By Charles Brun: Conor Benn feels he has nothing to fear from “underperformer” Chris Eubank Jr on October 8th at his DAZN PPV headliner.
Although Benn (21-0, 14 KOs) is giving away size, experience and power against middleweight Eubank Jr (32-2, 23 KOs), he believes he has the resources to pull off an upset at the O2 Arena in London. , England.
Benn isn’t so wrong with his Eubank Jr lab as an “underperformer” because his career failed to take off after missing a big opportunity against Gennadiy Golovkin in 2016.
That fight could have paved the way to greatness for Eubank Jr if it had snatched him. Instead, promoter Eddie Hearn offered it to Kell Brook, who took it and was knocked out in five rounds.
Eubank Jr has failed to step into the big shoes of his famous father, Chris Eubank Sr, and doesn’t look like he’s going to measure up now that he’s approaching 33.
Even if Eubank Jr beats Benn, he won’t get much credit because Conor is a welterweight and inexperienced against talented opponents.
Basically, Benn is just another example of a fighter who capitalizes on having a famous father. Benn is making a pretty penny beating veterans like Chris Algieri, Samuel Vargas, Adrian Granados and Chris Van Heerden.
“There’s no pressure right now because we don’t have our gloves on, we’re sitting in our clothes and we’ve got people around here. There is no pressure now,” Chris Eubank Jr told Matchroom Boxing, speaking with Conor Benn about their fight on October 8.
Conor Benn: “You must feel that way because I don’t feel that way.”
Chris Eubank Jr: “When the bell rings and you get that first little bump on the chin.”
Benn: “Well, you’ll feel that first big right hand on your chin.”
Eubank Jr: “You’re going to feel that pressure and you’re going to understand it. Shit, this is what it is.”
Ben: “We’ll see.”
Eubank Jr: “That’s what’s exciting about this. We’re going to find out something we don’t know about Conor Benn. We don’t know how he deals with adversity. We have never seen him hurt.
“Will he be able to get over that? we don’t know. It’s an unknown entity. He’s on a hot streak right now, knocking guys out. The hype train is there, but this is real.”
Benn: “There comes a time in your career where you take risks, and this is that leap. This is that risk for me. I’m going to go in there and do exactly what I plan to do, the same way I’ve done with every single one of my opponents, who said I can’t box and I can’t do this.
“More experienced fighters and former world champions. Talk all you want. Talk is cheap. We’ll see when we get there, right?
Eubank Jr: “You understand that I am not the one you fought against.”
Benn: “That’s completely fine, but talk is cheap. You are probably the best fighter today; yes, I will give it to you”.
Eubank Jr: “There is no ‘probably.’ I am the best fighter you will ever face.”
Benn: “I still think you’re a failure. 100%. What do you have, 33? ”
Eubank Jr: “Not yet; Give me a break.”
Benn: “32, 32, what have you really done? You beat a failed DeGale, you lost to Billy Joe, and you lost to Groves. You had another fight against Liam Williams. What have you really done at the age of 33?
Eubank Jr: “I have defeated 32 opponents. The two losses I have on my record were point losses and close fights. What I’ve done is create my own lane, create my own name, walk my own ground.”
Benn: “So you think you’re out of your dad’s shadow?”
Eubank Jr: “Absolutely. People know I’m the real deal. People know what I can do when I’m in the ring. Everyone in the boxing world knows what I’m capable of.”
Benn: “I completely disagree.”
Eubank Jr: “Well, that’s fine.”
