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Weekend Recap: Chris Eubank Jr. And Conor Benn Do Their Fathers Proud As They Stage Legendary Battle, House Eubank Continues To Reign Over House Benn

Chris Eubank Jr. And Conor Benn Do Their Fathers Proud As They Stage Legendary Battle featured image
Chris Eubank Jr. (L) with Chris Eubank Sr. (R) celebrate after Eubank Jr.'s victory over Conor Benn on April 26th, 2025, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

The much-anticipated clash between Chris Eubank Jr. (35-3, 25 KO’s) and Conor Benn (23-1, 14 KO’s) was initially regarded as a gimmick fight but both fighters proved different as they ferociously and successfully battled to uphold the integrity of the sport, their fathers’ legacies and their own names. The two British fighters headlined at the famed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Saturday, April 26 in a bout that saw both their fathers attend to witness a multi-generational battle that could become the “Fight of the Year”.

The event would also signify The Ring Boxing Magazine’s continued intent to push its brand onto the mainstream public, with The Ring having become synonymous with the event through marketing and sponsorship. While not considered the event’s promoter in a traditional sense, it has used a similar approach to Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) by becoming the latest event’s “presenting sponsor” which lead to The Ring becoming the face of the event.

Chris Eubank Jr. Vs. Conor Benn

Various factors went into the middleweight (160 lbs) non-title bout between the two British fighters, from Eubank Jr.’s own questionable contractual decisions to questions regarding how both fighters would be carrying both their weights ― especially considering Eubank failed to make weight on the British Boxing Board of Control’s (BBBofC) weigh-in held on Friday morning.

The storyline between the two largely revolved around their fathers, Chris Eubank Sr. and Nigel Benn, and their two battles decades ago when they were at the top of the sport and representing British boxing all while world titles were involved.

Though no titles were on the line for this fight, it would be a significant bout as Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn staged their own impressive legacy by putting up a stunning performance, of will, skill and grit.

As expected, Conor Benn was to be the aggressor in the fight, his approach centered around remaining on the front foot, pressuring Chris Eubank Jr. and fighting in the pocket. Eubank Jr. had a more sophisticated gameplan where he sought to counter Benn’s attempts and gradually break him down over the rounds.

Eubank Jr.’s strategy had some flaws, however, that culminated in Benn taking more rounds than expected as his slew of combinations and speed prevented Eubank from properly countering him at times. In comparison, Eubank Jr.’s more advanced skillset and strategies to wear Benn down, by forcing his weight on him during clinches, provided a counterbalance to Benn’s attempts.

However, as Benn proved to maintain his aggressiveness, Eubank Jr. was forced to step up his own work rate which culminated in him breaking a career record of landed punches, and ultimately helped him win the match by fine margins.

Chris Eubank Jr. And Conor Benn Do Their Fathers Proud As They Stage Legendary Battle image 1
Compubox’s punch stats for the April 26th Eubank Jr-Benn fight.

As a result, many rounds became “swing rounds”, being difficult to call in either fighter’s favor ― though the match saw Eubank Jr. distinguish himself by outworking Benn. The final round proved to be particularly in Eubank’s favor as he appeared to be close to finishing Benn in the last minute of the round before the bell signaled the end of the fight.

Chris Eubank Jr. And Conor Benn Do Their Fathers Proud As They Stage Legendary Battle image 2
As neither fighter dominated outright due to both Chris Eubank Jr. (L) and Conor Benn (R) putting up a competitive fight, the bout has become an instant candidate for “Fight of the Year”. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Overall, it was a surprisingly solid fight that showcased the confirmed high-level ability of both fighters despite there not being a world title or anything similar on the line.

At the end of the 12 rounds, it was Eubank Jr. who would be announced as the winner by unanimous decision (UD) through the judges’ scorecards of 116-112 thrice ― a mostly accurate result though Benn arguably took another round for a 115-113 score to fit better.

Compounded with Eubank Jr.’s victory was the presence of Chris Eubank Sr., who despite vehement criticisms through the media against the fight, attended Eubank Jr.’s ring walk.

With the first fight complete, a rematch could be a possibility as The Ring owner, Turki Alalshikh, is purportedly targeting September to stage a second bout between Eubank Jr. and Benn. The deal that both fighters has further been confirmed to be a two-fight deal, leaving the possibility of the rematch in the hands of the fighters themselves.

Undercard Fights:

The only title fight on the card would be a cruiserweight (200 lbs) contest between two British talents, Cheavon Clarke (10-2, 7 KO’s) and Viddal Riley (13-0, 7 KO’s) for the BBBofC British cruiserweight title, held by Clarke. With Riley making a significant move up against Clarke, Riley would distinguish himself as the best young British fighter at cruiserweight as he cruised to a UD win in a competitive fight against Clarke to become the new British cruiserweight champion. The judges scoring the fight in Riley’s favor through scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111.

At middleweight, which saw the return of Liam Smith (33-5-1, 20 KO’s) after more than a year out of the ring, it was Irishman Aaron McKenna (20-0, 10 KO’s) who would distinguish himself as one of Ireland’s best talents as he utterly dominated Smith as he headed to a clean UD win with scores of 119-108, 118-108 and 117-109.

The light-heavyweight (175 lbs) trilogy bout between Anthony Yarde (27-3, 24 KO’s) and Lyndon Arthur (24-3, 16 KO’s) saw the former crawl back from a potential defeat based on the first half to the fight to take over in the latter half and win by unanimous decision through scores of 116-112 twice and 115-113.

Another cruiserweight contest between former world champion Chris Billam-Smith (21-2, 13 KO’s) and Brandon Glanton (20-3, 17 KO’s) saw another competitive bout occur which would eventually be won by Billam-Smith through scores of 116-112 twice, and 116-113.

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