Knowing what went wrong the first time around, Nigel Benn made sure to adopt a vastly different approach for his rematch with Chris Eubank Sr.
The domestic rivals squared off in 1990, back when Benn was the defending WBO world super-middleweight champion and Eubank, an unbeaten challenger, was largely unproven.
Prior to their encounter, Benn had suffered just one defeat, against Michael Watson, from which he bounced back and later dethroned Doug DeWitt with an eighth-round stoppage.
But while ‘The Dark Destroyer’ had firmly cemented himself as a formidable knockout artist, it was in fact Eubank who emerged from their first fight with a ninth-round stoppage victory.
After that, Eubank would make a series of successful title defences, two of which coming against Watson, before entering his rematch with Benn in 1993.
Benn, meanwhile, had claimed his WBC super-middleweight strap with a third-round finish over Mauro Galvano, who he later outpointed in the same year that he faced Eubank.
During the near three-year spell between their two iconic dustups, it seemed that Benn had also adapted his style to a point where, defensively, he became far more proficient.
Because of this, many felt that he had done enough to exact his revenge over Eubank, yet the two fierce rivals were ultimately forced to come away with a draw.
Speaking with Clubhouse Boxing, Benn insisted that he had thoroughly addressed the mistakes he made in their first encounter.
“I didn’t really have no pressure [heading into their rematch]; I just didn’t want to lose to him [Eubank]. But I knew where I went wrong.
“The first time I fought him, I just came straight at him. This time [in their rematch], I was bobbing and weaving. He was missing me with a lot of punches.
“If you ever have the chance to ask him, he’ll tell you that he knew Nigel won the second fight.
“They said I hit him low, [but] have you seen the way he wears his shorts? They’re up here, on his chest.”
Indeed, Benn was docked a point for hitting Eubank below the belt in round six. If not for that infringement, he would have claimed a majority decision victory.
