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For Old Timers, Conor Benn vs. Chris Eubank Jr Smacks of Unfinished Business

Conor Benn and Chis Eubank Jr meet on Saturday at London’s O2 Arena. The match, one might say, has been 29 years in the making.
The fathers of Conor and Chris fought twice in the early 1990s. The first meeting between Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank, contested in Birmingham, was a fight for the ages. The second encounter at Manchester’s Old Trafford Cricket Ground wasn’t as breathtaking, but it was a very close fight and a financial blockbuster. The turnout, reportedly 40,000, was the most at a British boxing show in 27 years.
A third meeting was considered a foregone conclusion, but it never came to pass. Instead, Nigel and Chris will experience it vicariously as they root on their respective fighting sons, Conor, 27, and Chris Jr, 33. Their match is scheduled for 12 rounds at a catch-weight of 157 pounds.
The Benn-Eubank series currently stands at 1-0-1 in favor of Eubank. In their first meeting, Benn was risking his WBO middleweight title which he won on American soil with an eighth-round stoppage of Doug DeWitt and successfully defended with a first-round blast-out of Iran Barkley.
Chris Eubank was undefeated (24-0, 14 KOs) but didn’t punch as hard as Benn and had fought a much softer schedule. His fight with Nigel Benn, nicknamed the Dark Destroyer, would be his coming-out party. In a fight with several momentum shifts, Eubank trailed by one point on two of the cards heading into the ninth frame when – emboldened by Benn’s swollen left eye — he cranked up the intensity, strafing Benn with a barrage of punches that led U.S. referee Richard Steele to waive it off with four seconds remaining in the frame.
Three years elapsed before the sequel. During the interim, both were very busy. Nigel Benn had 10 fights, winning eight inside the distance, and captured a title in a second weight division, winning the WBC super middleweight diadem. Chris Eubank likewise moved up in class and he also captured a 168-pound belt, in his case the WBO version.
It would be no exaggeration to say that Benn-Eubank II which aired on Showtime in the United States (tape-delayed on Saturday night and replayed on Sunday afternoon) was one of the most eagerly anticipated match-ups in the history of boxing. It had somewhat of an Ali-Frazier tint with Benn, more down-to-earth, assuming the Joe Frazier role and Eubank, who dressed and carried himself like a country squire, more charismatic. And when the smoke cleared, both had retained their titles.
The draw, 115-113 (Eubank), 114-113 (Benn) and 114-114 was controversial in that Benn had a point deducted for low blows in round six without which he would have won a split decision.
Negotiations for a third meeting never did bear fruit. Nigel Benn made five more successful defenses of his WBC title before his career hit a wall. He finished 42-5-1 (35 KOs) after back-to-back losses to Ireland’s “Celtic Warrior” Steve Collins. Chris Eubank left the sport with a near-identical record (45-5-2, but only 23 KOs) after back-to-back losses to countryman Carl Thompson, a cruiserweight.
And now it is up to the sons to write the next chapter, to finish what their elders have started.
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Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr are Englishmen by birth but each took a circuitous path to Saturday’s rumble. Benn (21-0, 14 KOs) spent much of his formative years on the Spanish island of Majorca and first laced on the gloves in Australia where his father now lives. Chris Eubank Jr (32-2, 23 KOs) spent a portion of his teen years and early pro years in Las Vegas where he frequented the Mayweather Gym. His first documented amateur fights were in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the hometown of the Mayweather clan. Both were reportedly discouraged by their fathers from entering the squared circle, but were impelled to follow in their footsteps.
Benn is undefeated, but has had a few bumps. He nearly came a cropper in his first meeting with Cedrick Peychaud, a modestly-skilled Frenchman. Benn won the 6-round match, but was on the canvas twice and looked amateurish at times. They were rematched over 10 rounds, and although Benn prevailed, the Frenchman, who currently sports an 8-8-3 record, won a few rounds. But since those hiccups, Conor has improved tremendously.
