Paul Smith says he’s picking Conor Benn to defeat Chris Eubank Jr. in their 12-round rematch on November 15th.
Eubank’s Declining Resistance
The former three-time 168-lb world title challenger Smith believes that the 36-year-old Eubank Jr. (35-3, 25 KOs) doesn’t have the punch resistance he once did. Getting hurt by the welterweight Benn (23-1, 14 KOs) in their first fight earlier this year on April 26th told Paul all he needed to know about Eubank Jr’s ability to take a shot.
Eubank Jr. won the fight by a 12-round unanimous decision by the scores 116-112, 116-112, and 116-112. But it was a grueling one for him, as his face was badly swollen from the heavy punches that Benn landed. The first seven rounds were especially brutal for Chris Jr., as he was hit frequently by Benn.
It was only after Eubank Jr. took the fight to the inside that he was able to neutralize Benn’s power. Benn had no inside game.
Eubank Jr-Benn 2 will meet in the main event on November 15th at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Tottenham, in London, England. The event will be shown live on DAZN PPV. The event sells for $59.99 in the U.S and £24.99 in the UK. The start time is at 11:30 AM ET and 8:30 AM PT.
“I don’t think Eubank has anything left. He’s had a hard career. I felt the same when he was fighting my brother Liam. So, I can’t say that now he’s with ‘BoMac,’ he’s going to magically improve. He will improve, but I think the shot resistance [is gone],” said three-time super middleweight world title challenger Paul Smith to talkSport Boxing about his view that Chris Eubank Jr. doesn’t have anything left going into his rematch with Conor Benn on November 15th.
Eubank Jr. can win if he drags Benn into a war on the inside, because he already showed last time that Conor can’t generate significant power at close range. The combination punching and hand speed advantage of Eubank Jr. is vastly superior to Benn’s potshot style of fighting.
“When Conor Benn was a welterweight, he was hurting him in the last fight. I think the added confidence of Conor Benn knowing he can hurt him in this fight, with another crack at it,” said Smith.
Benn punches like a middleweight. So, it’s not surprising that he was hurting Eubank Jr. However, the combination punching that Eubank Jr. was doing had Benn hurt on several occasions in the championship rounds.
A Long Career Taking Its Toll
“It was a very competitive fight, but it shouldn’t have been competitive. Eubank should be well ahead with the weight advantage and the experience he’s had fighting the top names. He’s had a long career. It shouldn’t be close, but the fact that it is tells me all that I need to know about Eubank.
