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Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn - Born Rivals? WWE like Simon Jordan says? And who wins the fight neither man can afford to lose?
Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn need the first bell to sound.
Days away from the biggest British fight of 2025 , years of built-up anger, frustration, and emotion are about to be unleashed by two fighters who have each made the most of the platform that they were provided with by their fathers who adorned terrestrial television screens in an era when fighters were amongst the grandest celebrities about.
Chris Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn did not just make a country stand still whenever their huge egos collided, they delivered when it mattered most. Their first encounter still remains one of the most brutal fights to ever take place inside a British ring.
For Eubank Jr and Benn to escape the gargantuan sized shadows that accompany them, Saturday’s fight has to be a defining moment.
To be ‘Born Rivals,’ their contributions inside the ring must matter and this fight cannot descend into chaos just because of what their fathers managed to achieve in another time and place.
Born rivals bring out the best in each other
Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez were born rivals. So were Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Likewise with Arturo Gatti and Mickey Ward.
Fighters placed on Earth at the same time as someone who knew how to bring the very best out of them and whenever their paths crossed it was a certainty that something magic was about to happen. Can Eubank Jr and Benn do that?
Not everybody is impressed by the shenanigans that have walked side by side with these fighters during a near three-year journey that has taken the fighters, and those closest to them, to points of despair.
The original contest set for 2022 was marred by a drug issue that left Benn fighting harder than he ever has inside the squared circle for both his career and reputation.
Blaming contaminated eggs as a reason his drug test contained an adverse finding, Benn was later slapped in the face with an egg by Eubank Jr before security intervened to separate the teams of both fighters which included Eddie Hearn and Ben Shalom, the respective promoters of Benn and Eubank Jr. Nigel was also involved as he made his way towards Eubank Jr’s throat before he was later threatened by the man his son will clash with this weekend.
Simon Jordan, Talksport’s outspoken critic, has laid into the fight viciously on several occasions labelling it as ‘WWE’, highlighting the two weight classes between the fighters, and being brutally honest on the pair profiting from their father’s names.
All points have merit, but boxing is like no other sport, and it is storylines that sell rather than sporting legitimacy in a world where business is king and everything else is secondary.
Jordan’s concerns could rise to fruition when the action gets underway, but there is a feeling from many, the vast majority in-fact, that something special could happen inside the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Saturday night, and that is why this fight contains a ton of intrigue.
Entertainer Eubank Jr must now deliver
Eubank Jr, the best talker in boxing who remains to be a huge attraction despite falling short at the highest level on several occasions.
The conqueror of great names like James DeGale and Liam Smith, but a combatant who has also choked when it appeared glory was his to take. Most notably against Smith in their first fight when he was brutally ragdolled and also going up against George Groves in 2018. There he had no answer to the Hammersmith man’s superior skillset.
But with Eubank Jr, like Mike Tyson, like Pacquiao, like his father, losses did not matter when you are at a level where people want to see you fight no matter what. The attraction is his name.
The appeal is his ability to often provide entertainment in the biggest moments. His USP is a way of speaking that will make even the most cynical mind believe every word he says, even the likes of Jordan. Not many do it better than Eubank Jr.
Returning after looking bemused against Billy Joe Saunders. A PPV attraction long after Groves eliminated his world title chances at 168lbs. And still a big draw following a battering from Smith. Eubank Jr has mastered the art of being the choice of the masses. But defeat this weekend will feel ten times worse than all the others combined. It remains to be seen just how well, or bad, Eubank Jr will handle it.
Vicious and venom
In Benn, Eubank Jr faces a nine-year professional who has been the next big thing since his debut back in 2016.
A slow burning star, Benn’s lack of amateur experience was evident in his early days, and his career almost came unstuck in 2017 when he repeatedly hit the floor against the unknown Cedrick Peynaud.
At the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic, with boxing taking baby steps back to normality, Benn finally became the fighter his backers believed he could be.
