Boxing

Chris Eubank Jr And Conor Benn Arrive For Grudge Match

Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn are just days away from their long-awaited clash on Saturday.
Nathaniel Marrero|
Chris Eubank Jr. (left) and Conor Benn (right).
Chris Eubank Jr. (left) and Conor Benn (right). | Dave Thompson/Matchroom Boxing

Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn are on the precipice of their grudge match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The two fighters had grand arrivals on Tuesday ahead of their fight on Saturday. This time, though, there were no eggs involved, as Benn and Eubank Jr. were kept far apart from each other.

Still, the tension was palpable for the two fighters and Matchroom Boxing CEO Eddie Hearn believes it'll just add to the biggest rivalry in British boxing history.

"This is the biggest fight in British boxing outside of the Heavyweight division since Froch and Groves," Hearn said. "But this has something very different. This has an appeal to all kinds of demographics, all kinds of age groups. Everyone knew their fathers and everyone knows who they are."

Benn and Eubank Jr.'s fathers, Chris Eubank Sr. and Nigel Benn, fought twice, with Eubank Sr. winning the first fight by 9th-round knockout in 1990 and the second fight ending in a split draw three years later.

Benn and Eubank Jr. were first scheduled to fight in October of 2022, but multiple failed drug tests for the performance-enhancing drug clomifene two times. The time that has passed has only caused the tensions to rise and match the rivalry that was first begun in 1989.

"The narrative was there originally," Hearn said. "Now you've got two years of bad blood. The controversy, the build-up, this week as well. But it's a great fight. I said before, people talking about their fathers of course, they're two of the biggest legends of British boxing. But these are two world-class fighters in their respected divisions."

Benn (23-0, 14 KOs), 28, will be fighting at the heaviest weight of his career when he moves up to middleweight to face Eubank Sr. He last fought against Pete Dobson at a catchweight of 150.5 pounds on Feb. 3, 2024, and won by unanimous decision. While Benn says he isn't viewing this fight any differently, he also admitted there's a little more to this fight than previous times he stepped into the ring.

"It's always personal," Benn said. "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."

Eubank Jr. (34-3, 25 KOs), 35, has rebounded well after suffering the lone stoppage loss of his career to Liam Smith in the 4th round on Jan. 21, 2023. He has since stopped Smith in the rematch in the 10th round and stopped Kamil Szeremeta in the 7th round on Oct. 12 on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 1.

A lot has been made of the weight with Benn moving up to 160 pounds and Eubank Jr. not being able to rehydrate more than 10 pounds at the morning weigh-in on the day of the fight. For Eubank Jr., none of that will matter once he and Benn finally step into the ring.

"This fight isn't about size or weight," Eubank Jr. said. "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. That will be the deciding factor on the night."

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Nathaniel Marrero
NATHANIEL MARRERO

Nathaniel Marrero is a writer for the Boxing, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Ravens On SI sites. He's also written for the Orlando Sentinel and MLB.com, and was a part of UCF's sports show, Hitting The Field. He attended UCF and graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023. Twitter/X: Nate_Marrero

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