In 2021, Benn scored brutal knockouts of Samuel Vargas and Chris Algieri sandwiched around a 10-round decision over Adrian Granados. That made him the TSS Breakout Fighter of the Year in our annual end-of-year poll. In April of this year in his most recent fight, he kept the ball rolling, blowing away South African veteran Chris van Heerden in the second stanza.
Chris Eubank Jr suffered his first loss at the hands of future title-holder Billy Joe Saunders, a 12-round split decision. No one outside the Saunders camp would have squawked if that 2014 fight had been scored a draw. But his second setback, 39 months later, was a clear defeat. George Groves fought through a dislocated shoulder to upend Eubank in a bloody, 12-round war.
Eubank Jr has won six fights since that mishap, most notably a wide 12-round decision over former Olympic gold medalist and two-time 168-pound title-holder James DeGale who was rucked into retirement. In his most recent outing, at Cardiff in February, he won a wide 12-round decision over local fan favorite Liam Williams. That fight was contested at middleweight where Eubank had returned after a brief foray one weight class up.
In man-to-man betting, Eubank Jr is currently a 2/1 favorite. The odds reflect the fact that he is naturally the bigger man, is more experienced, and has fought stiffer competition. The bout, a Matchroom promotion that is reportedly sold out, will air on DAZN pay-per-view in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand and will be free to DAZN subscribers in North America. The ring walks are expected to go at 5:23 p.m. ET.
Can Conor Benn even up the series at 1-1-1? Even if these guys didn’t have famous surnames, this would still be a very compelling match-up.
Arne K. Lang’s latest book, titled “George Dixon, Terry McGovern and the Culture of Boxing in America, 1890-1910,” has rolled off the press. Published by McFarland, the book can be ordered directly from the publisher (https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/clash-of-the-little-giants) or via Amazon.
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‘Krusher’ Kovalev Exits on a Winning Note: TKOs Artur Mann in his ‘Farewell Fight’

At his peak, former three-time world light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev ranked high on everyone’s pound-for-pound list. Now 42 years old – he turned 42 earlier this month – Kovalev has been largely inactive in recent years, but last night he returned to the ring in his hometown of Chelyabinsk, Russia, and rose to the occasion in what was billed as his farewell fight, stopping Artur Mann in the seventh frame.
Kovalev hit his peak during his first run as a world title-holder. He was 30-0-1 (26 KOs) entering first match with Andre Ward, a mark that included a 9-0 mark in world title fights. The only blemish on his record was a draw that could have been ruled a no-contest (journeyman Grover Young was unfit to continue after Kovalev knocked down in the second round what with was deemed an illegal rabbit punch). Among those nine wins were two stoppages of dangerous Haitian-Canadian campaigner Jean Pascal and a 12-round shutout over Bernard Hopkins.
Kovalev’s stature was not diminished by his loss to the undefeated Ward. All three judges had it 114-113, but the general feeling among the ringside press was that Sergey nicked it.
The rematch was also somewhat controversial. Referee Tony Weeks, who halted the match in the eighth stanza with Kovalev sitting on the lower strand of ropes, was accused of letting Ward get away with a series of low blows, including the first punch of a three-punch series of body shots that culminated in the stoppage. Sergey was wobbled by a punch to the head earlier in the round and was showing signs of fatigue, but he was still in the fight. Respected judge Steve Weisfeld had him up by three points through the completed rounds.
Sergey Kovalev was never the same after his second loss to Andre Ward, albeit he recaptured a piece of the 175-pound title twice, demolishing Vyacheslav Shabranskyy for the vacant WBO belt after Ward announced his retirement and then avenging a loss to Eleider Alvarez (TKO by 7) with a comprehensive win on points in their rematch.
Kovalev’s days as a title-holder ended on Nov. 2, 2019 when Canelo Alvarez, moving up two weight classes to pursue a title in a fourth weight division, stopped him in the 11th round, terminating what had been a relatively even fight with a hellacious left-right combination that left Krusher so discombobulated that a count was superfluous.
