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Home » Opinion: Eubank Jr vs Benn is bizarre – right fight, wrong time

Opinion: Eubank Jr vs Benn is bizarre – right fight, wrong time

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When Eubank Jr vs Benn rumors began, many thought the British collision negotiations were merely a smokescreen after Kell Brook’s retirement.

Pitting Chris Eubank Jr., a former super-middleweight – against a welterweight Conor Benn, was seemingly unthinkable. However, the current saturated Pay Per View market meant it was the only fight that could warrant the paid platform.

Not because those two fighters are superstars in their own country, but because their respective fathers were back in the day.

Eubank Jr vs Benn on Pay Per View

It’s no secret that DAZN has to hit their yearly UK Pay Per View allocation. Therefore, Eubank Jr vs Been fills some of that void.

But at what cost to Conor Benn? – What does promoter Eddie Hearn see that the vast majority in boxing doesn’t?

It’s not that Benn isn’t a decent boxer. He can bang and has significantly improved, but it’s more about the event’s timing.

Benn is on the cusp of landing a world title fight at welterweight. Another year and he’d be in a position to be the mandatory challenger.

Fans can argue that those belts remain out of bounds with the imminent confirmation of Errol Spence Jr vs Terence Crawford. But whoever wins that fight is already tipped to move up in weight immediately.

That would leave all four belts up for grabs in the first half of 2023. Benn would undoubtedly be one of the eight contenders considered for a shot.

Conor Benn comeback

However, Hearn is aiming to strike while the iron is hot. He knows putting Benn in with Eubank Jr. is highly dangerous due to the weight differential. But the Essex man also knows that win or lose, Benn can quickly come back at 147 or even 154 in the future.

Maybe, just maybe, Benn should have been allowed to fight for the championship first, though. To make a defense or two and then dip his toes into 154 before facing Eubank Jr. in 2024?

Eubank Jr. would be 34 by that time and much more battle-hardened. The Brighton star would also be on the wrong side of his prime. Benn would have a much better shot than now by waiting two more years.

How many PPV buys will Eubank Jr vs Benn make?

We all know that boxing doesn’t work like that. If a fight makes money, it makes sense. Eubank Jr vs Benn is already tipped to be a sellout at The O2 Arena in just under two months.

The PPV estimates range between 500,000 and 750,000 UK buys. That’s enough to get DAZN backing the fight to be staged as soon as possible.

DAZN’s PPV platform is already struggling to match Showtime and Sky. Eubank Jr vs Benn will now test out their pulling power against the market leader in Sky Sports Box Office.

Sales will give a good indication of where DAZN PPV can go. However, that looks certain to come at the cost of Conor Benn’s undefeated record.

The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.

WBN Editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews and Twitter @worldboxingnews.