THE FINAL CONFLICT?
FIVE ALL-BRITISH REMATCHES
sure I was doing things in my life to where I didn’t burn out.
Alalshikh privately, and he said that’s a fight he wants to get made, so we’ll see what happens. The Ring: What can fans expect from Benn vs. Eubank II? Why should they tune in? CE: I said before the first fight that it would be better than what my old man and Nigel Benn produced 35 years ago. I didn’t really believe that, but I was speaking something into existence – the laws of attraction. I knew I was willing to put that type of performance in, but I didn’t know if Benn had it in him. Now I know he does. That was a Fight of the Year contender. I don’t see anyone else this year who has come up with a better fight than that. The Ring: I agree. CE: So, if that’s what we produced when we didn’t know anything about each other, what can we produce when we do know about each other? We know the weaknesses. We know the strengths. Benn will be hell-bent on avenging that loss. I’m hell- bent on keeping the Eubank name above the Benn name. I think this fight is gonna be even bigger, even better, and this could be Fight of the Year. This one could top the original. If you want to see that, then tune in. The Ring: A sequel that surpasses the original? Some would say like The Godfather to The
The Ring: What were your thoughts on Canelo vs. Crawford? CE: It was a great fight. It wasn’t like a blockbuster that will go down in the history books [in terms of action], but in terms of performance, Bud did everything he needed to do. He dominated technically. He dominated in speed, accuracy, game plan, strategy and even power. He was standing in the pocket and getting his shots off better than Canelo. He and his team came up with the game plan and executed it excellently. It was extremely impressive, and the world now sees him as one of the pound-for- pound greats. The Ring: When you look at all- time greats in the sport, where does Crawford belong now and why? CE: I don’t know. I don’t really look into all that. I’m not the guy to ask. The Ring: OK, not the historian then. You’ll be confident in defeating Benn for a second time. What are your plans for 2026? CE: Canelo or Crawford, or any other big name or world title opportunity. As I said, I’m 36 years old and I’m not looking for easy fights. I’m looking to go out with a bang – as big and spectacularly as I can. I want big fights. I want to test myself. The Ring: You’re a huge star in the U.K. There were 67,000 fans for the first fight with Conor Benn, and it’ll be a similar number this time. Could you lure these big stars over to the U.K.? CE: For sure. Canelo has been very vocal about wanting to fight in the U.K., and what other names are out there? There aren’t any. The fight makes sense. I spoke to His Excellency Turki
Innumerable high-profile, all-British rematches have taken place down the years, but here are five sequels that captivated U.K. fight fans over the past half-century. It’s worth noting that in all five rematches, the loser of the original bout failed to gain revenge. Alan Minter PTS 15 Kevin Finnegan Sept. 14, 1976, Royal Albert Hall, London Title: British middleweight Before his reign as undisputed middleweight champion, Alan Minter struck up a fierce and hotly contested rivalry with former British and European titleholder Kevin Finnegan. In November 1975, Minter pipped his foe by a half point on the old British scoring system to win the first fight. The rematch was just as close, with Minter surviving a brutal last-round assault from a bloodied but rampaging Finnegan to prevail via the same margin. Minter won the trilogy bout in November 1977, also on a close points verdict. Chris Eubank TKO 12 Michael Watson Sept. 21, 1991, White Hart Lane, London Title: WBO super middleweight Controversy surrounded Chris Eubank Sr.’s first triumph over Michael Watson, with many fans and media members lambasting the decision that allowed Eubank to retain his WBO middleweight crown via majority decision. Three months later, the pair threw down again for the vacant WBO super middleweight title. This was an epic battle that is remembered for its tragic aftermath. Way behind on points and decked in the penultimate round, Eubank rose to floor his rival with a powerful right uppercut that caused the Englishman’s head to ricochet off the bottom rope. Watson, a brilliant fighter, suffered a life-changing brain injury. Chris Eubank Draw 12 Nigel Benn Oct. 9, 1993, Old Trafford, Manchester Titles: WBC/WBO super middleweight In one of the greatest all-British showdowns ever seen, Chris Eubank came of age by scoring a ninth-round stoppage over pre-fight favorite Nigel
Benn in November 1990. The rematch marinated for almost three years, by which time both men had begun reigns as super middleweight titleholders. Almost 47,000 people were in the stadium that night, with a reported 16.5 million watching on free TV in the U.K. alone. An unsatisfactory split draw was the official result. Decades later, Eubank admitted that Benn won this fight. Carl Froch TKO 8 George Groves May 31, 2014, Wembley Stadium, London Titles: IBF/WBA super middleweight In November 2013, George Groves performed brilliantly before losing via ninth-round TKO to Carl Froch in Manchester. The challenger decked “The Cobra” heavily in Round 1, outboxed him for long spells and was ahead on points
before a controversial stoppage derailed him. Six months later, in
front of 80,000 fans, Froch was a different animal for the sequel. The Nottingham man matched Groves technically before closing out with one of the most
Chris Eubank Sr. and Nigel Benn watched live as their sons produced a classic.
their toes. Even though I won, we don’t want to be doing the same preparation as we did for the last fight. They’re going to be practicing things to negate what I did well. Now we have to do other things well, so Bomac will help me do that. The Ring: Your father had legendary rematches in his own career. Has he been sharing the knowledge? CE: No, he hasn’t. He doesn’t want me to continue fighting and thinks I’ve done enough. At 36 years old, he can’t understand how I’m still doing what I’m doing. He retired at 32. He’s a father who’s worried about his son. He said, “You’ve got all the chips. Cash them in. Get out of the casino.” That’s what he said. The Ring: Do you think your longevity comes down to superior nutrition, strength and conditioning, or anything else that’s around now and perhaps wasn’t when your dad was fighting?
destructive finishes in modern boxing history in the eighth. A huge right hand was the decisive blow and the perfect mic drop for the final fight of Froch’s Hall of Fame career. Tony Bellew TKO 5 David Haye Tony Bellew was the underdog when he met the naturally bigger David Haye in March 2017. However, through five rounds, the Liverpool man was faring better than many thought he would. Suddenly, in Round 6, Haye ruptured his Achilles tendon and Bellew took command, eventually stopping his rival by knocking him out of the ring in Round 11. May 5, 2018, O2 Arena, London Titles: Heavyweight non-title The rematch was a natural, and this time the ending was decisive. Bellew was more assertive with his offense and moved well throughout. Haye was continually falling short and left himself open to a huge left hook that decked him in Round 5. Bellew’s follow-up attack convinced the referee to call the fight off seconds later.
CE: No, it’s not about what’s around and what wasn’t around. It’s about your mindset as a man and as a fighter. My mindset has always been longevity. It’s always been about dedicating my life [to boxing], making sure I’m not blowing up in weight outside of camp, making sure I stay in the gym, making sure I live a productive life. I’m always ready to start a boxing camp. A lot of guys fight and that’s it. They just wait for the next fight. Hey, I’ve got eight weeks, now I’m gonna train again. That’s tough and can affect your longevity. Smoking, drinking, drugs. Not to say my father did any of that stuff. I guess he just burned out. The way he was living and the way he was fighting and training, he just burned out. He couldn’t do it at 32. I always wanted to go further and made
Godfather Part II. CE: There you go.
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