Eubank and Watson shake hands

The relationship between warring boxers is so complex it almost defies understanding by those of us who have never climbed between the ropes.

How, for instance, can Mike Tyson make odious threats about what he would like to do to Lennox Lewis and then, when the fighting is done, wipe a drop of blood from the cheek of his conqueror with the gentleness of a mother attending to her child?

And how can it be that Michael Watson and Chris Eubank will embrace in mutual respect tonight when one of them is suffering from the effects of brain damage inflicted by the other?

Eubank, one of the principal guests at a testimonial dinner being held for the stricken Watson at the Grosvenor House hotel, considered the matter for several moments before explaining. "When Michael and I were in there, in the ring, we smelled each other's stench," he said. "I smelled his soul, his bareness and he smelled mine. That kind of thing builds a bond, a camaraderie, that you don't find in other walks of life."

Camaraderie is hardly the word that springs to mind when one considers the build-up to that fateful night in September 1991. Of Eubank, hardly a favourite with ringside fans back then, Watson promised: "I'm going to dispose of him, to do the public a service."

Eubank's response was boxing hype of the basest kind. "It's a kill-or-be-killed situation," he said.

So now, nearly 11 years on, how does Eubank reconcile that animosity with the genuine affection that exists between Watson and himself today?

"Once a fight is made all you think about is your opponent," said Eubank. "It is not that you grow to hate him, but you know you have to beat him. It becomes a passionate thing and makes a deep impression on you. Then, when you are no longer competing, you mellow and you acquire the wisdom that means you don't make so much of small-minded things like animosity.

"All that is left is a realisation that you were once emotionally attached and when we meet now it is a case of 'Hey brother, I know who you are'."

Eubank is equally generous when recalling their rematch. He said: "I know it is in the record book that I won, but to me the most important thing is that Michael outboxed me that night. I was given the boxing lesson of boxing lessons by a master. Michael beat me but I wouldn't allow him to break my spirit."

It might be said that Watson has also tapped into that source of strength, enabling him to cope with his disabilities with amazing fortitude. Tonight, the salute he receives from fellow fighters will be generous, and when he and Eubank embrace the applause will be loud and long from those who have also smelled the soul of boxing.