CHRIS Eubank’s son tragically died of a “massive heart attack” while watching the sunset, his grief-stricken wife said as she paid tribute to him.
Sebastian was found dead in Dubai last week just days before his 30th birthday, and a coroner has now reported evidence of a pre-existing heart condition that the boxer was unaware of.
Sebastian – son of former British world champion fighter Chris – became a dad for the first time a month ago and was making a life for himself in the UAE with wife Salma Abdelati.
She today confirmed that her beloved husband, 29, died from a “massive heart attack” while in the sea following a meal out with a pal in Dubai.
“Dubai Police and the Coroner have confirmed that after a full post mortem Sebastian Eubank tragically died from a massive heart attack whilst in the sea and probably could not have been saved even if out of the water,” she said.
“There was evidence of a pre-existing heart condition we were all unaware of.
“While still very painful it is of some comfort that Sebastian died after having one of his favourite meals with one of his closest friends whilst doing his favorite thing at his favourite place in Dubai where he often went to swim.
“He was standing in the water close to shore watching the sunset at Cove Beach in Dubai.
“I am grateful that he was able to spend a few short and happy weeks with his son before his death.
“I would like to express my profound gratitude to the Dubai Coroner for conducting a swift and thorough investigation and to Dubai Police and in particular the Victim Support Department for their help and support at this difficult time.”
Meanwhile, Sebastian’s close pal Anthony de Bruijn, 27, went for dinner with him just one hour before he went for the fatal sunset dip.
The fellow fighter has now revealed Sebastian’s final words – including his love for his newborn son.
Anthony told The Sun: “The last things he talked about was just how positive he was feeling, how excited he was to have a son and how he loved giving him baths.
“He was just so happy to be living in Dubai and focussing on his new chapter as a father and a husband.
“We had dinner just one hour before he went missing and I told him don’t worry about us not seeing each other as much, I told him to focus on his family as we had a lifetime to spend together.”
Sebastian – the third oldest of Eubank’s five children – was born in Brighton in East Sussex before moving to UAE around seven years ago.
He shared a dinner on Wednesday night with Anthony before visiting Cove Beach – a swanky poolside restaurant and bar that is part of the £1.5billion Caesars Palace Dubai hotel complex.
The resort sits on the man-made peninsula Bluewaters Island and was a favourite swim spot for Sebastian since its opening in 2018.
Anthony said: “I left him around 5.30pm and he had a meeting around 7.30pm, I know he loves to swim and for him a 40-minute session would have been a great workout for him.
“He was a free spirit – he filled up his days like this.
“After we finished Seb was off to go talk at a men’s circle, he loved to share his thoughts and feelings with others and listen to theirs.
“He didn’t have any problems, he was just very spiritual and wanted to talk about real things that mattered. He wanted to help.”
Anthony revealed how Sebastian, who was an experienced swimmer, was due to stay at his home that night in Dubai.
But when the boxer didn’t pick up the phone, Anthony immediately knew something was wrong.
He said: “For two days I didn’t sleep, in my gut I knew there was something wrong.
“When I was given the news I just could not believe it.”
CCTV cameras are thought to have captured Sebastian putting his bag down on the beach and going for a swim at around 6.30pm on Wednesday.
‘HUMBLE, POSITIVE AND TALENTED’
The Sun understands the alarm was raised when a man’s body was spotted on the hotel beach at around 9am the following morning.
A post-mortem is yet to take place although initial examinations are thought to have ruled out foul play.
Paying tribute to his friend, Anthony said: “I just want people to know how good of a man Seb was.
“He was humble, positive and talented beyond belief.”
Following in his dad’s footsteps, Sebastian made his MMA debut last year.
Chris Eubank Sr held the WBO middleweight and super-middleweight titles between 1990 and 1995.
His brother Chris Jr is also a professional boxer and has fought the likes of Billy Joe Saunders and George Groves.
