LONDON – Not only did Chris Eubank Jr. settle his festering feud with Conor Benn on Saturday, he also kept up a family tradition.
But now it is time for Eubank Jr. to move on from the rivalry and pursue a fight versus Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
The Eubank family are now 2-0 (1 draw) in one of boxing’s longest and most famous rivalries. Eubank Jr.’s unanimous points win (116-112, 116-112, 116-112) after a fierce fight follows Chris Eubank Sr’s stoppage win over Conor’s dad Nigel for the world middleweight title in 1990 and a controversial draw for the world super middleweight title three years later.
It was also a happy moment for Eubank Jr. to be reunited with his dad after a recent fall out. Chris Jr last week lamented about his dad Chris recently labelling him ‘a disgrace’ for smashing an egg on Benn at a press conference, but in a surprise twist Chris Sr arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with his son to see him later deliver an inspired display.
The appearance of Chris Sr. was a punch none us saw coming and it was a huge morale boost for Eubank Jr. (35-3, 25 KOs), who went on to have moments of dominance in the fight. He withstood Benn’s furious assaults and replied with his own, while his jab was a reliable force throughout.
In Round 4, Eubank uncorked a belter of a right uppercut that Benn did well to absorb. Just as Chris came through an attritional encounter to pounce on a hurt Nigel and force the stoppage in Round 9 of their WBO world middleweight title fight in 1990, Chris Jr. rebounded from a disorganised Round 10 to dominate the final rounds in the non-title middleweight bout.
Benn, 28, (23-1, 14 KOs) looked in trouble in Round 12 but bravely resisted the onslaught in his first professional defeat.
Could this win over Conor Benn now be as transformational for Chris Jr.’s career as Chris Sr’s win over Nigel Benn was for him? Chris Jr, 35, from Brighton, was one year old when his dad beat Nigel in Birmingham to win his first world title.
Chris Jr. has yet to win a full version of one of the four world titles, but his win over Conor should propel him to a world title shot later this year. He is ranked at No. 3 with the WBC and IBF world governing bodies, whose champions are Janibek Alimkhanuly and Carlos Adames respectively.
However, given his trouble at making the 160 pounds weight limit, it would not be a surprise to see Eubank Jr operate at super middleweight. He marginally failed to make the weight limit on Friday by 0.05 pounds and had to pay a $500,000 (£375,000) penalty.
Eubank Jr. also had to adhere to a 10 pounds rehydration clause, meaning that he could not weigh over 170 pounds on Saturday morning. Eubank Jr would be a tough fight for Alimkhanuly but the English fighter might go in another direction now.
Bigger and more lucrative opportunities are on offer for Eubank Jr. at super middleweight, such as a shot at boxing’s premier attraction Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs), 34, from Mexico.
The WBC-WBA-WBO world super middleweight champion will face Cuban William Scull (23-0, 9 KOs) on May 3, and if he wins Canelo will progress to take on American Terence Crawford on Sept. 13.
Saudi Arabia‘s Riyadh Season has already discussed the potential of Canelo and Eubank Jr. colliding in 2026, but that timeline allows Eubank Jr. to fight once more this year.
Benn, who lives in Essex after being raised in Spain and Australia, hinted he will stay at middleweight after the fight, but he might find better opportunities to win a first world title down at either junior middleweight or welterweight.
Benn began 2025 by calling for a fight versus Mario Barros, the WBC welterweight champion and ranked No 3 with the world governing body. It was the best night of Conor’s career, yet it is still not enough for him to be considered on a par with his dad.
Benn (42-5-1, 35 KOs), 61, and Eubank (45-5-2, 23 KOs), 58, who were bizarrely sat beside each other in Tottenham, were bigger stars in their day in the U.K. and also achieved more in the ring.
Both won world titles at middleweight and super middleweight, while Conor and Chris Jr. have yet to hold a full world title between them. Fighting Canelo would elevate Eubank Jr.’s career to the highest level yet — and he is likely to prioritise that over anything else including a rematch with Benn.
Beating Canelo would even eclipse any victory his father managed and a lucrative match-up with the Mexican must be Eubank Jr.’s No. 1 focus now.
Source: espn.com