LONDON, England - After 35 years of trying, the Benn family finally has a victory over the Eubanks after
Conor put on a clinic against
Chris Jr. at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
In the most straightforward win from across the four-fight series involving the pair and their fighting fathers, Benn out-thought, out-worked and out hustled his bigger, more experienced opponent.
Then, as if to add a final flourish to the long-standing rivalry, he dropped Eubank Jr. twice in the final round. He was already streets ahead on the cards and it mattered little to the result, but it did mean, for the first time in 35 years, a Benn had sent a Eubank to the canvas.
When the scorecards came, they were unsurprisingly wide given Benn’s dominance across the 12 rounds. Howard Foster had it 119-107 while Marcus McDonnell (118-108) and John Latham (116-110) had it slightly closer.
“How does it feel? I got one on you Nige!” Benn joked to his dad Nigel, the Dark Destroyer.
“I feel like this is the end of the Benn-Eubank saga, done and finished, it’s over.”
“People said I can’t box. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, how about that?
“This is generational, it has never been done in history so credit to Chris. Thank you for sharing the ring with me. Not bad for two silver spoon kids, eh?’
This family feud started way back in 1990 when Eubank Sr stopped Nigel Benn in their first encounter before the dads drew at Old Trafford in 1993. The two sons had picked up the mantle back in April on a super-charged night here at Tottenham,
which Eubank Jr. had edged on points.
Now, seven months on, they went again atop
The Ring’s 'Unfinished Business' card on
DAZN PPV, but there was only one winner back at the same stadium.
Much like they did seven months ago, the pair delivered memorable ringwalks which whipped the vociferous crowd into a frenzy. First it was Benn, backed by his father Nigel, who jogged to the ring with the support of a marching band of drummers.
But that was buried by the shock arrival of 50 Cent, who rapped alongside the scowling Eubank as he slowly walked to the ring. The multi award-winning musician then got into the ring and continued his impromptu PA as Benn looked on from the blue corner.
In a nod to their fathers’ rivalry, the pair were bedecked in the same colours Eubank and Benn sr wore for their famous 1993 rematch, which was drawn, at Old Trafford. Benn in white and blue and Eubank in the familiar yellow with red lettering made famous by his 59-year-old dad.
Given their dads faced each other twice, and with this fight coming exactly 203 days after their initial encounter here at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, this was the fourth encounter between men called Benn and Eubank,
without doubt the longest-running and most significant family feud in British boxing history.
Given how all-action their April encounter was, the first round was reasonably quiet by comparison, although both had flashes of success. Benn started by attempting to land with a right hand to the body and later drew roars from the crowd with a cross to the head, which he landed as Eubank found a home with his left hook.
Benn, despite his disadvantages in both height and reach, was the one holding centre-ring while Eubank circled around the outside, pot-shotting with straight right hands. Eubank also had his head snapped back by a couple of stiff jabs in the second and looked vulnerable boxing largely on the back foot.
Benn’s early dominance continued into the third and he may have been surprised about how straightforward it was to win the round and stay out of trouble, landing a big left hook in the process. Eubank needed a change of plan, and quickly.
Benn had spoken in the build-up of how he simply ‘lost his head’ before the first fight, which resulted in a performance which lacked control. This time, he insisted, he had his emotions under control and by the time the fourth round ended, it seemed as though he was true to his word given the maturity and composure which underpinned his boxing.
Eubank began to offer more on the front foot in the fifth round without ever landing anything of note but it was back to business for Benn in the sixth. At one point Eubank fell to his knees after a push from Benn, it was not a knockdown but it did hint at weakness in the older man’s legs. By the midway point of the fight, you could construct a compelling argument that Benn was 6-0 up.
He then landed with a crisp one-two, the cleanest shots of the fight so far, right at the end of the seventh against the vulnerable Eubank who smiled in response. He needed something to turn the tide, but it was not coming.
Eubank landed with two hard right hands in a row in the eighth but Benn seemed to handle them well but it was a much-needed glimpse of what the 36-year-old could produce against his smaller opponent. Benn, however, responded with another crisp one-two in the ninth.
This was so far removed from the breathless classic from April that there were even some boos and whistles around the packed stadium during a quiet 10th round, where both men seemed to be waiting for the other to make their move. The 11th also trickled by without Eubank finding a way to turn the tide.
And it turned into a complete disaster for him in the 12th as Benn dropped him not once but twice to rubber stamp a famous victory. Both came from right hands and twice Eubank rose on unsteady legs but managed to reach the final bell.
Eubank Jr., who this week announced that he and his partner are expecting twin boys in the new year, must now regroup and consider his next steps carefully. For Benn, who plans to drop back down to welterweight, the world scene awaits.