Conor Benn played down Chris Eubank Jr’s win over Liam Smith on Saturday, while pushing for his own fight with the Brighton boxer to be rearranged.
Benn was due to box Eubank Jr in October 2022, but the bout collapsed when it was revealed that Benn had failed two drug tests in the lead-up to the catchweight contest.
Eubank Jr went on to box Smith at middleweight in January, losing to the Liverpudlian in the fourth round, before avenging that defeat with a stoppage of Smith in Round 10 on Saturday.
Benn, 26, has been hit with bans and appeals since his drug-test saga began, and he has not fought since April 2022. The unbeaten Briton believes he is nearing a return, though, and was ringside for Eubank Jr vs Smith 2 at the AO Arena in Manchester.
“Smith made him look good,” said Benn, per Talksport. “What, it takes you 10 rounds to dispatch of someone who’s got a broken leg? I’m not really impressed.
“You could definitely see that it was an injury [to Smith], that’s all that was. One hundred per cent, you could tell Smith weren’t himself. His shots weren’t coming off, he weren’t able to get out the way of the shots. And that’s all that was.
“I didn’t think it was an impressive performance [by Eubank Jr]. If you’ve got a wounded man in there, take hold of them, get them out of there. If I’ve got someone injured in front of me who can’t throw back, they ain’t seeing the end of the round. That’s it.
“[Eubank Jr] looked better than he has done previously, but it weren’t all that. Smith made him look good tonight.”
Chris Eubank Jr forced a stoppage against Liam Smith in Round 10 of their rematch— (PA)
Benn, who was referencing an apparent ankle injury suffered by Smith, also responded to a post-fight callout by Eubank Jr, saying: “Let’s get it on, there’s unfinished business there.”
Benn, who is currently ineligible to box in Britain, has also hinted that he could return to the ring in Florida on 23 September.
Eubank Jr vs Benn, had it gone ahead in October 2022, would have taken place almost 29 years to the day after the pair’s fathers fought each other for the second time. Chris Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn fought to a draw in their 1993 rematch, after the former won their first clash in 1990.
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