That fight went head-to-head with a UFC fight in New York City. DAZN, to their everlasting discredit, opted to delay the start of Canelo-Kovalev until the main event of the UFC fight was finished. The delay lasted more than an hour and Kovalev would say that he lost his psychological edge during the wait.
Kovalev had two fights in the cruiserweight class between his setback to Canelo and last night’s presumptive swan song. He outpointed Tervel Pulev in Los Angeles and lost a 10-round decision to unheralded Robin Sirwan Safar in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Artur Mann, a former world title challenger – he was stopped in three rounds by Mairis Briedis in 2021 when Briedis was recognized as the top cruiserweight in the world – was unexceptional, but the 34-year-old German, born in Kazakhstan, wasn’t chopped liver either, and Kovalev’s stoppage of him will redound well to the Russian when he becomes eligible for the Boxing Hall of Fame.
Krusher almost ended the fight in the second round. He knocked Mann down hard with a short left hand and seemingly scored another knockdown before the round was over (but it was ruled a slip). Mann barely survived the round.
In the next round, a punch left Mann with a bad cut on his right eyelid, but the German came to fight and rounds three, four and five were competitive.
Kovalev had a good sixth round although there were indications that he was tiring. But in the seventh he got a second wind and unleashed a right-left combination that rolled back the clock to the days when he was one of the sport’s most feared punchers. Mann went down hard and as he staggered to his feet, his corner signaled that the fight should be stopped and the referee complied. The official time was 0:49 of round seven. It was the 30th KO for Kovalev who advanced his record to 36-5-1.
Addendum: History informs us that Farewell Fights have a habit of becoming redundant, by which we mean that boxers often get the itch to fight again after calling it quits. Have we seen the last of Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev? We woudn’t bet on it.
The complete Kovalev-Mann fight card was live-streamed on the Boxing News youtube channel.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 322: Super Welterweight Week in SoCal

Two below-the-radar super welterweight stars show off their skills this weekend from different parts of Southern California.
One in particular, Charles Conwell, co-headlines a show in Oceanside against a hard-hitting Mexican while another super welter star Sadriddin Akhmedov faces another Mexican hitter in Commerce.
Take your pick.
The super welterweight division is loaded with talent at the moment. If Terence Crawford remained in the division he would be at the top of the class, but he is moving up several weight divisions.
Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) faces Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs) a tall knockout puncher from Los Mochis at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, Calif. on Saturday April 19. DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also features undisputed flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora. We’ll get to her later.
Conwell might be the best super welterweight out there aside from the big dogs like Vergil Ortiz, Serhii Bohachuk and Sebastian Fundora.
If you are not familiar with Conwell he comes from Cleveland, Ohio and is one of those fighters that other fighters know about. He is good.
He has the James “Lights Out” Toney kind of in-your-face-style where he anchors down and slowly deciphers the opponent’s tools and then takes them away piece by piece. Usually it’s systematic destruction. The kind you see when a skyscraper goes down floor by floor until it’s smoking rubble.
During the Covid days Conwell fought two highly touted undefeated super welters in Wendy Toussaint and Madiyar Ashkeyev. He stopped them both and suddenly was the boogie man of the super welterweight division.
Conwell will be facing Mexico’s taller Garcia who likes to trade blows as most Mexican fighters prefer, especially those from Sinaloa. These guys will be firing H bombs early.
Fundora
Co-headlining the Golden Boy card is Gabriela Fundora (15-0, 7 KOs) the undisputed flyweight champion of the world. She has all the belts and Mexico’s Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1, 3 KOs) wants them.
Gabriela Fundora is the sister of Sebastian Fundora who holds the men’s WBC and WBO super welterweight world titles. Both are tall southpaws with power in each hand to protect the belts they accumulated.
Six months ago, Fundora met Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz in Las Vegas to determine the undisputed flyweight champion. The much shorter Alaniz tried valiantly to scrap with Fundora and ran into a couple of rocket left hands.
Mexico’s Badillo is an undefeated flyweight from Mexico City who has battled against fellow Mexicans for years. She has fought one world champion in Asley Gonzalez the current super flyweight world titlist. They met years ago with Badillo coming out on top.
