Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn clash in one of the most hotly anticipated fights of 2022 in London on Saturday night.
Family legacy is on the line as arguably British boxing’s greatest modern rivalry is passed down from fathers to sons, with high drama almost guaranteed.
Chris Eubank Sr secured a memorable stoppage win over Nigel Benn to claim the WBO middleweight world title on a memorable evening in Birmingham back in 1990, with an Old Trafford rematch three years later finishing in an unsatisfactory draw.
A much-hyped trilogy clash sadly never came to fruition, but their feud can be settled once and for all through their respective offspring this weekend.
The considerably bigger and more experienced Eubank Jr, now 33, is a clear favourite here, but questions remain over whether he can successfully meet the 157lbs catchweight, having campaigned up at middleweight (160lbs) and super-middle (168lbs) during his career to date.
His father has repeatedly warned against such a cut, even claiming to have pulled him out of the contest and urged a boycott in protest as what he sees as too dangerous a move, though Jr does not look particularly bothered after being seen eating fast food in public in recent weeks and dining out at Salt Bae’s restaurant with fight night fast approaching.
A natural welterweight (147lbs), Benn - who has failed a drugs test in the build-up to the bout - is having to jump a significant 10lbs for this headline bout, which he is understandably viewing as an enormous opportunity, while his rival has said that he will quit boxing if he does not emerge victorious, believing that will prove he is unworthy of a world title opportunity.
Eubank Jr is 32-2 as a professional, losing only to arch-rival Billy Joe Saunders and George Groves. He has rattled off six consecutive victories since losing the IBO title to the latter in the World Boxing Super Series super-middleweight semi-final in 2018, easily outpointing Liam Williams on hostile territory in his last outing in Cardiff back in February.
Seven years his junior at 26, the hard-hitting Benn is unbeaten at 21-0 with 14 knockouts, blitzing the likes of Chris van Heerden, Chris Algieri and Samuel Vargas in recent times as well as battling past Adrian Granados.
Eubank Jr vs Benn date, start time, venue and ring walks
Eubank Jr vs Benn takes place on Saturday October 8, 2022 at the O2 Arena in London, where the 20,000 tickets made available sold out very quickly indeed in August.
The main undercard is due to begin at 7pm BST, with main event ring walks expected at approximately 10:20pm. However, as ever, those timings are subject to change.
Eubank Jr vs Benn undercard in full
There is plenty of action to look forward to on Saturday’s undercard, including Felix Cash taking on Connor Coyle for the WBA Inter-Continental middleweight title in the chief support act of the night.
Ellie Scotney challenges for the women’s European super-bantamweight belt, while Shannon Courtenay is also on the bill along with the likes of Lyndon Arthur and Eubank’s cousin Harlem, plus the third pro outing of Olympic gold medalist Galal Yafai.
Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn
Felix Cash vs Connor Coyle
Galal Yafai vs Gohan Rodriguez Garcia
Mary Romero vs Ellie Scotney
Lyndon Arthur vs Cesar Hernan Reynoso
Harlem Eubank vs David Martin Campillo
Shannon Courtenay vs Gemma Ruegg
Chloe Watson vs Nancy Franco
Matty Harris vs Jiri Surmaj
How to watch Eubank Jr vs Benn
TV channel and live stream: In the UK, Saturday night’s card is being broadcast live on DAZN pay per view.
Existing subscribers to DAZN will have to pay a one-off fee of £19.99 for the fight, while it’s £27.98 for non-subscribers, with that price including one month’s access to DAZN. A subscription to DAZN currently costs £7.99 per month in the UK.
Live blog: Follow all the action on fight night with Standard Sport’s dedicated LIVE blog of the entire card.
Eubank Jr vs Benn prediction
The sheer size difference between the pair makes it difficult to look beyond Eubank Jr. Even though the much talked about rehydration clause means he cannot weigh more than 10lbs over the catchweight on fight night, it just feels like much too big a jump for Benn to be able to compensate for.
‘The Destroyer’ is fast, hard-hitting and relentlessly aggressive, and if Eubank Jr dares take this fight lightly or risks trying to nonchalantly coast through the middle rounds as we’ve seen so many times in the past, then an upset is not beyond the realms of possibility.
But despite what has been suggested by his trips to KFC and to see Salt Bae, Eubank Jr surely won’t be messing around with the stakes so high and having piled more pressure on himself to win by insisting that he will retire if he doesn’t.
The determined Benn will have his moments, but we’re backing Eubank Jr to triumph comfortably on the cards.
Eubank Jr vs Benn weigh-in results
What is sure to be a lively weigh-in for Eubank Jr vs Benn takes place on Friday afternoon. Check back in then for the results!
Eubank Jr vs Benn odds
Eubank Jr to win: 1/2
Benn to win: 6/4
Draw: 16/1
Eubank Jr by decision/technical decision: 16/5
Eubank Jr by KO, TKO or DQ: 11/10
Benn by decision/technical decision: 7/2
Benn by KO, TKO or DQ: 7/2
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
