Chris Eubank Jr. vs Conor Benn Preview October 8th, 2022
Former IBO Super Middleweight Champion Chris Eubank Jr. takes on fellow Englishman Conor Benn in London this Saturday, October 8th in a huge domestic fight as their famous fathers fought each other twice in the early 1990’s. The 12-round bout is scheduled to be fought at a catchweight of 157 lbs as Benn has been campaigning as a welterweight and Eubanks as a super middleweight and middleweight during his career. The 12-rounder will be shown live in most nations on DAZN with it being a pay-per-view affair in the UK. Eubank last boxed in February when he dropped Liam Williams in the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 11th rounds and won a unanimous decision. Benn last saw action in April when he stopped Chris van Heerden in the second round to retain the WBA Continental Welterweight Title.
**Watch live on DAZN this Saturday. Your first month is free.
Eubank Jr. vs Benn Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Conor Benn +170
- Chris Eubank Jr. -210
My Pick
The 33-year-old Eubank Jr enters the ring at 32-2 with 23 Ko’s. He won the IBO Super Middleweight Title in 2017 when he stopped Renold Quinlan in the 10th round then defended it against Arthur Abraham and Avni Yildirim before losing it to George Groves via unanimous decision in 2018. His first pro defeat came in 2014 when Billy Joe Saunders beat him by split decision for the European, British and Commonwealth Middleweight Championship Belts.
Eubank also has a win over James DeGale by unanimous decision in 2019 to regain the IBO Super Middleweight crown. However, he has since dropped down in weight to compete as a middleweight. He possesses good power and boxing skills and has 213 rounds of experience since turning pro in 2011 following a fine amateur career. He’s also beaten Nick Blackwell, Dmitrii Chudinov, Gary O’Sullivan and Bradley Price.
Eubank stands 5-feet-11-inches tall with a 72.5-inch and has often displayed impressive power up to now with a current knockout ratio of 67.6 per cent. He’s been wobbled and cut a couple of times in the ring, but also has a solid chin. Eubank’s at his best when he overwhelms his opponent with his relentless punching and is hard to keep at bay because of it. However, he isn’t the hardest guy to hit if he gets goaded into a slugfest, but most boxers prefer not to go toe-to-toe with him. Saunders beat him by outboxing him in a close fight while the loss against Groves was more of a brawl.
The 26-year-old Benn is the son of former British great and world champion Nigel Benn. He fought as an amateur in Australia with 20 wins in 22 contests before turning pro in 2016. Since then he’s boxed 84 rounds and has compiled a perfect record of 21-0 with 14 Kos. He also has pretty good power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 66.7 per cent. Benn stands 5-feet-8-inches tall with a 68-inch reach so gives up three inches in height and 4.5-inches in reach to Eubank.
Benn has a decent chin but has been on the deck as a pro when Cedrick Peynaud dropped him twice in the first round in 2017. However, Benn picked himself up and returned the favour in the fifth and sixth rounds to earn a six-round decision. The two met again a year later with Benn taking a 10 round unanimous decision to capture the vacant WBA Continental Welterweight Title.
He’s defended it six times as he stopped Jussi Koivula and Steve Jamoye, beat Sebastian Formella by decision and then stopped Samuel Vargas in just 80 seconds last April and took a 10-round unanimous decision over Adrian Granados five months later before stopping Chris Algieri in four and Van Heerden in two. Benn has been brought along rather slowly and hasn’t faced a current legitimate contender as of yet so is taking a step up in class this weekend.
Prediction…
The big talking point about this fight is the weight and the reported rehydration clause of between five and nine pounds. Of course, the bigger Eubank could ignore the clause by a few pounds and pay the financial penalty if he does. In fact, his father Chris Sr has stated that the fight should be called off or boycotted due to the weight issues which he feels could leave his son in danger. The general consensus here is that Eubank will win because he’s the naturally bigger man with greater pro experience. He’s also seven years older though and isn’t as naturally aggressive as Benn. This could either be a complete mismatch due to the weight stipulations or it could be a classic like the fights between their fathers. I’m on the fence with this one but I think if Benn is as explosive and aggressive as he usually is he could pull it off, but he’ll have to take punches to land his own at the same time. Enjoy it for what it is and if it’s even half as good the the senior Benn vs Eubank scraps then fans are in for a treat.
The more aggressive Benn may pull off a mild upset.
Play: Benn -280 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Chris Eubank betting • Conor Benn betting