Promoter Eddie Hearn was crowing like a rooster after watching his fighter, welterweight Conor Benn (24-1, 13 KOs), defeat Chris Eubank Jr. (35-3, 25 KOs) by a two-knockdown, 12-round unanimous decision in their rematch in front of a large celebrity-filled crowd of 60,000+ at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. The judges scored it 119-107, 116-110, and 118-108.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchoom Boxing)
Eubank Jr. looked thin, weak, tired, and lethargic from the opening bell. He was getting outworked by the younger, more energetic 29-year-old Benn from the get-go. The two knockdowns that Benn scored in round 12 cemented his victory over the old barnacle Eubank Jr., who looked nothing like the fighter he’d been in his previous fight last April 2024 or in his prime a decade ago.
By the tenth round, Eubank Jr’s body language screamed out that he was had nothing left and needed to be pulled out by his trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre. Eubank Jr’s nose was bleeding, and he resembled a limp noodle with nothing on his shots.
After the fight, Hearn labeled Benn a “superstar” and was thinking about the possibilities of big-money fights available to him now after beating middleweight Eubank Jr. in their rematch. It was a bit of a stretch listening to Hearn labeling a win over a clearly drained and old-looking 36-year-old Eubank Jr. as proof that Conor is now a “superstar.”
This fight only proved how effective the double whammy of having a fighter boil down one division below his natural weight class, from 168 to 160, and then adding a 10-pound rehydration clause for good measure.
“I gave everything, but the body said no more,” said Eubank Jr. after the fight, trying to explain why he’d lost to Benn. “I’ve been struggling for the last 2 months.” (A
Eubank Jr’s loss was more of a combination of these factors:
- Weight measures – Rehydration clause and fighting at 160
- Age – 36
- Past his prime
- Never being a great fighter to begin with
“Look what he’s just done to Chris Eubank Jr.—a superstar is born,” said Eddie Hearn about Benn.
It takes more than beating Eubank Jr. to turn Benn into a real “superstar.” To become a bonavide star, Benn needs to prove himself against the likes of Jaron Ennis, Brian Norman Jr., Vergil Ortiz Jr., and Bakhram Muratazaliev.