LONDON, England - Chris Eubank Jr. admitted that as soon as the first round of his rematch defeat to Conor Benn, he knew he wouldn't be able to win the fight.

Eubank (35-4, 25 KOs) looked like a shell of the fighter that beat Benn by unanimous decision in a Fight of the Year contender back in April, losing by the same result but wider on the cards this time around.

Benn (24-1, 14 KOs) utilised his jab and quick one-twos to keep Eubank on the back foot all night and in the final round he scored two hurtful knockdowns to rubber stamp his victory.

Eubank congratulated his generational rival in the aftermath but said even making it to the rematch was a journey in itself, and that after the first round, he felt like he couldn't win.

"I've been through hell and back to make it here today," he said at the post-fight press conference.

"I genuinely thought that regardless of the issues that I've been dealing with, I would be able to go in there and win, use my boxing skills, use what you guys saw in that first fight to beat Conor Benn. From that first round, I realised that I was mistaken, but it's okay, I'm a fighter, this is what I do.

"I tried my best. Conor Benn put on a hell of a fight. He had a great performance. He did everything that was asked of him, and I congratulate him for his performance."

Eubank was asked what he meant about going 'through hell and back', but he refused to be drawn on the questioning, electing to heap more praise on Benn, who will now look to move back down to welterweight.

"No, this is not about me," he added. "This is about, this night's about Conor. He did what he needed to do to win. He fought a great fight, and I'm not here to talk about me. He is a tough man. He's a great fighter, and I respect him."

Regarding his admission that in the first round he wasn't feeling himself, Eubank said it was obvious he wasn't the same fighter who won the first fight.

"You guys saw," the 36-year-old said. "You guys saw what I was in there tonight. Yeah, I thought that once those bright lights hit I'd find something, and I tried. I tried hard, but it wasn't there, and Conor was strong, and he was fast, and he was tough.

"You share a ring with a man for 24 rounds now, of course you have that respect for him."

It remains to be seen what Eubank does with his future, as potential fights with Canelo Alvarez and Hamzah Sheeraz look off the cards. He announced on Tuesday that he and his partner were expecting twin boys and there will be calls for him to retire from the sport.

"I'm not really in the state of mind to be thinking about next fights, I need to heal," he said.

"I need to deal with what I'm dealing with, and then after that I can start thinking about my path in the sport."