Can This Eccentric Boxer Help You Teach Better?
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Karl C. Pupé FRSA
#31 Thursday 27th November 2025
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Hello friend!
Two weeks ago, Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn faced each other in the packed Tottenham Hotspur stadium, ready to battle for the second time.
This bitter feud, nearly 40 years in the making, that started with their fathers, and their shadows loomed large.
Conor’s father Nigel, formerly known as ‘The Dark Destroyer’ stood in his son’s corner, in his vanilla latte suit looking menacingly across the ring as if he was going to jump in the fight.
But in the other corner, something strange was happening…
While Eubank Jr. was warming up, rapper 50 Cent serenaded the crowd, and a man in an oversized grizzly bear fur jacket danced whimsically around the ring. His face was a picture of happiness and mirth.
It was so out of place in the heat of this bitter contest. All eyes are on him.
And for Chris Eubank Sr, that's just how he likes it.
Chris Eubank Sr. is probably the most unique sportsman that the UK has ever produced.
He held boxing’s WBO middleweight and super middleweight titles, defending the latter an astonishing 14 times. His undefeated streak lasted five years.
Chris Sr was the lad with East End working-class roots who acted and spoke like an old monied elite from Windsor. In the ring, he was an absolute machine, ruthlessly dispatching anyone who dared to challenge him. But outside of it, he recited poetry, talked about the finer details of drinking Earl Grey tea and walked around with a bowler hat and a cane.
You couldn’t make this up.
Because of his eccentric appearance, some people suspected that Eubank Sr wasn't 'all there.' (But those people wouldn’t dare say that to his face…)
But why is that important to you friend?
Because whether you love Eubank Sr or hate him, there is something that you cannot deny that he has: which is bags of charisma. And if you want to teach effectively, a little can go a long way.
Most teachers work incredibly hard on lesson content, but never consciously develop the persona that delivers it.
They leave their presence to chance. Without intentional body language, speech patterns, or identity cues, students fill the vacuum with distraction and noise. Presence is a skill — and most teachers never train it.
When you stand in a classroom in front of 30 kids – you’re on your own. Sometimes teaching will make you feel like Russell Crowe’s Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator, screaming, “Are you entertained?” While the kids laugh ruthlessly.
If that’s the case, there are four things that you can learn from this modern gladiator on how to lead the room and look damn good while doing it.
#1: Skill - Build Your Aura
Eubank Sr was born in Dulwich, raised in Jamaica until age six, then returned to Hackney and Peckham, some of the toughest pockets of London. Eubank grew up in poverty, instability, and constant threat.
He was suspended 18 times in a single school year. Eventually expelled, he was labelled a problem due to his persistent fights with peers. Chris Sr insists he wasn’t misbehaving — he was protecting weaker students from bullies – already showing courage in the face of aggression.
At sixteen, his father sent him to New York — the South Bronx, one of the harshest environments in America at the time. And it was there, surrounded by concrete and struggle, he decided to reinvent himself.
Wanting to learn to box, he walked into the Jerome Boxing Club and became obsessed with the noble art.
He trained every single day, cleaning the gym as a caretaker to pay his fees. He won the 1984 Spanish Golden Gloves - one of the hardest competitions in amateur boxing and seemed destined for the big time.
As he wrote in his biography, he forged himself into something new — driven by a hunger to be accepted, to transcend the horrible circumstances he came from.
Chris Sr used boxing as the platform to build the life of his dreams, obsessively training and mastering every aspect of ring work.
Through his training, Chris Sr knew that there were very few men in boxing who could stop him, and for 10 years, he was right.
How this relates to teachers
Look, we don’t have to visit violence on any poor soul that causes us trouble.
But the key lesson here is that we need to know our stuff.
Your personality, posture, voice, or clothing cannot cover weak foundations. Presence is strongest when students see you are genuinely skilled.
For teachers, “skill” means:
• Mastering your curriculum
• Being fluent in your routines
• Maintaining emotional regulation under pressure
• Presenting concepts with clarity and simplicity
• Predicting and neutralising classroom disruptions with the flair of an MI6 agent
• Responding with calm, strategic precision instead of reactivity
Remember: Eubank could walk into the ring with his hands behind his back because he knew his craft.
