roles and family structures.
Eubank shared his old-fashioned opinions on women boxers, whom he continuously referred to as “females”. The retired boxer also said that men “cannot have a baby”, and that they must “protect the dignity of the female”.
In an exclusive comment to PinkNews, Willoughby called Eubank a “caveman”. “It’s shocking to hear him talk like this, but given the homophobic and transphobic propaganda that has been pouring out of Conservatives over the last four years, not surprising.”
The trans activist continued: “He’s a mug. Typical of the type of stupid person the Right Wing prey on. And on top of that, he self-ids as a toff and dresses like a Vogue Queen.”
Others called for Eubank to apologise for his comments, including columnist at The New European, James Ball. He said on X (formerly Twitter): “I suspect and hope an apology will be quite rapidly forthcoming here. It is needed.”
PinkNews has contacted a representative of Chris Eubank for a comment on the matter.
What did Chris Eubank say in the iFL TV interview?
The former boxer began the interview by commenting on the current “standards” in today’s boxing, saying that he wouldn’t watch the impending fight, which is set to take place on 18 May.
“It is low,” Eubank said on the state of boxing. “We have to raise the standards of our fighters,” he added. “I want to enjoy [it], I love boxing, I’m in love with boxing, I gave my life for it.” He went on to say that current boxers are only motivated by money rather than “grit”.
“Where’s the grit?”, the 57-year-old asked, before drawing comparisons with women athletes and dubbing them as “females” — a term which has been coined as degrading and exclusionary.
“Shamefully, the women are showing grit…You guys, start looking at the women, which is a mindless thing for me to be saying,” he said.
“The dignity of the female should be protected at all costs. That’s how I grew [up], and it’s the women who are showing heart.
“What are we coming to? Are we coming to a female Rocky? Where the nose has been broken, the blood is splattering all over the place, she’s taking body shots, she’s wincing and she’s grimacing and the audience is saying, ‘Oh, this is so inspiring’… Please don’t let it come to that.”
He continued: “Because that’s where we’re heading. That’s backwards,” he said of women in the sport, which was only allowed from 1996 in England when the ban on women in boxing was lifted.
Eubank then appeared to share transphobic and homophobic views on the choice to transition and start a family.
“How is it Europe is like this? Europeans are like this, they teach you, ‘Let’s go backwards, let’s make it so boys can be girls, and girls can be boys and there’s no difference between the two’. There is a difference.
“We are the same, but we are different. Our position, our jobs as young men is to protect the dignity of the female,” he repeated. “And the female is the warrior, she’s bearing children, something that a man cannot do…If a man cannot have a baby then all of this sexual activity is deviancy.
“Stay beautiful, stay a man,” he appeared to urge anyone considering a departure from a heteronormative lifestyle. “Don’t try that rubbish, that foolishness. Don’t try that, you’ll never ever be forgiven. Yourself will never forgive you.”
Eubank’s rant comes a year after Eubank’s son, Chris Eubank Jr, was involved in a homophobic row during his boxing press conference with opponent Liam Smith.