Join the Miguel Delaney Inside Football Join the Miguel Delaney Inside newsletter to get exclusive access and unparalleled insight. Football NewsletterJoin the Miguel Delaney inside Football The following article will provide you with more information about the newsletter.“There wasn’t much thinking,” Conor Benn confesses, mentally transporting him back to the 26 April, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. And an 18ftx18ft ring. “It was just pure rage. I just wanted to flatten him.” Benn is, of course, referring to Chris Eubank Jr, a man who was born to be Benn’s rival.One could convincingly argue so, anyway. Given Nigel Benn and Eubank Sr’s gripping grudge in the 1990s, their sons’ own rivalry really is a blood feud. A blood feud that ultimately birthed a bloody, draining fight, as Eubank Jr continued his family’s superiority over the Benns by edging past Conor. It was an exhibition of true sporting melodrama, following slaps with eggs, weigh-in scares, and Eubank Sr’s last-gasp arrival. Benn knew that it could have turned out differently on the spring evening of London. “It came so close, to where it was like: ‘I just need one more punch,’” He tells The Independent that he was in the Matchroom Gym in Essex when Eubank Jr appeared to be in grave danger of being humiliated. “He just used his experience well in there. I didn’t give him enough credit, but he deserves it for his chin, resilience, heart, engine. To deliver that sort of fight for the public, there’s only one man who could have brought that out of me: his name’s Chris.”Benn’s own admission – that he was enraged against Eubank Jr, to the point that he was not sufficiently sensible in the ring – may tally with what you presume about the 29-year-old. The Essex boxer does indeed display his trademark aggression in this interview. He punctuates some points with a snarl. Benn admits to being humble, intelligent, polite and thoughtful enough to acknowledge that Eubank Jr. “is a good fighter”. Benn must have found it difficult to make that statement. Benn (right), during his April clash with Eubank, Jr (Getty). It may be difficult for him to find a balance between aggression and pace on 15th November when he returns to Tottenham to face Eubank, Jr., 35. This is not Eubank vs Benn 4, but Eubank Jr. vs Benn 2. It’s a rivalry which has its own place in British Boxing history.“For me, it wasn’t just the actual boxing [that I had to deal with],” Benn says, “it was everything that had gone on for the last three years. It was mentally challenging. First fight back in 14 months, first fight in the UK in almost three years, first fight at 160lb. There were so many unknown variables, so it wasn’t just a matter of going in there and fighting. I’m happy with the way I dealt with it, not crumbling under the pressure.”Benn’s referring the long and grueling story that began after he failed two drug tests, which denied him the chance of boxing Eubank Jr. Benn, by various accounts, spent close to £1m trying to prove his innocence, but he was only permitted to return to a UK ring 12 months ago, with a further four months separating him from his long-awaited duel with Eubank Jr.And as much as Benn takes pride in not “crumbling under the pressure”He still struggles with the defeat he suffered in April. Even a win next Saturday wouldn’t erase his emotions this year. Open image in galleryA distraught Benn, his father Nigel, and coach Tony Sims following the loss to Eubank Jr. (Getty).“Would it soften the blow a little bit? Probably not, because I still lost, so… No, definitely not. I don’t like losing in any way. Listen, we don’t prepare to lose, you don’t make the sacrifices you make to lose.”DAZN offers 185+ boxing fights per year. Don’t miss any of the top fights. Watch anywhere and anytime. Buy NowADVERTISEMENT. You will earn commission by signing up for this service. Enjoy 185+ boxing fights per year on DAZN. The Global Home of BoxingNever Miss a Fight from Top Promoters. You can watch anywhere and anytime. Buy NowADVERTISEMENT. We will receive a commission if you subscribe to this service. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.Benn’s defeat was not only difficult because of the bragging rights that it afforded Eubank Jr; many fans delighted in Benn failing, after assuming the 29-year-old was guilty in his drug-test saga.And yet, “I’ve actually never really had hate in person,” He says. “I’ve had maybe two that I remember. I think someone shouted something out of the crowd once, and it’s funny because there were maybe 20,000 people, and all I heard was: ‘Eggs!’ It’s laughable, but it’s just life, isn’t it? I don’t even know your name, geezer, so why do I care what you think?”Benn’s reference is to the misperception that he has blamed his negative findings on the excessive consumption of eggs. This was actually an excuse given by the WBC and one that Benn rejected.“I ain’t gonna try and please nobody,” He says that despite his enthusiastic performance in April, he has many fans. “If you don’t like me, does it make any difference to my reality? So many fighters are scared to stand on who they are, because they don’t want to get judged. Be who you are.” It’s that same snarl. “Imagine living in a world where you can’t be yourself. This is who I’m gonna continue to be.”Benn believed he was just one punch away from finishing Eubank Jr. (Getty).“I’m a savage with training. I don’t cut no corners. I put my heart and soul into this game. I look after my kids, my family want for absolutely nothing.” Another snarl “I’m a strong man in faith, I pray every day. I don’t get involved in what the public say, what the media say, politics.” That hasn’t always been true, though, and Benn’s intense emotions during his drug-test saga proved that. Still, “I ain’t gonna sit there and go: ‘Oh, I best not say or do this, because they might not like me.’“Ultimately, if I say I’m gonna render you unconscious and I don’t like you, I’m gonna render you unconscious. That’s what my intentions are. If you say that’s barbaric and you don’t like it, don’t tune in,” he laughs.Benn’s promoter Eddie Hearn claims that more than one million people tuned in to the April fight with Eubank Jr, and a hefty figure will surely accompany the rematch. Talk has already turned to Benn’s next move, and to the potential of world titles, yet it feels like Benn’s future may hinge on big-name match-ups rather than championship gold.“There’s definitely more satisfaction in that,” Benn describes himself as an entertainer and not a champion. “Ultimately, when people tune in to watch me fight, I want them to go: ‘Corrr, yeah, I want to watch another one.’ That means more to me than anything. You have naysayers, you have supporters; ultimately, are you all paying?” What follows is another question – a fascinating rhetorical. “If you win a boring fight, did you even really win?” Benn may not think it, but his rematch is a “must-win” by any standard definition.
2025-11-06 07:34:27
‘Savage’ Conor Benn: ‘If you win a boring fight, did you really even win?’