When you know your stuff, confidence radiates out of you. It leaks out of your pores without you uttering a word.
Skill creates presence.
#2: Body Language - Being Still Gets You Respect
Every single fight, Chris Sr would flip over the top rope and stand there like a Roman statue to the delight of the crowd.
Chris Sr mastered the art of being still.
Almost at the age of 60, Eubank Sr still has the pomp of a peacock. He walks in rooms with his chest elevated, chin poised, shoulders relaxed, and his arms often clasped behind his back. His slow strides are like a man taking his wife on a picnic on a summer’s day in Clapham Common.
But Eubank Sr cleverly used this ability as psychological warfare.
In the Benn fights, in the Collins fight, in every press conference, he projected calm superiority long before the first punch was thrown.
His opponents often expended energy trying to look intimidating; Eubank conserved energy by embodying control.
How this relates to teachers
Teachers leak authority through their body language without realising:
• Pacing nervously
• Talking while walking
• Fidgeting
• Shrinking posture
• Rapid gestures
• Inconsistent facial expressions
To show Eubank-style authority, move with clear purpose and avoid rushing.
Use stillness to get attention — a calm pause can quiet a room. Stand upright with an open posture to project confidence.
Make slow, deliberate eye contact to show you’re aware of everything happening. And take command of the space by positioning yourself confidently at the centre of the room, not aggressively but with steady presence.
Here’s a simple cheat code: Remember that you are not stuck in the class with the students, but they are stuck in there with you. It's your space, so own it.
This subtle shift in mindset can make all the difference.
#3: Speech Patterns - Speak Softly, Act Boldly
Chris Eubank Snr’s voice is one of the most recognisable in British sport — not because of volume, but because of cadence.
He spoke slowly and carefully, picking his words with precision. His way of talking sometimes sounded thoughtful and poetic, with pauses that made you pay attention. Overall, his style felt intentional and a bit dramatic, but easy to follow.
His post-fight interviews and press conferences — including his lines after the Benn fights or his reflective monologues on discipline, honour, and self-control — became legendary because of how he spoke, not just what he said.
How this relates to teachers
We often undermine ourselves by talking too fast and too loud, with tension in our voices. We speak without clear emphasis or pauses, making it harder for students to follow.
We also keep talking while moving around or while students are talking, which weakens their impact.
Use Chris Sr's approach to sound more authoritative. Speak a bit more slowly so people can follow you, and use pauses to make instructions or corrections land.
Emphasise key words to highlight what matters. Keep your voice low and controlled rather than loud.
Add the occasional well-chosen phrase to polish your message. And speak with the confidence that your words matter — because they do!
#4: Style - Dress to Impress!
Chris Eubank Sr is probably the most fashionable pugilist in Boxing history. He had a unique, instantly recognisable style. From tailored waistcoats and military jackets to his monocle, riding boots, coordinated outfits, and aristocratic flair, everything about his look made him stand out.
Eubank turned clothing into part of the performance.
His outfits signalled discipline, eccentricity, dignity, and individuality.
He dressed like a man who respected himself — and others responded accordingly.
How this relates to teachers
Teachers often overlook how much their clothes shape authority, student behaviour, confidence, and first impressions. What you wear becomes part of your teaching identity.
Look, you don’t have to wear Italian designer garments – Matalan serves me well!
You don’t need anything flashy — just intentional choices.
Eubank’s example shows that a consistent style makes you recognisable, and clean, structured clothing signals authority. A small signature detail can make you memorable — a colour theme, a scarf, a pin, anything subtle.
As humans, we are programmed to look for external signs of status constantly. This is not only with our clothes and products but also with our titles, education, and even our partners!
Don't become a full-blown narcissist. But looking like a hot mess certainly won't do you any favours either.
My uncle always used to say, “You need to dress like someone you want to impress.” And Unc is always right!
TDLR:
1) Master your subject
2) Learn how to use stillness in class
3) Master your speech patterns
4) Respect yourself through your dress
As we come into the home stretch if this winter term, I'm rooting for you!
That’s all for today.
The next and last newsletter of 2025 comes out on Thursday 11th December 2025.
Until then, take care.
Karl
