Chris Eubank Jr emerged from his battle with Conor Benn battered and bruised but the clear winner in the modern reboot of the family war in April.
It may have lacked finesse, but Eubank Jr vs Benn was a frantic and absorbing contest that finally delivered after three years of bluster and scandal, leaving the former hospitalised almost immediately after his arm was raised.
Eubank Jr blamed it on ‘severe dehydration’, a result of the brutal weight cut asked of him heading into the contest which forced him to change the way he operated in the ring.
Benn had his moments. But the end result was one of pure dominance with Eubank Jr sealing 116-112 majority decision victory that reduced his rival to tears as the decision was read out.
Ahead of their second act this weekend, the fourth instalment of the family feud after their legendary fights Eubank Snr and Nigel Benn shared over 30 years ago, Eubank Jr is confident. When isn’t he? But among the former world champions Metro sat down with last week, there is a sense this might be one battle too many for him.
All three judges scored the fight in Eubank’s favour in Tottenham in April with the punch stats telling their own story.
Eubank Jr outpunched Benn in every single round with his total of 367 landed shots a new career-high for him. Eubank Jr landed 153 more overall, hitting the target with 40 per cent of his shots compared to Benn’s 36.
In the final three rounds, the stanza of the fight where many expected Eubank Jr to fade, he threw 335 punches to Benn’s 229 – more accurate in his work in each of those decisive rounds.
There will have been 203 days between the two fights, a relatively quick turnaround by Eubank Jr’s standards. But at 36, his powers of recovery may not be what they once were.
‘Eubank has looked old for some time now’
Former world champion George Groves fought Eubank Jr in 2018, dominating the Brighton fighter before hanging up his gloves a year later. After his unforgettable battles with Carl Froch, Groves is fully aware of how much a first fight can drain a fighter, both physically and emotionally.
‘A fight like that takes a lot out of you. I think Eubank’s best years are way behind him but that was known heading into the first fight,’ Groves said.
‘Eubank has looked old for some time now, he got through the first fight through tenacity alone but it is hard to keep going to the well. He has had ups and downs throughout his career, he has had his losses. In every fight, you know what you need to do to win and if you come out and impose that off the bat you have a much better chance. If you don’t start right, it is very hard to then come out and win a fight.
‘It is not the same fight, the emotion has gone. When you have already beaten someone sometimes the desire isn’t always there. Eubank’s will might not be there this time.’
‘Benn is coming back a better fighter’
Another British fight legend in Froch suspects Saturday may be the last we see of Eubank Jr in the ring. While he may have walked away the winner in the spring, ‘The Cobra’ feels the effort required on that night will have taken something away that cannot be replenished.
‘Eubank is done after this,’ Froch said. ‘He has made a bit of money, he probably can’t believe his luck now with these Benn fights and this legacy.
‘It is about levels. I don’t think he has it in him again. That was a hard fight first time around, he took a lot of shots, his face was swelled up, he took a lot of weight off. He will come back a lesser fighter and Benn is coming back a more well-rounded fighter. Despite what happened, Benn is coming back a better fighter, Eubank is coming back worse.’
‘Eubank went through hell that night’
Eubank Jr will have the added advantage of having Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre in his corner. The world class trainer, the man who has guided Terence Crawford to the summit of the sport, was not present for the first fight but the partnership is back in place with former cruiserweight king Tony Bellew convinced it could have a big role to play.
But when the bell goes on Saturday night, the damage sustained last April and the torture Eubank put his body through leading up to the fight will bleed through.
‘Eubank is a very good athlete and he does live the life,’ Bellew said. ‘But it is about the recovery and I think his body went through hell that night.
‘He spent some time in hospital after and that wasn’t just down to the rehydration, that was also down to the shots he took. He absorbed more damage in that fight than he has done in a long while.
‘Chris can replicate that output [he recorded in the first fight] and he does have a top coach in his corner in ‘BoMac’ this time around. But the damage he took in may will show in this rematch.’
Carl Froch, George Groves and Tony Bellew spoke to Metro courtesy of https://www.sportscasting.com/uk/.