Conor Benn has spoken about what it was like to finally face Chris Eubank Jr. in the ring.
These two generational rivals put on a superb show for a packed-out Tottenham Hotspur Stadium across 12 all-action rounds.
Come fight night, it was Benn, the naturally smaller man coming up two weight classes, who started the quickest. He was throwing big shots from the first bell and looked to catch Junior a number of times before his fellow Brit got a foothold and established himself mid-way through the contest.
Eubank would go on to land notable uppercuts and combinations through the guard of a tough and gritty Benn.
At the conclusion of the 12 rounds, it was Eubank who was given a unanimous points decision to leave Benn devastated but humble in defeat. Both men were subsequently taken to the hospital as a precaution after what had been a brutal 36 minutes of non-stop action.
Before that precautionary trip, an emotional Benn said at the post-fight press conference he was never really hurt by Eubank.
“I’m glad to see [the last two years] have not taken anything away from me. I proved I can take punches at 160. You don’t always want to test that, and my goal is not to test that, but I can also dish it out at 160 and hurt my opponent.
“If it was as close as people were saying it is, that’s what’s painful. I weren’t outclassed, I weren’t hurt in there. I just couldn’t get the finish. I couldn’t pull the trigger and keep it moving.”
Both men looked more fatigued than hurt towards the end of the contest, however round twelve was shootout in which either could have hit the canvas – an ending that will live long in the memory of British fight fans.
Benn must now decide whether or not to go after Eubank once more or whether to drop back down to his natural welterweight division and pursue legitimate work honours, with WBC Champion Mario Barrios one option.
