Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn served up a thrilling fight – and could do it all again in a rematch after Eubank Jr was given the nod on points
Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn could fight again in just five months’ time after their epic war on Saturday night.
The rivals ended three years of animosity with a brutal back-and-forth clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with Eubank Jr given the nod by all three judges by a score of 116-112. Both men agreed to a rematch clause before the fight and Benn was quick to demand a chance to avenge his first career defeat.
And Saudi boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh revealed he has already earmarked a date and venue for the sequel. “If they’re not injured and ready, we want the rematch in late September at Tottenham,” he said. “The British fans were amazing, and I thank them.” Of a potential rematch, Benn added: “I want the revenge, I want my revenge. I think inactivity played a big part, I think it took me back. I had Eubank hurt multiple times but I couldn’t get the finish and I’ll make sure for next time that the finish is there.”
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Eubank Jr was taken straight to hospital as a precaution having been joined by his father, Chris Sr, at the last minute following their bitter and public feud. “It was special,” Eubank Jr said of the impact of the presence of his father, who had labelled Eubank Jr a “disgrace” for his egg-slap on Benn in February. “He needed to be here. All of this is because of what he did – and we did it again. I’m happy to have this man with me. I’ve upheld the family name, like we said we were going to, so it’s onwards and upwards.”
He continued: “The fact that our fathers did what they did all those years ago, it brings out another soul and spirit – and that’s what we both showed tonight.” The 35-year-old did not attend his post-fight press conference after being taken to hospital for checks, but before leaving, he paid tribute to Benn’s unexpected resilience in the ring.
“Everything surprised me, I didn’t know he had what he had in him,” Eubank Jr said. “I thought I’d break him early. I underestimated him. I didn’t train for a fight like that — he’s never shown that, but then again, he’s never had to show it. He had to show it tonight, and so did I.”
Benn, meanwhile, was left devastated after suffering the first loss of his professional career, admitting the defeat was difficult to take. “It’s a hard one to swallow,” Benn told a press conference. “I didn’t come into the fight thinking it would be that close, I didn’t come into it to lose, I came in to win and I was not good enough and I need to do better.”