Family Affair: Chris Eubank Jr. Defeats Conor Benn in Barnburner

It was a fantasy fight for years among British fight fans, a matchup between the famous sons of two British boxing greats. After a long wait and multiple roadblocks, the fight between Chris Eubank Jr. of Brighton (34-3, 25 KOs) and Conor Benn of Ilford, Essex (23-0, 14 KOs) arrived and delivered on expectations in front of 67,484 rabid boxing fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday in London.

In the first of what will be two epic fights, the decision went without controversy to Eubank Jr. The scorecards were identical at 116-112. Eubank Jr. dropped to his knees and roared, with his father Chris Eubank Sr. at his side.

Chris Eubank Jr. celebrated after the end of his fight with Conor Benn Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Photo: Ian Walton, Matchroom Boxing

Benn and his father Nigel, showed little reaction, simply exhausted at the end of an epic 12 rounds of nonstop action. The elder Benn embraced his son and held him tight for a long stretch as a father consoling his son.

Conor Benn is comforted after his defeat by his dad Nigel Benn. Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing

Eubank Jr. was gracious in victory, the pre-fight vitriol at least temporarily washed away. “I just needed someone to bring that out of me. And I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t expect that he’d be the guy to do that.

“But the fact that our fathers did what they did all those years ago brings out a different soul and a different spirit into you, and that’s what we both showed here today,” said Eubank Jr.

Watch Eubank Jr. vs Benn Fight Highlights:

Expectations Met In All Action Matchup

The buildup and the backstory couldn’t have been more loaded with tension and excitement. It would be a tall order for the fight to deliver on expectations.

The pair couldn’t wait to get at each other from the opening bell, throwing with all the energy of the bad blood between them. The small 18-foot ring could have been 30 feet across and it would make no difference as the pair stood in front of each other for 12 hard rounds.

Conor Benn came at Chris Eubank Jr. from the opening bell. Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing

Eubank Jr., who successfully made the rehydration limit of 10 pounds on Saturday, was clearly the bigger man in the ring. Benn launched himself at Eubank Jr. like a rocket. It was going to be a war of attrition. Eubank Jr. caught most of the early punches Benn offered, getting a solid feel for Benn’s strength.

Referee Victor Laughlin kept a watchful eye on Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn in the small 18-foot ring. Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing

Referee Victor Laughlin stopped the action early in round two to admonish both fighters about any shady tactics and keep an eye on any extracurricular activity. Laughlin was not a factor in the fight, the goal of a quality referee.

Benn popped Eubank Jr. on the chin with a left hook in round three, the first consequential power punch of the fight. Eubank Jr. felt it. In the following round, Eubank Jr. came up drilling Benn to the body. It revived his spirit, and the pair were on even terms again.

Cheers of “Eubank, Eubank” started up. The majority of fans were behind Eubank Jr., reacting with enthusiasm to every punch.

Chris Eubank Jr. Pulls Away To Win

Chris Eubank Jr. found success in later rounds pushing Conor Benn back on the ropes. Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing

The action never stopped. As the fight entered the middle rounds, it remained razor close. Moving into the second half, the weight cut by Eubank Jr. did not become a factor in the fight as some thought it might. Eubank Jr. landed a punishing right uppercut, but Benn took it well. Still, it fueled Eubank Jr., who kept coming at Benn to try and capitalize.

Benn regrouped and roared back in round seven, but the momentum had swung in Eubank Jr.’s direction. The pair let it rip, with Eubank Jr. pushing Benn back to the ropes with his greater size and Benn firing back.

The ninth round of the fight had the shadow of boxing history over it. Eubank Sr. stopped Nigel Benn in the ninth round of their first fight. Eubank Jr. was ferocious, drilling Benn nonstop to body and head. Benn refused to yield. History would not repeat itself.

Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn kept up the furious pace in the later rounds. Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing

Benn’s relative youth helped him recover between rounds, but he underestimated how strong Eubank Jr. would be in the later rounds. He went at Eubank Jr. with body shots in the tenth round to slow him down. Eubank Jr. wouldn’t let up, running on determination. He delivered a barrage of body shots to end the round and catch the judges’ attention.

Any of the three final rounds could be a 2025 Round of the Year. By the final round, Eubank Jr. had the finish line in sight and could have coasted. But Eubank Jr. wanted to make a point by punishing Benn, and the two men let their hands go without reservation. Eubank Jr. threw his hands in the air at the final bell.

“I thought I would break him early. I underestimated him. I didn’t train for a fight like that. I didn’t know he had that in him,” said Eubank Jr.

