Chris Eubank Jr beats Conor Benn by unanimous decision in wild epic

Times

27-04-2025

After all the controversy, weight clauses and drug scandals that have done so little to cover the sport in glory, Chris Eubank Jr edged Conor Benn in a crude, bloody, but undeniably compelling fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. If not a fitting tribute to their fathers in terms of skill, the pair showed an abundance of heart in this contrived new chapter of an old family rivalry to turn what threatened to be a dangerous farce into a memorable trilogy.
The three scorecards read 116-112 in Eubank Jr's favour, but it was far from the mismatch many anticipated. A rehydration limit prevented the 35-year-old from fighting at full capacity, and he required all of his experience and resolve to withstand Benn's wild attacks. The pugilistic equivalent of a bull and a matador for the first half, it descended into a ugly and unrestrained brawl in the championship rounds as both men emptied their reserves.
The final round was utterly enthralling as they forewent their defence almost entirely in pursuit of a knockout. Eubank Jr landed a barrage of telling blows and Benn was hurt and exhausted, but somehow his knees refused to buckle and he remained on his feet to hear the final bell.
'He couldn't move around the ring, he had to stand toe-to-toe and that is legendary behaviour in the ring. I am so proud of him,' Chris Eubank Sr said afterwards, having made a surprise arrival alongside his son after their public estrangement in recent months.
Eubank Jr fell to his knees and roared as the verdict was announced. So often the heel throughout his career, the shadow of Benn's two positive drugs tests that derailed this bout in 2022 made the 35-year-old an unlikely saviour.
That casting was certainly debatable given his continued affiliation with the convicted match fixer Mazhar Majeed, who was jailed for his role in corrupting a Test match between England and Pakistan in 2010, but Benn has still not publicised the 'scientific proof' that led to his suspension by UK Anti-Doping being lifted in November.
The unanswered questions left a sour taste, as did the clause that prevented an emaciated Eubank Jr from rehydrating more than 10lb overnight after missing the 160lb catchweight by just half an ounce on Friday — the equivalent of a pair of shoelaces. He was fined £375,000 for that indiscretion, a deterrent significant enough that it assured he'd drained himself to a dangerous degree to try to avoid it.
The two fights between Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn in the early 1990s were among the most iconic in British boxing because they were bona fide world title contenders in the same weight division, but this manufactured spectacle required such stipulations to mitigate the obvious chasm in size.
'The fact our fathers did it years ago brings out a different spirit in you and that's what we showed here tonight,' Eubank Jr said before heading straight to hospital for precautionary checks. 'I'm happy to have this man [Eubank Sr] back with me. We upheld the family name — onwards and upwards.'
The theatre resumed long before the pair made their entrances. Eubank Sr's presence ignited the crowd and delivered a pang of genuine warmth beneath the pantomime, but order was quickly restored as Benn employed Billy Joe Saunders, who inflicted Eubank Jr's first defeat back in 2014, to observe the latter's hands being wrapped. Eubank Jr's security denied his old enemy entry and a barney broke out backstage.
When Benn did finally make his ring walk, after homage was dutifully paid to the numerous Saudi Arabian sponsors bankrolling the bout, a loud chorus of boos drowned out Dangerous by Conroy Smith, Nigel's old entrance music. Eubank Jr continued the nostalgic theme by walking out to Simply the Best by Tina Turner, as his father danced to his own iconic song beside him.
But for all the mind games and machismo, the opening bell stripped both men of all pretences. They touched gloves and Benn showed no hesitation in throwing leather, windmilling a rudimentary left hook that sailed through fresh air. Eubank Jr used his guile and waited to counter with a left of his own, but Benn was emboldened by his start.
Still pent-up with nervous energy, he came out furiously at the start of the second and landed a right hand that knocked Eubank Jr off balance. A left hook followed, and while Eubank Jr kept his poise and landed with a jab, it did little to deter Benn's cannonball-like approach. They wrestled in the third as Benn landed a right on the break and a tangle of legs left them splayed on the canvas.
Eubank Jr came alive with a flurry in the fourth, backing Benn up with a left hook. The crowd began chanting his name and an uppercut confirmed a slow turn in momentum. Eubank Jr found more success with his jab in the fifth and the pair relentlessly trash-talked each other after missed punches, but few meaningful shots landed.
A wild exchange at the start of the sixth signalled the bedlam to come and the seventh was increasingly messy as the referee tried in vain to restore a semblance of order between all of the rabbit punches, shoulder and forearm barges.
By the eighth, he too had surrendered to the all out slugfest that had unfolded as Benn wobbled Eubank Jr with a sharp counter and caught a second wind. He sensed blood at the start of the ninth as his father roared him on, and then it began to pour from a cut above Eubank Jr's right eye, but that seemed to galvanise him.
They threw everything at each other in the championship rounds but Eubank Jr had the best of them. The final bell rang to a raucous standing ovation, but the greatest relief was that both men were able to leave the ring on their feet.
'I felt like it was a close fight. I'm not going to say, 'Yeah I should have won that', I've got to watch it back. It was close. I stayed on the ropes maybe a bit too long and he worked harder towards the end. A massive thank you to all my supporters who came out, it was some homecoming,' Benn said.