The inquest into what went wrong for Chris Eubank Jr during his defeat to Conor Benn continues, but the fighter himself offered a few thoughts in the aftermath.
Despite concerns that Eubank–Benn II came too soon — just seven months after their first meeting — and that Eubank was facing a second straight contractual 10lb rehydration clause, many still believed he would prove too much for the younger, less experienced Benn.
Their first fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium lived up to the hype and honoured the decades-long rivalry between both families. Eubank edged it on points, though there was at least an argument that Benn deserved the nod.
Last night, second time around, there was no doubt. When MC Michael Buffer read out the three scorecards, it was clear who had earned the right to have his hand raised.
So, what went wrong for Eubank? The 36-year-old had no intention of making the evening about himself during a brief post-fight press conference, but he did offer this reflection:
“I genuinely thought that regardless of the issues that I’ve been dealing with, I would be able to go in there and win. From that first round, I realised that I was mistaken. Conor Benn put on a hell of a fight. He had a great performance. He did everything that was asked of him, and I congratulate him for his performance.”
Before the seven-minute presser ended Eubank’s promoter Ben Shalom praised the British star for taking on the rematch.
What Chris went through in camp, he won’t want to talk about it – but the things I saw he did incredibly well to get in the ring tonight.”
