Conor Benn may have taken what’s left of Chris Eub…

LONDON — Conor Benn’s first smile of the post-fight press conference arrived almost by accident — a small crack in the armor during a rare pause for reflection. Nights like this rarely allow for stillness, but Eddie Hearn seized the moment.The promoter, still riding the adrenaline of Benn’s unanimous decision over Chris Eubank Jr. inside London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, leaned forward into the microphone and reminded the 29-year-old of the wider picture. “He’s [Benn] secured his family and his children’s financial legacy forever,” Hearn said, grinning as if he’d just delivered the final punch of the evening.AdvertisementConor, delivering the first Benn victory over a Eubank in 35 years of family rivalry and making a reported £15.5 million ($20.4 million) across two fights against Chris Eubank Jr., finally allowed his guard to slip after an emotionally exhausting night.Aside from a small mouse under his right eye and some mild swelling across his cheekbones, Benn showed little evidence of the 12 rounds he’d just banked. With the win secured and the score settled, he made it clear the feud with Eubank Jr. was finished.“This [the Eubank-Benn rivalry] ends here,” Benn explained. He then outlined his next steps, confirming a return to his natural fighting weight of 147 pounds — 13 pounds south of Friday’s scaled figure. “I fancy [Mario] Barrios for the WBC world title. Ryan Garcia, [Rolly] Romero, Devin Haney — all of them can get it,” he added, signaling his intention to rejoin the elite mix at welterweight.Chris Eubank Jr. (left ) and Conor Benn share a moment after Benn won the middleweight bout at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Nov. 15, 2025, in London. (Photo by Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing/Getty Images) (Mark Robinson via Getty Images)Benn (24-1, 14 KOs) still has ample time and mileage left in the sport, but the more pressing questions: At what level? And with what lasting impact? The past three turbulent years have taken their toll in ways that won’t be fully understood until his next chapter unfolds. Only then will we learn what has been drained, or perhaps hardened, in the mind, body and spirit of the man known as “The Destroyer.”AdvertisementTalk of a Eubank Jr.-Benn clash first began to swirl in July 2022, when early rumors hinted at a rivalry ready to be revived. Since then, Benn has experienced the full spectrum: A surge of stardom, a dark cloud of scandal, a sobering and damaging defeat, and now the highest peak he could imagine — succeeding where his father fell short twice.It wouldn’t be hyperbolic to say Benn has endured an entire career’s worth of turbulence compressed into 40 draining months. Now, with the task of boiling himself back down to welterweight, the question becomes whether he can rediscover the drive and edge that carried him to the 24th win of his career. And more importantly, is a welterweight Conor Benn in the bracket of world class?Benn was a step ahead of Eubank (35-4, 25 KOs) in every exchange of their rematch, but whom Benn beat this time around was a different fighter than the one from April’s classic. Eubank, now 36, made weight easier (numerically) on the scale for the rematch, but appeared drained at the 160-pound limit from the opening bell, restricted by the 10-pound rehydration clause and weaker and far less imposing against the now-filled-out middleweight version of Benn.Eubank’s jab never found its flow, leaving him unable to disrupt the younger man’s rhythm. Benn was afforded the space to operate patiently, selecting precise shots to the head and body and controlling the fight from start to finish. Eubank offered brief glimmers of resolve and willingness to trade, but only in fleeting moments before retreating on the back foot. The performance reached its apex in the 12th and final round, when Benn dropped Eubank twice in decisive fashion.AdvertisementEubank was saved by the final bell and seemed to accept his fate, relief written across his face that it was finally over. He was gracious in defeat (119-107, 116-110, 118-108 on the judges’ scorecards), promptly shaking the hand of the man who had dominated him for 36 relentless minutes.He offered another moment of humility into the microphone. “It’s one-one,” he said. “I’ve got to go away and deal with some of the things I’ve been dealing with over the last couple of months. Who knows whether we will see something new with me and him? Maybe we won’t. But right now, it’s all about this man. This is his night.”AdvertisementIt felt like one fight too many for Eubank, who is now faced with questions that so many fighters find impossible to answer.But for Benn and Matchroom Boxing, which has invested so much time, money and energy into his story, it’s a case of building Benn 2.0. Who is Conor Benn without the shadow of a Chris Eubank Jr. rivalry looming over him?“My kids’ kids haven’t got to worry,” Benn added, doubling down on celebrating his financial achievement. “It’s every dad’s dream and goal to give your kids to a better life — and that’s what I’ve done.”The voice of the late Marvin Hagler might be ringing around the head of Benn as he gets home to his two children on Sunday morning. Benn was born in silk pajamas and now has the means to buy several pairs of his own. Not many boxers throughout history can relate.Only time will tell, of course, but there is a strong possibility the Eubank–Benn rivalry will come to define the sons just as indelibly as it did their fathers.Conor Benn may have taken what’s left of Chris Eubank Jr., but at what cost?
