Eddie Hearn believes this will be Conor Benn’s moment to shine by handing Chris Eubank Jr. his second career defeat in their rematch on Saturday, November 15th at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
(Credit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)
Pressure on Matchroom’s Golden Hope
Hearn needs the 29-year-old Benn (23-1, 14 KOs) to win this fight, as he’s in the prime of his career. He’s already lost once to Eubank Jr. (35-3, 25 KOs) earlier this year on April 26 by a 12-round unanimous decision. It’s not too late for Benn to regain the popularity he had before that defeat, but he’s got to win on Saturday to make that happen.
Eubank Jr. vs. Benn 2 will headline on DAZN PPV this Saturday. The price is $59.99 for U.S fans and £24.99. For fans with the DAZN ‘Ultimate’ Tier, it’s free.
“He’ll fight with all his heart on Saturday because he’s a proud man. But this is going to start to get really tough, and it was tough last time. It’ll be tougher this time,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to iFL TV about what Chris Eubank Jr. is up against in this fight, fighting Conor Benn.
A win for Benn over Eubank Jr. would wash away the disappointment of Conor’s loss to Eubank Jr. earlier this year in April, and show the fans that the defeat was more of a case of not being quite ready for the step up at the time.
Middleweight Weight Excuse Looms
If Benn loses on Saturday, Hearn can blame it on him fighting at middleweight instead of welterweight. He’s got that built-in excuse that he can fall back on to escape taking the full blame for the loss. Of course, that would only be a temporary solution. If Benn moves back down to 147 or 154 and loses to his next opponent, his remaining fans will start jumping ship.
“I don’t believe he wins the fight on Saturday, but last time was a tough fight for him,” said Hearn to The Stomping Ground about Eubank Jr. “He’s getting on, but he’s tough. He’s not going to go away, and he’s not going to sit on his stool and say, ‘That’s enough.’ But I do believe this is the last roll of the dice for him. It’s just my opinion.”
It would be interesting to know where Hearn gets the idea that Eubank Jr. is going to show age suddenly and then retire after Saturday. He looked better than Benn and dominated the second half. Conor was only effective in the first five to six rounds. Once Eubank Jr. figured him out with his high IQ, the fight was all his.
Hearn’s Bet on Benn’s Evolution
“We’re just getting started. Conor Benn is a young man, and he will have learned so much from the first fight. You’ll see the benefits of that on Saturday,” said Hearn.
