CHRIS EUBANK JR VS CONOR BENN - FIGHT PREVIEW & BREAKDOWN

The most highly anticipated rematch in recent British boxing history is finally here.

This isn’t a fight that just belongs in the history books for 2025 — this is a fight that belongs in the history books of the past 30 years.

Their dads fought twice, and this weekend Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn go glove-to-glove for the second time in what will be a packed-out Tottenham Hotspur Stadium once again.

If the first fight between the two didn’t live up to expectations, then it defied them.

We knew it would be competitive — did we think it would be as competitive and as explosive? Probably not.

With all sorts of narratives thrown up in the build-up — from their fathers’ legacies to that egg incident at the presser to the infamous rehydration clause for Eubank Jr — it was a fight that was only missing a spectacular 12 rounds as the cherry on top, and that’s exactly what we got.

The fight, for the majority of it, was very much tit-for-tat. Neither fighter asserted their dominance, but both were just nicking the rounds for the first six or seven.

Just when one would win a couple of rounds back-to-back, the other would respond. It really was a war of attrition.

In the end, the much more experienced Eubank Jr bit down on his gumshield and earned a hard-fought win.

The faces of both lads looked like they’d been hit by a bus — testament to their toughness that neither hit the deck throughout all 36 minutes of the contest, and both had to go straight to hospital from the stadium afterwards.

It was a grueller — the sort of fight you can’t afford to be in more than two or three times in your professional career. A fight that makes or breaks fighters.

A fight-of-the-year contender it was, and because of that, the rematch between the pair was almost inevitable — with or without the need for a rematch clause.

To the rematch we go.

The narratives are similar. Much is being made of the rehydration clause for Eubank Jr once again, and his press conference antics have stolen the headlines just like they did before the first fight.

It’s clear that despite sharing 12 rounds of hard-fought action, these two may respect each other as fighters, but they certainly won’t be anywhere near each other’s Christmas card list.

So, where will the fight be won and lost this time around?

For Benn, he needs to control his emotions.

In the first fight, he was planting his feet far too much and looking to load up with pretty much every other shot.

He buzzed Eubank Jr in the third round last time out, and he probably took a little too much confidence from that.

Eubank is renowned for his chin and durability, and the likelihood was — despite missing weight — it was still going to be bloody hard to get him out of there, which proved to be the case.

By loading up as much as he did, Benn exerted energy which ultimately cost him in the latter rounds.

Eubank’s experience told, and that won him the fight in the end — but this time around, Benn has the experience from the first fight, which is a huge positive for him.

He had the speed advantage, and that’s something he needs to utilise. He neglected the jab and wasn’t setting shots up with his boxing IQ; he was throwing with emotion, not thought.

That first fight between the pair would have taken a lot out of both fighters, but considering his age and the miles on the clock, more so Eubank.

Benn needs to use that to his advantage again. We often use the cliché “he needs to old man him” in this sport, whereas this time Benn needs to young man him.

Use your speed, use your elusiveness, use your combinations, and don’t get carried away when you do something good. Box clever. Box switched on. Outsmart the much more experienced man.

For Eubank, the blueprint to beat Benn is there, but he cannot afford to have a similar fight to last time or it’ll likely play into Benn’s hands.

We knew Eubank Jr had a ridiculously good chin and incredible durability, but the last fight proved just how good he actually is.

He got dragged into a dogfight at times and more than held his own, but this time around he can’t depend on his toughness — he needs to depend on his skill.

Prior to the launch presser, it was revealed that Eubank will again team up with Brian ‘Bomac’ McIntyre, the trainer of the current undisputed super-middleweight champion Terence Crawford and arguably the best trainer in the world right now.

A smart move — but a move that indicates that Eubank is aware he needs to box his fight this time around, not the fight Benn brings to him.

He’s shown enough over the years that he’s got the skill to compete with the best, and he really needs to show that here. It’ll be a much more improved Conor Benn, so with that, it needs to be a much more improved Chris Eubank Jr.

He needs to use his footwork to frustrate Conor — move around the ring, pot-shot off the back foot, offset him when he looks to load up and dive in with a big hook, and then when he gets in range, tie him up and use the weight advantage to gradually tire him out.

He won the first fight by using his experience in the latter rounds and taking Benn into waters he’d never stepped in — never mind swum in.

Benn’s now got his 50-metre badge, so if Eubank does take him there, he’s still going to have to find extra to win the rounds.

This fight may ultimately come down to how Eubank Jr deals with the weight and rehydration clause. Benn is floating around the 156/157lbs mark already, so it won’t be a problem for him.

If — and it’s a big if — Eubank’s body doesn’t react well to the weight cut or rehydration clause, it will likely be detrimental to his chances of beating Benn in the rematch, to the extent that this fight may be lost on the scales.

One thing is for sure though — if it’s anything like the second fight between their old men, we will not be disappointed.