THE FINAL CONFLICT?
S uch is the hostility between British boxing stars Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn that smashing each other to bits for 12 rounds was never going to be enough. While Eubank rightfully claimed a unanimous decision win on April 26 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, he’s more than happy to go again. Meanwhile, Benn is desperate to even the score against his archnemesis. On November 15, we return to the very same location for Act II of Eubank Jr. vs. Benn, which has developed from joke status into a multilayered and red-hot rivalry. In the early days, these were simply two professional fighters with legendary fathers who were world titleholders and competed against each other at the elite level. Any talk of a fight between the sons, who campaigned two weight classes apart, was viewed by the majority as an unapologetic and meaningless cash grab. Then things went crazy for a couple of years.
Chris Eubank Jr: I put it all on the line. I never gave up. I never gave him space to get started. He came in there with a game plan, and I shut everything down at every opportunity. It was a tough fight, and I was feeling the effects of the weight cut and the rehydration clause, but I blocked that all out and did what I needed to do to win. The Ring: After 12 rounds against Conor Benn, tell me what he does well and what he should continue to work on. CE: He didn’t give up. He didn’t quit. He stood his ground. I was more impressed with his mentality than anything else. Physically, he’s a young kid. He shouldn’t be letting a 36-year-old man beat him. No 36-year-old on the planet would have beaten me when I was 28. Mentally, he stood there and decided that he wasn’t going to back down. He wasn’t going to be pushed around. He wasn’t going to give up. A lot of people give up in these hairy, tough fights. Once they realize they’re not going to win or
point and the atmosphere inside the arena was electric. Almost 67,000 fans turned up for a middleweight non-title attraction, which was the byproduct of peerless innovation when it came to pre-fight hype. And then came the biggest surprise of all: Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn duked it out in a spectacular battle, which is guaranteed to be a nominee for Ring Magazine Fight of the Year. After all the belittling, all the name-calling, all the controversy, the fight delivered when it mattered most, elevating the profiles of both winner and loser. That’s why no one is complaining that these born rivals are doing it all again. The Ring recently caught up with Eubank Jr., who is determined to repeat his biggest triumph and end the Benn rivalry once and for all. The Ring: When you look back at the first fight, what’s your assessment of your performance?
that it’s going to be tough, they look for a way out. He didn’t do that. We’re used to seeing [quit] in fighters these days. Fans appreciate two guys who have an old-school mentality. If we go out, we’re gonna go out on our shield. Not every fighter has that fighting mentality, if you know what I mean. The Ring: Your jab and your long-range work were terrific early. Did you decide to stop boxing like that to have a tear- up, or did Benn force you to have a tear-up?
try to take his head off early. There’s definitely a lot to learn from those 12 rounds on both sides. We both lived with each other for 12 rounds. We know the limits. We know the good parts of each other, and the bad parts – weaknesses, strengths, mentality, speed, [physical] strength… we know all that about each other now, so there’s a lot that can be used to prepare for the next one. It’s about who can prepare better. That’s who will have the advantage in the rematch.
could be detrimental to your career long-term? CE: These are not the types of fights and weight cuts that are conducive to longevity in the sport. But you need to do what you need to do – this is what I signed up for. I’m 36 years old. I’ve been there and I’ve done it. At this stage of my career, I’m not looking for fights that will give me the best chance of longevity. I’m looking for fights that will test me, make me the most money and inspire the fans. I want to go out with a bang.
I don’t want easy fights or safe fights. I’m not built that way. I never have been. The Ring: It doesn’t seem that long ago that critics were mocking this rivalry, saying that both of you were cashing in on your father’s respective legacies. How satisfying is it to have engaged in a classic fight
CE: No, nobody forces me to do anything. It got to a stage where I was cut, and I decided in my mind that tactics, finesse, looking good, strategy … none of that was going to secure me the win. I felt that becoming a barbarian and putting him through the fire, a place he’d never been before, was the best way to win, so that’s what I did. I didn’t want the fight to get
I was more impressed with his mentality than anything else. Physically, he’s a young kid. He shouldn’t be letting a 36-year-old man beat him.
The Ring: Explain how the process of making 160 and then limiting your rehydration makes you feel in the ring as compared to when you rehydrate fully. CE: It’s extremely unnatural. I mean, it’s unnatural to cut weight as it is, but then it’s extremely unnatural to cut that weight and be watching and monitoring and limiting what you’re eating and drinking after the [weigh-in], which is what I had to do. I’ve never had to do that before. I did feel the effects of it during the fight. I was in hospital for two days due to severe dehydration. It affects your strength, your speed, your stamina, your energy levels, everything. You just notice that you have less energy in spots where you usually would have more. It’s a mental battle that you have to have with yourself, to still believe in your abilities and believe you can win.
The original October 2022 fight date fell through because Benn tested positive for a banned substance (clomifene). He denied any wrongdoing but was suspended from competing on U.K. soil. Benn was then cleared to compete in the U.K. without a viable excuse for how he’d tested positive in the first place. Do you want more? When the fight was rescheduled, controversy surrounded the 10-pound rehydration clause, which was viewed as dangerous for the much larger Eubank. And, finally, Eubank smashed an egg on Benn’s face at a press conference. When the pair finally met at the inaugural Ring Magazine event, the bad blood was at a boiling
stopped because of my cut. There was a chance of that, so I knew that I had to go forward and put my hands on him as much as I could. I didn’t want to leave it to the judges. I was impressed that he was able to still be in that ring for the final bell. The Ring : Give all the reasons why you’re just a better fighter than Conor Benn. Why is this mission impossible for him in your eyes? CE: I’m too skilled. I’m too experienced. I’m too long in the tooth. I’m too tough. You’re not going to out-tough me, and that’s really what it came down to in the first fight. He’s not tougher than me. He’s not willing to go further than I am. That’s why he can’t win. The Ring: Will the rematch be more of the same, or will it be a completely different fight? CE: I’m going to try to make it a different fight. I don’t want to go 12 rounds if I don’t have to. I’m going to
that was a resounding success? CE: That fight superseded boxing. There was family, there was history, there was a story, there was pride. There was a father and son coming together and uniting in front of the world, which is bigger than boxing (Eubank Jr. and his father were estranged for years but made up before the fight). That transcended boxing. It was a story that reached the world, and people were captivated by it. To be part of something that can supersede the sport you’ve dedicated your life to is a great feeling. The Ring: What will Brian McIntyre add to your repertoire ahead of the rematch? CE: Bomac is one of the best trainers in the world. He’s tried and proven. We had a great camp for the [Liam] Smith 2 fight. He brings a new special source to me, to my preparation and to my execution for this fight. We want to keep [Team Benn] on
The Ring: Are you concerned that these weight cuts and rehydration clauses
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