Kicking off Fight Week, Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn made their Grand Arrivals. The pair approach their clash taking place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on April 26.
The all-British matchup features the sons of former champions Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn, who went head-to-head twice over the course of their careers in the early ’90s. Eubank won their first fight in November 1990, dethroning Benn via ninth-round TKO to claim the WBO middleweight title. The rematch, held in October 1993, ended in a split draw.
Three and a half decades later, Eubank Jr. and Benn square off in a scheduled 12-round showdown at middleweight.
Eubank Jr. (34-3, 25 KOs) of Hove, Brighton and Hove is coming off a seventh-round TKO against Kamil Szeremeta last October in Riyadh. The 35-year-old said he is more experienced than his opponent in the ring, which will be the major factor.
“I keep hearing this two weight classes thing. He’s not coming up two weight classes. His last fight was at 156 lbs,” Chris Eubank Jr. said. “He’s putting four pounds on; he hasn’t been a welterweight for three years. This fight isn’t about size or weight. It’s about skill, it’s about dedication, it’s about expertise, and all those areas I excel in and have got many, many more years of experience over Conor Benn – and that will be the deciding factor on the night.”
“Again, this isn’t any one attribute. I’m a complete fighter. I’ve been doing this for so long now I’ve forgotten more things than he knows. That will show on the night – the experience, the dedication, and the will. These will all be the deciding factors.”
“Shenanigans. I don’t do shenanigans. I do what I believe is right and I do what I want to do. If you guys think they’re shenanigans, then fair enough. I’m just being me.”
“The procedure will be parliamentary. That’s the only thing I can say about the outcome of this fight. Everything will go the way I want it to go. I will be like a matador in that ring and Conor Benn will be the bull.”
‘I’m excited to go in there & do a number on him’
Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) defeated Peter Dobson by unanimous decision in a 12-round welterweight bout last February in Las Vegas. The 28-year-old native of Greenwich, London, said he was ready for the challenge and stated it was “personal” for him.
“Yeah, listen, I mean it don’t concern me in the slightest,” Benn said. “I’ve prepared hard. I’ve done everything I possibly can in the gym. I’ve left no stone unturned. So for me, I look at him and I ain’t really too concerned. I’ll beat him at any weight.”
“Yeah, it’s always personal. Every opponent I fight, it’s personal. People want to say it’s strictly business – it ain’t business. It’s never business. If you’re trying to put your hands on me and render me unconscious, it’s never business. It’s always personal, every single one of my opponents – but this one has a little bit more history to it, shall we say.”
“I wish I was fighting tonight. Unfortunately, we’ve got to wait a few more days, but ultimately all of the hard work is done and I’m excited to go in there and do a number on him. As soon as I get my hands on him, he’ll know what’s up.”
Among the bouts featured on the Eubank Jr vs Benn undercard, Liam Smith (33-4-1, 20 KOs) and Aaron McKenna (19-0, 10 KOs) battle it out at middleweight. Anthony Yarde (26-3, 24 KOs) and Lyndon Arthur (24-2, 16 KOs) clash at light heavyweight. Chris Billam-Smith (20-2, 13 KOs) and Brandon Glanton (20-2, 17 KOs) face off at cruiserweight. Viddal Riley (12-0, 7 KOs) and Cheavon Clarke (10-1, 7 KOs) go toe-to-toe in another contest at cruiserweight.