Conor Benn: Inactivity Played Part

Conor Benn fought well against a much bigger man, but felt inactivity was a bigger factor. Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing

Benn assessed his performance as the product of inactivity. “I don’t know. I mean, maybe 14 months out of the ring played a factor. That’d be the only thing, just maybe inactivity. But apart from that, I feel like it’s a close fight.”

Benn said he wouldn’t take away from Eubank Jr.’s victory. “I’m not gonna go, ‘yeah, I think I won it and all that.’  I’ve got to watch it back. And that was close. You know, I stayed on the ropes maybe a bit too long. He worked harder towards the end,” saying he enjoyed the fight.

Nigel Benn said his son did well. “You know, he learned a lot from me. He’ll come back stronger.

Benn agreed his son stayed on the ropes too much, but agreed it was Eubank Jr.’s night. “We can handle defeat gracefully, you know what I mean. And now we go back to the drawing board to know where we went wrong.”

Chris Eubank Jr. Reunites With Father

Chris Eubank Sr. joined Chris Eubank Jr. for Saturday’s fight after all. Photo: Mark Robinson, Matchroom Boxing
Chris Eubank Jr with his dad Chris Eubank after his win.

“I pushed through,” said Eubank Jr. “There’s a lot of things I’ve been going on in my life, but I’m not gonna get into right now. I’m happy to have this man back with me,” said Eubank Jr. of his father. “It was one of those things that was special. He needed to be here. All of this is because of what he did.”

Eubank Sr. was elated with the victory. “I mean, that is legendary behavior in the ring, legendary! Conor Benn is an extraordinary fighter. You saw that here tonight.

“He’s going strong right the way through the fight. I am so proud of him. That’s my son. That’s right. That’s why I’m here. I was always going to be here.”

After the fight, Eubank Jr. went to a local hospital to assess his condition.

READ MORE: Aaron McKenna Shines, Anthony Yarde Survives

Rematch In The Works? It’s Up To Conor Benn 

Fans would be thrilled with a Eubanks Jr. vs Benn rematch. Photo: Ian Walton, Matchroom Boxing

There is a rematch clause, reportedly in control of the losing fighter. Will Conor Benn push for the rematch? He has options, and he needs to assess which one suits him best.

Benn could return to his natural weight division and fight for a title. The likely opponent would be WBC World Welterweight champion Mario Barrios of San Antonio.

Or he could pursue the rematch, armed with the experience from Saturday’s fight. The big advantage would be the enormous amount of money Benn could negotiate to stage a second fight, something fans would love to see.

“We always knew Chris is a good fighter. You know, the fighting talk is fighting talk. He’s a good fighter. I can fight at 160. If we don’t do the rematch, which I’d love to avenge that loss – go for the 147 title, either Mario Barrios or the rematch with Eubank, whichever is next,” said Benn after the fight.

Later, during the post-fight news conference, Benn became more emphatic. “I want my revenge.” But a serious talk will occur in the weeks ahead after Benn recovers.

Matchroom Boxing chairman Eddie Hearn praised Benn’s effort. Never shy to criticize scorecards, Hearn said he wouldn’t moan about it Saturday, saying Eubank Jr. won the last two rounds.

“Just unbelievable respect for both men. I could not be prouder of Conor Benn for what he’s been through and the heart that he showed in a ring tonight.

“He rose up from 147 pounds to fight a middleweight in there. He took the kitchen sink. He never stopped trying to win the fight. And that’s what the public love to see, someone that to the final bell does not stop throwing punches and trying to win,” said Hearn. Hearn agreed that inactivity played a role, as did Eubank Jr.’s experience.

As to a rematch, Hearn made it clear he prefers that Benn return to the welterweight division to win a title, mentioning a fight with unified champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis. “Conor Benn is a 147-pounder. He can win world titles down there. We’ll see if we’ll do the rematch or not at 160.”

“He’ll want to do it. It was one of the best fights, one of the most dramatic fights I’ve seen. Big respect to Chris Eubank Junior and Conor Benn, two great examples, a sport built out of respect, and those two warriors should respect each other after that.”

Graphic: CompuBox

According to CompuBox, Eubank Jr. outlanded Benn, landing 367 of 912 punches thrown (40.2%), versus 215 punches landing of 593 thrown for Benn (36.3%). Eubank Jr. landed far more jabs and power punches, while Benn had the slight edge in body punches. Eubank Jr. came on strongest in the last six round, increasing his work rate significantly.