A dominant points win over Seastian Formella was followed by a run of results that put the 147lbs division on notice as Benn blasted his way past a number of serious contenders, including Chris Algiere and Chris Van Heerden.
This opened the door for a showdown with Eubank Jr. A bout many never saw coming due to the fact Benn was a welterweight and Eubank shifted between 160lbs and super-middleweight.
Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing/Getty Images
But their names held too much value to be kept apart and it probably was the shrewdest move for each man to make, if fattening their bank accounts was a huge priority.
Benn had the likes of Terence Crawford, Errol Spence, Vergil Ortiz, and Jaron Ennis to contend with if he wanted world titles in his natural weight class.
For Eubank Jr, Canelo Alvarez ran his division. If a return to middleweight was his preferred choice, then Janibek Alimkhanuly may have provided him with a title shot, but it would have been for a fraction of the amount he could have made facing Benn.
The dream fight would have to wait. So would Benn. Eubank Jr resumed his career with a thrilling series against Smith, but uncertainty awaited Benn until he returned with two low key wins in America that both went the distance.
A crazy dispute with so many questions
Now he is back. And his feelings for Eubank Jr contain more venom than before because of what has happened since they were originally meant to square off in 2022.
Security is present every time the pair are in the same building, but that precaution will be lifted on Saturday night. Then it is up to the two enemies to determine how this crazy dispute will be remembered.
Will Eubank Jr be too big and remind people that weight classes exist for a reason?
Will the fresher Benn be able to inflict more damage on his opponent’s body and provide the first Benn family win over the Eubanks?
So many questions will finally be answered and there is a fair chance that many more will not find a solution. But after such a tense build-up that has often bordered on vicious, these two know that they now have to deliver.
For Eubank, that means handling his business when it matters most, a quality he has sometimes lacked when it was all there in front of him to take advantage of.
Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
Losses to Smith, Groves, and Saunders are perfectly acceptable considering their lofty level in the sport, but defeat to an unproven welterweight who is making his middleweight debut would be catastrophic for Eubank Jr’s career, and more importantly, legacy.
And Benn, the boastful prospect who is now about to find out whether he can handle this unforgiving sport on the most vital stage.
The beneficiary of his dad’s fighting talk and intensity, but will he rise to the occasion like Nigel did when he fought Gerald McClellan in the most tragic circumstances or will he run out of steam when his father had no answer to the traps set by Michael Watson?
Eubank needs this win more. Benn, his promoter, his trainer, and his father will say different, but the younger man will almost certainly have more moments like this to prove just how good he is to give his career a more polished and refined look.
Defeat for Eubank is likely to be the end of his run at the top table, and it will be a result that will arm his critics with a wealth of material.
Possessing every key advantage apart from youth, Eubank Jr has several weapons in his artillery that can take him to victory, and that appears to be the likely outcome.
Benn will fight like his life depends on it, but conceding so many attributes, especially size and experience, the latter rounds could prove to be problematic and that could allow Eubank Jr to take over and score the most significant victory of his career.
Watch three incredible fight nights in one week only on DAZN
Fight fans are in for a treat at the end of April / start of May, with three amazing fight cards within seven days - and DAZN PPV is the only place to watch them all.
- April 26: Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn
- May 2: Ryan Garcia vs Rolly Romero; Devin Haney vs Jose Ramirez; Teofimo Lopez vs Arnold Barboza Jr.
- May 3: Canelo Alvarez vs William Scull
Arch rivals Eubank Jr and Benn finally go head-to-head to start the exhilarating week, with PPV prices at £19.95 in the UK; $24.99 in the US; €24.99 in Europe.
Garcia vs. Romero and Canelo vs. Scull fight nights follow, which will both be exclusively on DAZN. Fight fans can purchase either fight individually for $59.99 US; £/€21.99 UK/IRE; ROW - $24.99 per PPV or take advantage of the DAZN Knockout Weekend Bundle where both fights can be purchased for $90 US; £34.99 in the UK and €34.99 in Europe .
