Redemption for the Benn Family: Conor Benn Decisively Outboxes Chris Eubank Jr

A faster, more scientific Conor Benn used speed and feints to stick Chris Eubank Jr. in the mud while sprinting to a victory that included a couple of knockdowns as the capper in their rematch on Saturday.

“A lot of pressure on me to do my family proud,” said Benn.

Fighting at middleweight did not slow down Benn (24-1,14 KOs) as he out-boxed and out-worked Eubank (35-4, 25 KOs) over 12 rounds at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. This second fight was a complete contrast from their initial meeting back in April.

“It was a great boxing performance,” said Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing that promotes Benn.

From the opening bell Benn used a quick jab behind feints to dart in and out of range against the naturally bigger Eubank. In their first encounter back on April 26, Benn tried to decapitate Eubank almost every round.

Not this time.

Benn was content to fire off jabs, one-two combos, and escape from retaliation. Three-punch combinations were the most that Benn allowed himself to unload. It proved to be a very wise tactic against the sharp counter-puncher Eubank.

Eubank looked for openings and occasionally found them, but he was unable to connect with more than one blow at a time. A perfect right cross snapped the head of Benn in the second round but as was seen in their first fiery confrontation, Benn can take a good punch. Even a middleweight punch.

Each round looked like the previous round as Benn used quick hard jabs to the head and body and escaped out of range quickly. It was a tactic not used in their first bout that many call the Fight of the Year.

“They said I can’t box,” said Benn of critics.

It was through quick jabs and lighting combinations that Benn kept gathering points each round. In the ninth round Eubank unloaded a four-punch combination that connected soundly. Benn remained steady and seemingly unfazed.

Eubank knew he was behind points in the fight and began to turn up the dial on his punch output. But Benn was aware of his shortcomings in their first fight and kept this fight under his control. Snap jabs continued to find the target and Eubank could not find a solution.

In the 11^th round each fighter connected with big blows but not enough to hurt the other. It would come down to the final round to determine the winner.

Eubank needed a knockout to win and entered the final round with a more determined look. As both fighters unloaded combinations Benn followed up with a quick one-two that caught Eubank and down he went. He beat the count and the fight resumed but Benn turned on the fire and unloaded with 20 unanswered blows including an overhand right to the head that hammered Eubank to the floor for the second time. He got up and stood straight and soon the bell rang to end the fight. But Benn had scored two knockdowns in the round and celebrated around the ring before the scores were read.

The judges saw Benn the winner 119-107, 116-110, 118-108. He picks up a regional middleweight title.

“I got one over you mate,” said Benn to his father who never beat Chris Eubank Sr. “It would not have been possible without Chris (Eubank Jr.). Thanks for sharing the ring.”

Eubank was gracious in defeat.

“I tried my best,” said Eubank. “He’s got power.”

When asked about returning to welterweight Benn responded “all those Yanks can get it.”

Catterall Wins

Former super lightweight champion Jack Catterall (32-2, 14 KOs) moved up a division and battled Ekow Essuman for nearly 12 rounds before lowering the boom with two controversial knockdowns.

Though Catterall had floored Essuman in the fourth round, the fight got more interesting as a bad cut on Catterall made things interesting in the latter rounds.

In the 12^th, Catterall connected with an uppercut that hurt and dropped Essuman but referee John Latham was too far away to prohibit more blows. Instead of jumping in-between, Latham, who looked like he didn’t want to get dirty, motioned with his hands to stop from five feet away. Meanwhile Catterall saw a hurt foe and went for the finish against defenseless Essuman. After a count, the fight continued and instead of getting time to recover from blows sustained during the break, Essuman tried to defend himself but Catterall unloaded six more blows that sent Essuman through the ropes and unconscious at 50 seconds into round 12.

Catterall picks up a regional WBO welterweight title for his win.

“He’s a solid fighter,” Catterall said of Essuman. “I had confidence to keep letting my hands go.”

Other Bouts

Super lightweight Ada Azim (14-0, 11 KOs) slowly but surely took apart Kurt Scoby (18-2, 16 KOs) round by round before lowering the boom with a left hook in the 12^th and final round. Scoby took a knee but the referee would not allow the fight to continue and awarded Azim the win by technical knockout at 2:01 of the round.

Ishmael Davis (15-3) managed to pull out a win over Sam Gilley (18-2-1) after 12 back-and-forth rounds that saw each take control in their super welterweight fight.

Gilley started fast and seemed in control until the middle rounds as Davis began to assert his strength and tenacity. In the latter rounds Gilley regained control with a well-placed and perfectly timed right uppercut.

Both fighters stayed in high gear until the end as all three judges favored Davis slightly.

A heavyweight fight saw Richard Riakporhe (19-1) knock down Tommy Welch (16-1) three times in the second round. A crushing overhand right dropped Welch but he managed to beat the count. Surprisingly the referee allowed the fight to continue and another right floored Welch again. He got up and was belted with another series of blows and finally the fight was stopped.

Photo credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom

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