Does Badillo have the skill to deal with the taller and hard-hitting Fundora?
When a fighter has a six-inch height advantage like Fundora, it is almost impossible to out-maneuver especially in two-minute rounds. Ask Alaniz who was nearly decapitated when she tried.
This will be Badillo’s first pro fight outside of Mexico.
Commerce Casino
Kazakhstan’s Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0, 13 KOs) is another dangerous punching super welterweight headlining a 360 Promotions card against Mexico’s Elias Espadas (23-6, 16 KOs) on Saturday at the Commerce Casino.
UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions card of about eight bouts.
Akhmedov is another Kazakh puncher similar to the great Gennady “GGG” Golovkin who terrorized the middleweight division for a decade. He doesn’t have the same polish or dexterity but doesn’t lack pure punching power.
It’s another test for the super welterweight who is looking to move up the ladder in the very crowded 154-pound weight division. 360 Promotions already has a top contender in Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk who nearly defeated Vergil Ortiz a year ago.
Could Bohachuk and Akhmedov fight each other if nothing else materializes?
That’s a question for another day.
Fights to Watch
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Charles Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) vs. Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs); Gabriela Fundora (15-0) vs Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1).
Sat. UFC Fight Pass 6 p.m. Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0) vs Elias Espadas (23-6).
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TSS Salutes Thomas Hauser and his Bernie Award Cohorts

The Boxing Writers Association of America has announced the winners of its annual Bernie Awards competition. The awards, named in honor of former five-time BWAA president and frequent TSS contributor Bernard Fernandez, recognize outstanding writing in six categories as represented by stories published the previous year.
Over the years, this venerable website has produced a host of Bernie Award winners. In 2024, Thomas Hauser kept the tradition alive. A story by Hauser that appeared in these pages finished first in the category “Boxing News Story.” Titled “Ryan Garcia and the New York State Athletic Commission,” the story was published on June 23. You can read it HERE.
Hauser also finished first in the category of “Investigative Reporting” for “The Death of Ardi Ndembo,” a story that ran in the (London) Guardian. (Note: Hauser has owned this category. This is his 11th first place finish for “Investigative Reporting”.)
Thomas Hauser, who entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame with the class of 2019, was honored at last year’s BWAA awards dinner with the A.J. Leibling Award for Outstanding Boxing Writing. The list of previous winners includes such noted authors as W.C. Heinz, Budd Schulberg, Pete Hamill, and George Plimpton, to name just a few.
The Leibling Award is now issued intermittently. The most recent honorees prior to Hauser were Joyce Carol Oates (2015) and Randy Roberts (2019).
Roberts, a Distinguished Professor of History at Purdue University, was tabbed to write the Hauser/Leibling Award story for the glossy magazine for BWAA members published in conjunction with the organization’s annual banquet. Regarding Hauser’s most well-known book, his Muhammad Ali biography, Roberts wrote, “It is nearly impossible to overestimate the importance of the book to our understanding of Ali and his times.” An earlier book by Hauser, “The Black Lights: Inside the World of Professional Boxing,” garnered this accolade: “Anyone who wants to understand boxing today should begin by reading ‘The Black Lights’.”
A panel of six judges determined the Bernie Award winners for stories published in 2024. The stories they evaluated were stripped of their bylines and other identifying marks including the publication or website for which the story was written.
Other winners:
Boxing Event Coverage: Tris Dixon
Boxing Column: Kieran Mulvaney
Boxing Feature (Over 1,500 Words): Lance Pugmire
Boxing Feature (Under 1,500 Words): Chris Mannix
The Dixon, Mulvaney, and Pugmire stories appeared in Boxing Scene; the Mannix story in Sports Illustrated.
The Bernie Award recipients will be honored at the forthcoming BWAA dinner on April 30 at the Edison Ballroom in the heart of Times Square. (For more information, visit the BWAA website). Two days after the dinner, an historic boxing tripleheader will be held in Times Square, the logistics of which should be quite interesting. Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez share top billing.
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