LONDON — Conor Benn’s first smile of the post-fight press conference arrived almost by accident — a small crack in the armor during a rare pause for reflection. Nights like this rarely allow for stillness, but Eddie Hearn seized the moment.The promoter, still riding the adrenaline of Benn’s unanimous decision over Chris Eubank Jr. inside London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, leaned forward into the microphone and reminded the 29-year-old of the wider picture. “He’s [Benn] secured his family and his children’s financial legacy forever,” Hearn said, grinning as if he’d just delivered the final punch of the evening.AdvertisementConor, delivering the first Benn victory over a Eubank in 35 years of family rivalry and making a reported £15.5 million ($20.4 million) across two fights against Chris Eubank Jr., finally allowed his guard to slip after an emotionally exhausting night.Aside from a small mouse under his right eye and some mild swelling across his cheekbones, Benn showed little evidence of the 12 rounds he’d just banked. With the win secured and the score settled, he made it clear the feud with Eubank Jr. was finished.“This [the Eubank-Benn rivalry] ends here,” Benn explained. He then outlined his next steps, confirming a return to his natural fighting weight of 147 pounds — 13 pounds south of Friday’s scaled figure. “I fancy [Mario] Barrios for the WBC world title. Ryan Garcia, [Rolly] Romero, Devin Haney — all of them can get it,” he added, signaling his intention to rejoin the elite mix at welterweight.Chris Eubank Jr. (left ) and Conor Benn share a moment after Benn won the middleweight bout at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Nov. 15, 2025, in London. (Photo by Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing/Getty Images) (Mark Robinson via Getty Images)Benn (24-1, 14 KOs) still has ample time and mileage left in the sport, but the more pressing questions: At what level? And with what lasting impact? The past three turbulent years have taken their toll in ways that won’t be fully understood until his next chapter unfolds. Only then will we learn what has been drained, or perhaps hardened, in the mind, body and spirit of the man known as “The Destroyer.”AdvertisementTalk of a Eubank Jr.-Benn clash first began to swirl in July 2022, when early rumors hinted at a rivalry ready to be revived. Since then, Benn has experienced the full spectrum: A surge of stardom, a dark cloud of scandal, a sobering and damaging defeat, and now the highest peak he could imagine — succeeding where his father fell short twice.It wouldn’t be hyperbolic to say Benn has endured an entire career’s worth of turbulence compressed into 40 draining months. Now, with the task of boiling himself back down to welterweight, the question becomes whether he can rediscover the drive and edge that carried him to the 24th win of his career. And more importantly, is a welterweight Conor Benn in the bracket of world class?Benn was a step ahead of Eubank (35-4, 25 KOs) in every exchange of their rematch, but whom Benn beat this time around was a different fighter than the one from April’s classic. Eubank, now 36, made weight easier (numerically) on the scale for the rematch, but appeared drained at the 160-pound limit from the opening bell, restricted by the 10-pound rehydration clause and weaker and far less imposing against the now-filled-out middleweight version of Benn.Eubank’s jab never found its flow, leaving him unable to disrupt the younger man’s rhythm. Benn was afforded the space to operate patiently, selecting precise shots to the head and body and controlling the fight from start to finish. Eubank offered brief glimmers of resolve and willingness to trade, but only in fleeting moments before retreating on the back foot. The performance reached its apex in the 12th and final round, when Benn dropped Eubank twice in decisive fashion.AdvertisementEubank was saved by the final bell and seemed to accept his fate, relief written across his face that it was finally over. He was gracious in defeat (119-107, 116-110, 118-108 on the judges’ scorecards), promptly shaking the hand of the man who had dominated him for 36 relentless minutes.He offered another moment of humility into the microphone. “It’s one-one,” he said. “I’ve got to go away and deal with some of the things I’ve been dealing with over the last couple of months. Who knows whether we will see something new with me and him? Maybe we won’t. But right now, it’s all about this man. This is his night.”AdvertisementIt felt like one fight too many for Eubank, who is now faced with questions that so many fighters find impossible to answer.But for Benn and Matchroom Boxing, which has invested so much time, money and energy into his story, it’s a case of building Benn 2.0. Who is Conor Benn without the shadow of a Chris Eubank Jr. rivalry looming over him?“My kids’ kids haven’t got to worry,” Benn added, doubling down on celebrating his financial achievement. “It’s every dad’s dream and goal to give your kids to a better life — and that’s what I’ve done.”The voice of the late Marvin Hagler might be ringing around the head of Benn as he gets home to his two children on Sunday morning. Benn was born in silk pajamas and now has the means to buy several pairs of his own. Not many boxers throughout history can relate.Only time will tell, of course, but there is a strong possibility the Eubank–Benn rivalry will come to define the sons just as indelibly as it did their fathers.

Анжелика Флёрко

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