The British showdown between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn gained a mass of interest when signed as ticket sales for the October 8 clash reiterated.
Packing out The O2 Arena in less than an hour [despite a ticket partner hiccup], Eubank Jr vs Benn is the highlight of the UK calendar if Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua fails to get over the line.
Holding a unique selling point in the fact their famous world champion boxer father’s fought out two incredible battles in the 1990s, the bout already has a leg up on Carl Froch vs George Groves.
However, the November 2013 Pay Per View collision was seen as the experienced champion against the underdog. Nobody expected a second fight to happen.
But Froch getting knocked down in the first changed all that. And even though “The Cobra” got the job done in nine rounds, an outcry from fans elevated the status of a return.
Six months later, as the famous line goes, “Carl Froch fought in front of 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.”
Will there be a Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn rematch?
Regarding Chris Eubank Jr. vs Conor Benn, there are similarities. Eubank is a big favorite also in what is a middleweight vs welterweight contest.
The Brighton man must surely be aware that if the fight is as easy as some predict and he can hurt Nigel Benn’s son at will, then he could dictate what happens next.
If Eubank makes the fight a lot closer, knowing he has the detonator to end it or that he’s up on the scorecards, he could make millions in a second fight with Benn.
Promoter Kalle Sauerland is expecting massive interest without another encounter in the pipeline, though. Kalle sees the fight holding its own merit with the history involving Chris Eubank Sr. and his greatest rival.
“We are dealing with a monster. Not a monster for the Heavyweight World Championship, not a unification, not a grudge match; we’re dealing with a family feud,” said Sauerland.
“A feud that started on November 18, 1990, and one that made me fall back in love with boxing.
“The interest around what happened back then, 19 million viewing on terrestrial television, 500 million viewers around the world, you don’t need to sell it.
“At the same time, look at the gladiators up here. They have fought their way out of their father’s shadows in their own right.
“They sit up here now and put it all on the line – family legacy. I don’t think there’s any title you could place on it that is bigger than that.”
Monster fight
Eddie Hearn added: “I wish we had seven O2 Arenas. This fight is an absolute monster.
“The biggest in British boxing, perhaps one of the biggest ever in the sport in this country.”
Trolling on social media from Eubank Jr. over making the 157 weight adds further to the spice. And looking at Benn in the gym piling on muscle is another talking point for the fans.
Will it be as easy as many think? – Can Benn be competitive? – Those are just two questions that will get answered in the first six minutes.
If Conor Benn can get a foothold in the fight, both men stand to make multi-million dollar checks in a huge Wembley Stadium rematch next year.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.
WBN Editor Phil Jay has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews, Instagram, and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
