Nigel Benn said today that his son, Conor Benn, was “at his worst” form, failing to do what they’d trained for, in his loss to Chris Eubank Jr. earlier this year on April 26.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom)
Fans believe that Benn fought the best he could against vastly more experienced and more talented Eubank Jr. Conor lacked the amateur career to prepare him, and the 23 learning fights that he’d had against second-tier opposition weren’t good enough to get him ready for a fighter of Eubank Jr’s ability.
Wild Punches, Not Plan
The former two-division world champion Nigel says Conor (23-1, 14 KOs) will be improved in the rematch, showing the things that he should have done in the first fight against Eubank Jr. (35-3, 25 KOs).
What Nigel, 61, didn’t like about Conor’s performance was how he was throwing wild shots, telegraphing them, and not accurately placing them like he’d been shown.
Chris’s Relentless Punching
What may have prevented him from doing this is the nonstop punching that Eubank Jr. was doing. Benn was being snowed under by punches from Eubank Jr. If he had focused on throwing single shots, it might have been worse for him because it would have been 8 to 10 punches from Eubank Jr. for every one that Benn would land. He couldn’t win like that.
Benn and Eubank Jr. will be headlining on November 15 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Tottenham, London. Chris Jr. defeated Conor by a 12-round unanimous decision by the scores of 116-112, 116-112, and 116-112 on April 26 at the same venue.
The Training Camp’s Failure
“To me, that was Conor at his worst. He was winging punches in throwing them left-right, not even thinking about what he was doing. Everything that we practiced for, the 12 weeks of training, he didn’t do one thing,” said Nigel Benn during today’s kickoff press conference in London for his son, Conor Benn’s rematch with Chris Eubank Jr. on November 15.
The cram session of technical fighting for Conor Benn received during training camp couldn’t compensate for the difference in the quality of opposition during his professional career. He should have been fighting better fighters years ago rather than waiting until his ninth year in the pro game before finally facing someone with ability.
A Career of Soft Touches
Benn turned professional in 2016, and he’s been more or less babied by his promoters, kept away from the top welterweights like Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, Terence Crawford, and Errol Spence.
“Absolutely one thing, and he had him hurt so many times, yet he kept showing all the punches he was going to throw. I thought to myself, ‘Mate, that wasn’t even the real Conor.’ But I’m glad he did 12 rounds with a middleweight. All you have to do is wait for November 15, and you’ll see the real Conor,” said Nigel.
🗣️ “That was Conor at his worst. He wasn’t thinking about what he was doing! That wasn’t the real Conor…“ – @NigelGBenn
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— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) September 17, 2025