World-class boxing is in a very good place right now. We’ve got Naoya Inoue continuously proving himself to be one of the most devastatingly effective boxers of this generation, Oleksandr Usyk putting on a masterclass to beat Tyson Fury twice, which InTheBook created a watch guide for, and Terence Crawford and Saúl Álvarez are primed to fight again soon.
There are plenty more exciting boxers making their way up the ranks and set to defend their world titles in 2025, and yet, one fight that’s making a tremendous amount of noise doesn’t even feature a belt. On April 26, British rivals Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn will fight in London.
Staged by Saudi Arabia’s boxing organizer, Turki Alalshikh, to take place at regular NFL London landing spot, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it’s somewhat surprisingly a huge fight. It’s all but guaranteed to sell-out the over 60,000 capacity.
By comparison, Deontay Wilder’s battle at the Garden Arena in Las Vegas had around 10,000 in attendance with 7,403 tickets sold for the November 23, 2019, bout with Luis Ortiz. This far out, the hype already eclipses even those seen in the NBA, so what is it about Eubank Jr. vs Benn that seems to be so captivating?
A Long-Awaited Event
British rivalry bouts have long been big sellers in the hefty boxing market. Happy to put the shows on at their largest outdoor stadiums, British rivalries sell tens of thousands of tickets, as do the world title fights. This one has been given some extra hot sauce as it was supposed to take place back in October 2022.
Chris Eubank Jr. has fought three times to keep fresh at middleweight. He lost to Liam Smith by stoppage in the fourth in January 2023, defeating Smith in the rematch in September 2023 by TKO in the tenth. In October last year, the Sussex-born pugilist beat Kamil Szeremeta in Saudi Arabia by TKO in the seventh round.
Conor Benn has fought twice since the cancellation, but not in the UK due to suspension. Instead, he went to the US, fighting at welterweight to beat Rodolfo Orozco and Peter Dobson by unanimous decision in September 2023 and February 2024.
Now, the 34-3-0 Eubank Jr. is welcoming the 23-0 Benn up to middleweight – a two-division jump for the younger boxer. Due to his ban, Benn doesn’t feature prominently in any rankings. Eubank Jr., on the other hand, has worked his way up to as high as third in many middleweight rankings.
Just as it was over two years ago, Eubank Jr. enters as the favorite to win this rivalry bout. As of February 20, Eubank Jr. gets odds of -139 to win at the online betting site Betway. While not a massive underdog, Benn is still against the odds at +120. The odds seem rather cautious, only heightening the potential for this British rumble.
Fuelled by the Fathers
Eubank Jr. vs Benn at the lavish and rather large Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 26 will have all the bells and whistles. Before, we’ve seen the wealthy popular rapper Stormzy perform for major British entrances – in this case, that of Anthony Joshua – and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the event organizers arrange something similar.
However, the big draw that’s bubbling underneath is that this is a renewal of a paternal rivalry. Some 35 years after Chris Eubank Sr. and Nigel Benn battled in the 1990s, as Ring Magazine details, their sons will enter the ring to do the same. Eubank-Benn was a particularly heated rivalry, and one that took place over world titles.
Eubank Sr., who was 45-5-2 in his career, got the better of the battle on paper. Benn, a 42-5-1 fighter, went from losing by TKO in the ninth to seeing through a split draw, seemingly gaining momentum against his foe. Still, this rivalry went far beyond the scorecards. To say that Eubank Sr. and Benn loathed each other would be an understatement.
They were more than happy to air their grievances and level accusations in public. “Intolerable” and classless is how Eubank saw Benn. Benn, in kind, said, “I personally do hate him.” Although already quite heated before the first bout, Benn’s team sabotaged Eubank’s walk-in music to try to throw off the man known as “Simply the Best.”
Such a potent rivalry, Eubank-Benn has laid the groundwork for Eubank Jr. versus Conor Benn – especially as the last bout ended in a split draw. All are hoping for the bout on April 26, 2025, to live up to the legacy of the original Eubank-Benn duo of grudge matches.
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