Chris Eubank Jr. looked blank. From the first round, his jab was slow and his punches were slow. Even the ferocious aggression that was key to his memorable victory in his first fight with Conor Benn deserted him in Saturday’s rematch.
Eubank’s performance was a far cry from what he showed in his first fight in April, with his technique tired and his sense of urgency only briefly stirring when Benn stabbed him with a solid shot.
In the final 12th round Ben hurt him. The one-two repeatedly jumped up and swung Eubank into the air. His legs trembled, they abandoned him, and he fell awkwardly to the canvas.
But Eubank still possessed a fierce determination that only other fighters could understand.
He refused to remain silent. He knew there were only seconds left in the fight, but he also knew Ben was going to throw every last punch he had left, so he sat up.
His tormentor pounced on him and clubbed him back to the canvas. This time Eubank fell head over heels. Still, he got back up and got back on his feet, his eyes misty-eyed as he made it to the end of the match.
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Highlights of the rematch between Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Photo provided by: DAZN
Losing a boxing match, especially one where a fighter is sent to the canvas twice, is its own kind of purgatory. However, Eubank revealed that the conflict had affected him before the match.
“I went through hell and came back here,” Eubank said afterward. “I really thought I could go in there and win regardless of the issues I’ve been working on. I think I can use my boxing skills and take advantage of what you guys saw in the first fight to beat Conor Benn.”
But he added, “I realized from the first round that I was wrong. But it’s okay, I’m a fighter and this is my job. Regardless of the danger or risk, we go to war. That’s our job. I did my best.”
“Conor Benn put up a great fight and put in a great performance. He did everything that was asked of him and I congratulate him on his performance.”
He suggested that whatever the problem was, it was still something that needed to be “healed,” but he didn’t elaborate further. He didn’t want to make excuses for his performance.
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Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn discuss whether a trilogy fight could happen between the two.
“We’re not going to take away what Conor did,” Eubank continued. “You saw what I did in the first fight. Look at what happened and then draw your conclusions.
“You all saw me there,” he said. “I thought once the bright light hit and that round was over, I would be there and find something. And I tried. I tried hard. But it just wasn’t there.”
“Conor was strong, fast and tough and congratulations.
“I need to heal,” he added. “I need to deal with what I’m facing. Then I can start thinking about my path in this sport.”
Does that future direction include a withdrawal from boxing? Eubank has revealed that he is also going to be a father to twins. That might change his perspective on hard trades.
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Conor Benn’s hilarious response when asked about Chris Eubank Jr. and American rapper 50 Cent’s ring walk.
Of his rival Conor Benn: “He has more important things to worry about. He won in life by having twin sons. If it were me, I would look at boxing. I would look at why he’s boxing, because at the end of the day he’s already a father of two, so that’s always the priority.”
“It’s not up to me to say whether he should or shouldn’t retire, that’s between him and his team.
“But he has bigger things going on in his life right now.”
Before this second game, Eubank said: “Obviously boxing is a dangerous sport. You want to be around your kids as they grow up. These kinds of fights that I’m in and that I’m able to be in, they take a little bit of strength out of me every time I do them. So it’s something to think about. But for now, I’m loving my life as a fighter.”
He didn’t expect being a father to calm him down. “I mean, I’m already curled up. You can’t get any more curled up than I am,” he said. “But I don’t think having a child will change who I am as a man or change my personality. I am who I am.
“My children may make me more of a person, but I don’t think they will change me.
“I’m looking forward to them growing up and learning what their father did and did.”
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Chris Eubank Sr. and Nigel Benn went back many years as they met face-to-face at their sons’ press conference ahead of this weekend’s highly anticipated rematch.
Eubank has a complicated relationship with his own father. Eubank Sr.’s reputation and personality are closely tied to his son’s boxing career. The historic rivalry between Senior and Ben’s father Nigel further fueled the story of the two-fold battle endured by his sons.
Eubank Jr. was estranged from his father for a time, but they mended the rift with him and worked together in the first match. Eubank Sr. also stood by his son for the second game, despite urging him to retire before this most recent game.
Junior doesn’t always agree with Senior’s opinions, but he understands Senior better when Senior acts as a father figure to his nephew after Eubank Jr.’s younger brother and Raheem’s father, Sebastian, tragically passes away.
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Watch Chris Eubank Jr.’s first comeback in a dramatic points win over Conor Benn in a highly entertaining match back in April.
“Being around my nephew Raheem, I started to empathize with my father’s feelings. When you love a child, you begin to understand that I don’t want to cause any pain or harm to this human being. And I’ve never felt that kind of love for anyone, so I understand how my father felt about me,” Eubank Jr. said.
“Having him back in my life means a lot, especially now that he’s their grandfather. It’s a very important relationship.
“Two years ago, when we hadn’t talked for a few years, I was like, what if I have kids? Now I know he’s accessible to me, which is very important. It’s a great feeling.”
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Let’s remember when Chris Eubank Jr. and his father performed an epic ring walk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complete with an orchestra during their first game.
What does this mean for Chris Eubank Jr.? Can a happy and satisfied person continue to fight? Should a happy and satisfied person keep fighting?
“No matter what trials and tribulations I go through, I get to do what I love to do every day. I’m still doing what I love to do,” Eubank said.
“I’m alive, I’m happy, I’m a warrior.
“It’s okay, it’s okay because I still have a fulfilling life.”
