Eubank Jr. Plans To Prove ‘Elite’ Status Against Benn

Chris Eubank Jr. has said he will prove he is an elite fighter in a potential Conor Benn fight. 

The duo were expected to fight in 2022. But the fight was called off once Benn failed VADA tests for Clomiphene. Ben continued to maintain his innocence, stating that it was initially a case of contamination. The British Boxing Board of Control ultimately did not sanction the fight, as Ben was suspended by UKAD. Benn is currently navigating the legal process, hoping a decision is made soon so he can focus on his career. During this period, Benn has been building up a fight with Eubank Jr. 

He had a face-off with Eubank Jr. in Saudi Arabia after Chris had beaten Kamil Szeremeta to win the IBO Middleweight Belt. Things got very heated in the ring, as they had to be separated by security whilst soccer superstar Neymar stood in between them. The initial fight was based on a 157-pound catchweight, something which was criticized as Eubank Jr. had to get a career-low weight. However,  Eubank Jr. has now said the rematch will be on his terms more.

Eubank Jr. On Benn

Eubank Jr. has additional leverage since he has been fighting better opposition.  Eubank has come off two wins, beating Liam Smith and his current one in Saudi. He looked very impressive in his last fight, dropping his opponent four times on his way to a stoppage win.

That will make Eubank Jr. the favorite, given that Ben must jump from 147 pounds. Benn has also not looked like the same fighter since his failed VADA tests, having failed to stop Peter Dobson and Rodolfo Orozco. They are not elite-level names. Prior to Benn’s field tests, he had stopped Chris Algieri and Chris Van Heerden. Now, Eubank Jr. has vowed to show they are levels to this. 

“It’s all well and good him saying what he can do but we are not going to know how tough, how great Conor Benn is until he is in there with somebody like me who can really test him. I think what I bring to the table is far too elite, far too superior in terms of my experience, skill, power, speed. I just think everything is going to be too much for him. He will tell you different but I think it is going to be a serious wake-up call for him,” Eubank Jr. said

Eubank’s Legacy

Eubank admitted that he was very disappointed the fight did not go ahead in 2022. It was the biggest fight of his career in terms of a domestic clash and the amount of money it would have generated. However, the controversy from the fight has now made this much bigger. The pair have history due to their fathers’ boxing careers: Chris Eubank Sr. and Nigel Benn. Eubank is at the latter end of his career, as he is targeting the biggest fights.

The 35-year-old was reportedly in talks to face Canelo Alvarez, but the Mexican chose to go ahead with the Edgar Berlanga fight on Mexican Independence weekend instead. But that is still a name that he is targeting moving forward. Now that he has signed a deal with BOXXER, Eubank is aiming to fight the best. BOXXER also recently signed a partnership with Saudi Arabia, making the biggest fights more possible. And that has given Eubank Jr., plenty of options.

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