Conor Benn, who has been through notoriety, shame and a chastening defeat, finally gained a large measure of sweet relief when he totally outclassed and beat up his diminished old rival Chris Eubank Jr over 12 one-sided rounds on Saturday night. Benn came close to sealing the knockout he craved in the last minute of the fight when he twice dropped Eubank Jr heavily.
A shuddering combination from Benn had an initially delayed reaction but the right hand that smashed into the side of Eubank Jr’s head finally sent him toppling to the canvas. He rose to his feet but was soon down again as Benn threw punch after punch at his wilting and shrunken frame. Eubank Jr staggered to his feet just before the referee completed his count. The fight would surely have been waved over – but the last bell echoed above the bedlam.
The wait for the scorecards was a formality as Benn was declared the overwhelming winner by margins of 119-107, 116-110 and 118-108. He was exultant as beating Eubank Jr in crushing style followed a grim three years for a complicated and sometimes haunted man who tested positive twice for clomifene in 2022 and then lost a wild and testing battle against Eubank seven months ago. But he had stressed this week that he would be much more clinical and disciplined in the rematch.
Conor Benn lands another blow on Chris Eubank Jr at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
He kept to his word but Eubank Jr, who usually campaigns at least two weight categories above Benn, looked worn out and debilitated by his draining battle with the scales and the fact that a prohibitive rehydration clause prevented him adding more than 10 pounds a day after the official weigh-in. It was, clearly, a fight too far for the 36-year-old.
The atmosphere was typically raucous as Benn marched slowly from his dressing room to the sound of Ready or Not from the Fugees seguing into a mashup of the old Phil Collins song which his dad, Nigel, used for many of his ringwalks in the early 1990s. Father and son took the time to dance together and embrace before the live drummers kicked in and Benn Jr moved purposefully to the ring.
A cascade of boos greeted Eubank Jr, looking resplendent in a white fur coat, his father walking close behind him clutching a bag in his hand as Dr Dre boomed around them. And then, suddenly, the rapper 50 Cent became an honorary Eubank, joining junior and senior on their ring walk as he barked out a sample trilogy of tracks. As they closed in on the brightly lit square circle, the expression on Eubank Jr’s face turned stony.
Yet, once the fight began, Eubank Jr seemed strangely circumspect against the smaller but far more authoritative man. He looked listless and devoid of any belief. With a third of the bout completed Benn had done exactly what he and his corner had planned and cruised through the first four rounds. Control over drama appeared to be Benn’s mantra and it was no consequence to him that the crowd sounded a little bored as chatting rather than cheering became prevalent.
A rangy left jab by Eubank in round five was a rare success for the older man but Benn soon matched him with the exact same punch. Benn, who had been so crude last time they fought, kept up his clinic as the punches flowed. Eubank Jr was down in the last minute of the sixth round but it was an obvious slip. He also swung wildly and missed just before the bell as Benn sealed a shut-out of the first half of a strangely one-sided fight.
Confidence surged through Benn as he opened up in the seventh and bullied Eubank Jr against the ropes. A low hum filled the arena as tension drained from the contest. Eubank connected with a jolting jab but Benn’s huge right hand snapped back the head of his increasingly forlorn rival.
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Chris Eubank Jr is overpowered by Conor Benn who secured a dominant victory. Photograph: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing/Getty Images
In the eighth Eubank Jr enjoyed some belated success with his right hand but Benn kept taunting and sneering – as if he knew the veteran had nothing with which to threaten him. He was also boxing far better than he had ever done before. The crowd began swapping bored whistles from one side of the stadium to the other as a way of entertaining themselves in the absence of any meaningful fight from Eubank Jr.
Before the penultimate round Nigel Benn flashed a huge grin and cheery thumbs up on the big screen. Even the brash old fighter could not have expected such a carefree romp. He was on his feet as his son nearly closed the show in the dramatic last round.
Benn immediately shut down talk of a trilogy and a rubber match next year. He shouted out that the Benn-Eubank family saga was “over” and stressed that “it’s done”.
Eubank Jr said: “It’s one-one. I’ve got to go away and deal with some of the things I’ve been dealing with over the last couple of months. Who knows whether we will see something new with me and him. Maybe we won’t. But right now, it’s all about this man. This is his night.”
We can only hope that Eubank Jr will escape this dangerous business and find peace in a different life. Benn can return, then, to his more natural home at welterweight, where he can test himself against opposition far superior to his exhausted domestic rival. The rest of us can also move on, free at last from the hoopla of a manufactured rivalry which has run its course.
