Yesterday’s announced rematch between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn, scheduled for September 20th, is drawing criticism from fans, who see no point in these two career underachievers fighting a second time.
Money Over Meaning?
Fans are bashing the fight for the lack of meaning. Eubank Jr-Benn 2 won’t have any titles at stake, and it won’t be an eliminator for a belt. That reduces the fight down to just being about money for these two. The UK fans will probably still order the fight on DAZN PPV in high numbers, but it won’t do well with U.S fans, who don’t rate either fighter as being relevant.
You can’t throw Eubank Jr. in the ring with world champions at middleweight and expect him to be competitive or make it the final round. Benn isn’t capable of lasting more than five or six rounds against WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. if he were willing to fight him. Conor isn’t a world-level fighter, and neither is Eubank Jr. These two are more UK celebrity-level fighters.
Benn’s First Fight Punishment
Benn (23-1, 14 KOs) soaked up a lot of punishment from Eubank Jr. (35-3, 25 KOs) in his 12-round unanimous decision loss on April 26th. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, had misgivings about a rematch after seeing how many shots he took against Eubank Jr. in a one-sided fight.
Punch Stats Unveiled
- Eubank Jr.: 367 connected on 912 shots for 40.2%
- Benn: 215 landed of 593 punches for 36.3%
Jordan Slams Mediocrity
“I thought it was about money, and I didn’t like the whole dog and pony show that was around it,” said Simon Jordan to talkSport Boxing, talking about the Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn fight earlier this year in April. “I thought it was a poor fight. We reward mediocrity. Here’s a big bag of money for mediocrity, and I maintain that view.”
The first and now the rematch are all about money for Eubank Jr. and Benn. Although Turki Alalshikh is interested in using the winner of this fight as an opponent for undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez to fight in 2026, that would be another circus fight and one step above a YouTuber-type matchup.
Boxing Becoming WWE
It’s ridiculous that Turki would stoop to the level of using Benn or Eubank Jr. as an opponent for Canelo to fight, but it shows you the direction boxing is heading. We see how things are and how they’re becoming. Boxing is becoming more like WWE, rather than a sport. These types of matchups appeal more to children than adults.
“From a boxing point of view, it was a bar fight, and if you like bar fights, that’s fantastic,” said Simon about the Eubank Jr.-Benn clash. “What it was was theater. The media created it. Does anybody believe the ending [of the rematch] is going to be anything different? Is Chris Eubank Jr. going to lose all the impetus he had in the first fight?”
Last Updated on 06/30/2025
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