A shock reverberated through the boxing world yesterday as the British parliament salivated the recent announcement of the Chris Eubank Jr vs. Conor Benn Fight as the “best fight in British boxing”. Aside from the fact that there are already a couple British fights set to occur this year that top this bout [e.g. Joshua Buatsi vs. Callum Smith], the entire premise of this rivalry has been built on the backs of both fighters’ fathers rather than themselves.
Aside from the upcoming Joshua Buatsi vs. Callum Smith fight being completely overlooked as a relevant British bout, Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KO’s) vs. Tyson Fury (34-2-1, 24 KO’s) is also a match-up that can potentially be looked forward to―despite Fury’s recent announcement of retirement―and count as the best British bout in boxing history would it occur.
On the scale of high-level fights held between British fighters, Chris Eubank Jr.’s (34-3, 25 KO’s) and Conor Benn’s (23-0, 14 KO’s) upcoming April bout is surprisingly inconsequential in the grander scheme of things. While Buatsi is set to defend his WBO interim light-heavyweight (175 lbs) title against Smith, neither Eubank or Benn are expected to fight for any world title [or interim versions].
The two British “rivals” are also not expected to be boosted up their respective rankings, with Benn not likely to move up in standing with his welterweight (147 lbs) weight class for moving up two divisions―with the fight largely expected to be held at middleweight (160 lbs), while Eubank is not likely to get any recognition in the 160-pound division if he were to defeat Benn.
The British parliament, however, appears to think differently about the bout. More than two decades after Eubank Jr.’s and Benn’s fathers, respectively Chris Eubank Sr. and Nigel Benn, fought against each other in 1990 and 1993 for actual world titles, it appears their offspring are considered to be on the same trajectory―which is far from valid.
“This week we heard the announcement of the great fight between Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr.,” British parliament member (PM) Chris Webb said during parliamentary proceedings.
“This is the best fight in British boxing, and showcases what a fantastic sport [boxing] is in we have in the UK.“
Webb’s words stirred the British Secretary of State who went on to state that sports like boxing were “underrepresented”.
As seems to be common for the sport of boxing, Webb’s unnecessary attempt to highlight the upcoming Benn-Eubank Jr. fight in British parliament signifies name recognition appears to drive the sport rather than actual accomplishments. Benn, 28, was only recently cleared off PED-charges despite not fully proving his innocence. Furthermore, Conor Benn has not achieved anything close to his father Nigel Benn, having never competed in an actual world title fight or even fought for an interim title.
The same goes for Chris Eubank Jr. who has lost in every world title fight he’s been in and never actually been a world champion―though he is often called a “world champion” due to having won the lesser-recognized IBO title in 2017. The current positions of both fighters illustrate a different reality than presented by British PM Chris Webb; a reality where both fighters’ names exceed what they actually accomplished.
In comparison, plenty of other British boxing fights should have actually required the attention of British parliament. Last year, the September bout between Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua was arguably the biggest British bout of 2024, but was never treated in the same vein as the upcoming bout between Benn and Eubank.
To further illustrate the difference between both bouts, both Dubois and Joshua had been actual world champions when they stepped into the ring, and their fight was further a world heavyweight (200+ lbs) title fight. Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. will not be fighting for a world title, and the winner is not set to gain any relevant recognition or status due to the disparity in weight divisions between them both.
In essence, the Benn and Eubank Jr. bout has been relatively forced on the public, driven by the reputations of both fighters’ fathers and multiple back-and-forths between the two. While the match and the build-up are expected to be entertaining, there have been―and will be―actual relevant British fights that deserve to be endorsed over the upcoming Benn-Eubank fight.