When a fight is built on controversy, it is imperative that it doesn’t then end on controversy or lead to even greater controversy.
In that respect, the outcome of Chris Eubank Jnr vs. Conor Benn in April could not have been any better. For one, it avoided controversy – more of it – and it also managed to provide satisfaction, both in terms of how the bout was fought and how it concluded.
It felt, all in all, like a rather successful night. For all its baggage, nobody criticised the fight itself and nobody, not even Conor Benn, begrudged the decision going in Chris Eubank Jnr’s favour after 12 rounds.
The only question then was whether they would do it again – which of course they would. The only question now, now that we have confirmation that they will on September 20, is whether the fight is worth doing again or not. After all, though there is a lot to gain from a lucrative rematch, there is also a lot to lose when going over old ground, especially when that ground was far from solid to begin with.
REASONS WHY THEY SHOULD
The first fight was surprisingly good
The good thing about having low expectations is that it doesn’t take much to be pleasantly surprised. In April, because our expectations were so low going in, it meant that Benn and Eubank Jnr didn’t have to do much to then brighten our day. A good, clean fight was all that was required and over 12 rounds that, to their credit, is exactly what they produced. The action was nonstop, the determination on the part of both was evident throughout, and it became one of those increasingly rare examples of two fighters leaving everything in the ring. Even if the rivalry itself had been manufactured, and it had been, the fight turned out to be authentic and true. You could see how much winning meant to both.
A rematch will make everyone loads of money
It’s the reason any big fight gets made and this fight is no different. Not just the root of all evil, money also happens to be the reason why Chris Eubank Jnr and Conor Benn are content to spend their precious time together and are ready to reconvene on September 20 in London. It remains, financially, the biggest fight for both at this stage and, what is more, they will now be aware of their limitations and will therefore appreciate that this fight, and this rivalry, likely represents their career-best payday.
Their fathers fought twice
If we’re to stick with the theme and continue playing dress-up, it makes sense for Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jnr to meet again, just as their fathers, Nigel and Chris, did in 1993. If nothing else, it helps to keep everything neat and symmetrical. It will be interesting, too, to see if the sons’ rematch is able to deliver the kind of satisfactory conclusion their fathers’ rematch failed to deliver at Old Trafford, when it ended in a draw. Should they avoid that, the sons, and should Benn buck the trend and secure a win, there will then be calls for a third fight between the pair. A real decider.
British boxing needs big events
Given that most things are now being outsourced to Middle East financiers and Riyadh Season, it is vital that British boxing, when it can, manages to keep a few decent events on home soil. A fight like this one, for example, resonates only in Great Britain and therefore should be embraced as a thoroughly British product. It is not only 35 years in the making, but perhaps the one big fight involving British boxers that isn’t in danger of being kidnapped and dumped elsewhere.
The narrative has shifted – in a good way
A lot of the talk before fight one revolved around Conor Benn’s two failed performance-enhancing drug tests in 2022 and for good reason. It was an important part of the narrative, not to mention the cause of the two-and-a-half-year delay, and by bringing it up the morally conflicted could say, “Well, I’ll watch it, but I still don’t feel great about it.”
Of course, during the fight itself, nobody spoke of clomiphene, neither on the broadcast nor elsewhere, and only a few so much as thought about it as the action unfolded. By then it hardly mattered anyway. Benn and Eubank Jnr were swinging and there was nothing anybody could say to either stop them or kill the vibe. Together, they punched away the controversy, at least for 12 rounds, and they ensured that any rematch would be spared the same scrutiny as fight one. They had, after all, entertained. They had given the people what they wanted. Why now dredge up the past?
REASONS WHY THEY SHOULDN’T
The first fight will not be eclipsed
Sometimes it’s best just to leave something where it is and accept it cannot be improved. In the case of Eubank Jnr and Benn, we’re not talking about a masterpiece, or even a classic fight, but it was good enough, fight one, to enhance the reputation of both and have many forget the ugliness surrounding it. For that reason alone, the rivalry should probably be put to bed for fear of now spoiling it with too many touch-ups. Ask any artist and they’ll tell you, “When it’s done, it’s done. Step back; leave it alone.” Besides, they all got away with it the first time around. They should run, never look back. Don’t push your luck, boys.
Eubank Jnr doesn’t have many fights left
At the age of 35, it’s fair to say Chris Eubank Jnr is nearing the end of what has been an interesting and at times compelling professional career. He remains, at 35, good enough to beat Conor Benn, a man seven years his junior, but that’s not really the point. The point is, for years we have had to listen to Eubank Jnr talk of his desire to fight the best in the world and yet still he has never shared a ring with anybody remotely close to that level. Now, with time of the essence, one can’t help but question whether fighting Conor Benn not once but twice is the best way for Eubank Jnr to spend his final days as an active fighter.
The rehydration clause remains in place
You’d like to think that having won in April Chris Eubank Jnr might be able to exert a bit more control ahead of the pair’s rematch, but no, not quite. Instead, as per the first fight, Eubank Jnr is set to box Benn at a weight of 160lbs (middleweight) with a 10-pound rehydration clause. That’s hardly ideal for the Brighton man, who last time failed to make weight by 0.05 lbs and was hit by a hefty fine as a result. Oh, and to compound matters, Eubank Jnr was then prevented from properly rehydrating by the clause in the contract which prohibited him from doing so. It was, they said, necessary to ensure a fair fight. But it also made a “fair fight” a dangerous one.
Every word has now been said
As uncouth and costly as it was (at least for Eubank Jnr), there is no denying that the verbal exchanges between the two made for fascinating viewing ahead of fight one. It had everything: egg jokes, daddy issues, and silenced promoters. And yet, because it had everything, and because it just about covered everything, it now begs the question: what is there left to say?
Half a dozen press conferences down, and with 12 rounds completed, there is the very real possibility of overkill when it comes to Eubank Jnr and Benn telling the world how much they hate each other. Not only that, there was a sense in the aftermath of fight one that the pair had found some mutual respect from somewhere. It wasn’t a total U-turn, no, or even a warm embrace, but it was enough; enough to make it difficult to now believe that Eubank Jnr and Benn are as hate-fuelled as before.
We’ve had three years of this stuff
With these two, we’re not just talking one fight and 12 rounds. In fact, the rivalry itself – Benn-Eubank – stretches back some 35 years and the names have been inextricably linked ever since. Even their sons, Conor and Chris Junior, have been connected now for three years; surely long enough for them to have finished what their fathers started and got back to their own careers.
Of course, had it not been for Benn’s failed drug tests, which scuppered the original date of October 8, 2022, the score would have been settled by now and both would have moved on. But, alas, it never worked out like that. Instead, Benn failed his drug tests, Eubank Jnr claimed the moral high ground, and the world waited for the dust to settle and for Benn to be “cleared” to fight.
Maddeningly, the process of “clearance” took a total of two years and by the time it was said to have been granted, we knew only two things: one, that we were none the wiser, and two, that Benn and Eubank Jnr would finally fight, which in April they did. And yet, now that they have fought and got it out of their system, it is hard to understand why they’re still hanging around each other. Surely, with so much toxicity between them, they appear better suited to a one-night stand than a marriage, even one of convenience.
