Conor Benn reveals exactly how he was surprised by Chris Eubank Jr in their first fight before their November 15th rematch.
‘The Destroyer’ Benn lost the first encounter against Eubank Jr on the judges’ scorecards after a contest which was full of high drama and great action fuelled by their bad blood.
But the performance of the 28-year-old left fans and boxers believing his chances in a rematch were high, with his gym mate setting out a game plan built on being more patient with his work.
There remain worries for his opponent, however, with the issues surrounding the rehydration clause persisting, leading to ex-professionals slamming the decision, believing Eubank cannot buy his health.
Conor Benn reveals what surprised him about Chris Eubank Jr ahead of the anticipated rematch
Benn has himself come up a weight class, going from just under 154 lbs to 160 lbs for the fight, which he believes played as much of a factor as Jr’s weight cut from 168 lbs.
While he may have come up short in a close fight, the Essex fighter maintains he will not be outboxed the second time around because of his experiences with his opponent’s best shots.
Speaking to IFL TV, he revealed how he was surprised by ‘Next Gen’ throughout the fight, but especially on one attribute which had little effect.
He said: “You didn’t have me hurting there at all. I was surprised by how ineffective his punches were.
“The shots weren’t damaging, but he still threw the shots. So, I was surprised by his engine. I was surprised by his resilience and his ability to recover whilst being hurt.”
In their April showdown, the 35-year-old had managed to outland his younger foe by 47 power punches, with his ability to outland him in the last three rounds most likely securing his victory.
While he was shocked by the ‘ineffective’ punches, he did praise Jr for his skills in the ring.
“Mainly, he’s a lot more awkward than I thought he’d be, but again, that wasn’t me in there,” Benn said.
“That was a very undisciplined version of myself, and I let the emotions get the better of me. So, we’ll see next time round how we get on.”
Conor Benn says Chris Eubank Sr was ‘holding his hand’ in the hospital following the Chris Eubank Jr fight
The moment before the fight, which captured the attention of the boxing world, was when Chris Eubank Sr arrived by his son’s side on the night of the contest.
Eubank Sr’s arrival amped up a fight that did not necessarily need it, but added to the theatre of it all.
Following the gruelling bout, the pair were taken to the hospital for precautionary checks, and Benn told the story of how Sr was by his side.
He explained: “It’s funny because when we were in the hospital beds at the same time, Sr was by my bed holding my hand.
“It was the maddest thing. I was sort of out of it, it’s precautionary checks, but he was holding my hand, just going like he was upset that we were in the hospital.”
As the son of Nigel Benn, Eubank Sr’s infamous rival, he had immense respect for him even after the win was announced.
Sr’s involvement in the rematch has not been detailed as yet, but it may be another one of those moments to look out for as the build-up draws near.