Cliff Notes
- Chris Eubank Jr won a unanimous decision against Conor Benn with judges scoring the fight 116-112 after 12 rounds in London.
- Eubank Jr was taken to hospital as a precaution following a cut sustained above his right eye during the ninth round.
- Benn expressed a desire for a rematch, acknowledging he needed to improve but praised Eubank Jr’s performance.
Chris Eubank Jr taken to hospital after defeating Conor Benn by unanimous decision in middleweight clash | UK News
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Chris Eubank Jr has been taken to hospital after defeating Conor Benn by unanimous decision.
After going the full 12 rounds at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, all three judges unanimously gave 116-112 on the scorecards in favour of Eubank Jr.
Just before midnight, Eubank Jr’s promoters, Boxxer, said the 35-year-old had been taken to hospital as a precautionary measure “on recommendation of the onsite doctor”.
In the ninth round, Eubank Jr suffered a cut above his right eye from a clash of heads.
Eubank Jr said after winning the bout: “I didn’t expect Conor to be the guy to [bring it out of me]. I didn’t know he had that in him, I thought I would break him early.
“I underestimated him, I didn’t prepare for a fight like that.”
His father, legendary boxer Chris Eubank, said he was “so proud” of his son, and praised Benn as “extraordinary”.
Eubank Jr was the more experienced of the pair, going into the fight with a record of 34-3, with 25 knockouts. Benn, 28, won all 23 of his professional fights, 14 by knockouts.
Benn was faster out of the gate, forcing Eubank Jr to evade power punches and leaving him weak on his feet at times.
In the fifth round, Eubank Jr began beating Benn to the punch, before the fight ended in a sprint with both men landing heavy blows.
Speaking in the ring after defeat, Benn said: “I’m not going to say I deserved to win it, I have to watch it back.
“Maybe I stayed on the ropes a bit too long. Chris is a good fighter.
“All the fighting talk is fighting talk. I’d love the rematch.”
Later at a post-fight news conference, he admitted that “I wasn’t good enough… I need to do better”, before again calling for a rematch and saying “I want my revenge”.
He then wished Eubank Jr a “speedy recovery” and claimed “I’ve heard he’s got a broken jaw”.
Benn’s father Nigel had fought with Eubank Sr twice in the 1990s.
In November 1990, Eubank Sr beat Nigel Benn by a ninth-round stoppage in Birmingham to take the WBO middleweight title. The rematch was three years later at Old Trafford. It ended in a split-decision draw.
Last night’s match was a long time in the making – called off in 2022 when Benn tested positive for traces of fertility drug clomifene.
The World Boxing Council cleared Benn of intentional doping in 2023, saying a “highly elevated consumption of eggs” was a reasonable explanation.
Ahead of the fight, Eubank Jr was fined for being fractionally over the 160lb middleweight limit, at 160.05lbs.