By Charles Brun: Chris Eubank Jr (32-2, 23 KOs) says he will retire if he loses to welterweight Conor Benn (21-0, 14 KOs) on Oct. 8 in their 157-pound catchweight bout.
As far as Eubank Jr is concerned, it is “physically impossible” for the inexperienced 25-year-old Benn to beat him in their match at London’s O2 Arena. Eubank Jr says that it would take a “miracle” and an “act of God” for Benn to pull off the upset victory.
Benn has no experience against true world-class opponents, and has never fought anyone at middleweight. The guys that Eddie Hearn has been pitting against Benn have been on the old side and past their prime.
This is a win-win money fight for Benn, as even if he loses, he will win so much money that it will lessen the pain of defeat.
Conor says he wanted to fight Yordenis Ugas and Keith Thurman, but they were busy. It’s kind of hard to believe that Hearn would go from pitting Benn against Chris Van Heerden to putting him up against Thurman or Ugas.
“If he pulls off a miracle and beats me, I have to retire,” Chris Eubank Jr told Matchroom Boxing of his retirement if he loses to Conor Benn on Oct. 8. “That is enormous pressure. I have never said this.
Well, if Eubank Jr loses and retires, it will probably be one of those Tyson Fury-type retirements. In other words, Eubank Jr will retire for five months, and as soon as one of the promoters waves money under his nose, he’ll come out of retirement.
Conor Benn: “You are in shock, you are. You’re crazy, you are.
Chris Eubank Jr: “I know I’m angry.”
Benn: “It’s no miracle. You have someone sitting there who would rather fight Youtubers.”
Eubank Jr: “An act of God is what it would be for you to beat me.”
Benn: “Be a man of your word and walk away then.”
Eubank Jr: “I am always a man of my word. That’s another reason this is personal because I love being a wrestler. I love the sport of boxing. I do not want it to end”.
Unfortunately, Benn doesn’t possess the skills to win this fight against Eubank Jr. Even in Benn’s last fight against Van Heerden, he looked shaky in the first round when he started taking shots, and you could see his confidence wavering.
