By Brian Webber: British fans are over the moon with today’s announcement for the Chris Eubank Jr vs. Conor Benn catchweight fight on October 8th on DAZN PPV at the O2 Arena in London.

There’s no word yet what the catchweight will be for the Eubank Jr-Benn fight, which is odd because that’s something that the boxing public would like to know.

The catchweight will likely be one that greatly favors the 24-year-old Benn (21-0, 14 KOs) because he’s moving up in weight from 147, and he’s a big money-maker for Matchroom. 156 is the probable number, but it wouldn’t be a shock if it’s set even lower at 155.

Again, Benn is the guy that is bringing in money for Eddie Hearn, and that gives him the A-side advantage to call the shots when it comes to the catchweight.

Both of these fighters have taken advantage of the popularity of their more talented fathers, Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank. Those guys were real warriors throughout their careers and didn’t need to resort to catchweights for their fights.

Most would agree that if former IBO super middleweight champion Eubank Jr. (32-2, 23 KOs) isn’t weight drained, he’s going to win an easy decision or knockout against the far less experienced Benn.

Eubank Jr has been in with bigger punchers than Benn during his career, and he won’t be phased by his power coming up in weight from 147.

Chris Jr is ranked #1 WBA, #2 WBO, and #3 WBC at middleweight and poised to get a title shot against one of the champions. It would be interesting to see Eubank Jr take on WBC champion Jermall Charlo or IBF/WBA champ Gennadiy Golovkin soon.

“He has walked the same path as I have. I know his struggle. Living in the shadow of a legend and trying to break out of that shadow and make his own name,” said Eubank Jr about Benn. “If he can beat me, his name will be made, and he will never walk in his father’s shadow again.”

Eubank Jr vs. Benn will interest British fans, but likely not the U.S public because neither guy has done much during their respective careers. Although Eubank Jr started his career with a lot of anticipation from fans, he’s been a disappointment because of his failure to step it up against elite-level opposition.

For his part, Benn has been fighting older fighters that were never elite in their youth, and it’s becoming clear that he’s never going to fight the best.

In other words, Benn appears to be heading down the Julio Cesar CChavez Jr path in choosing safe fights for easy paydays rather than taking risks.

Benn is ranked #4 WBA, #4 WBO, #5 IBF, and #5 WBC at 147, but his opposition has left a lot to be desired.

Conor’s best wins:

Chris Algieri
Samuel Vargas
Adrian Granados
Chris Van Heerden
Sebastian Formella

“This fight is for the legacy and was an opportunity I felt I couldn’t pass up,” said Benn. “I’m looking for a World Championship fight very soon.”