- Lewis Oldham
- 23 October 2023
Tony Bellew makes ‘inside five rounds’ KO Conor Benn vs Chris Eubank Jr prediction
Tony Bellew has backed Conor Benn to knock out Chris Eubank Jr “inside five rounds” as he is “too explosive”.
Chris Eubank Jr. is a British boxer has won the WBA interim middleweight and IBO super-middleweight titles twice as well as the British middleweight title.
A second-generation fighter, Eubank has been guided for the majority of his career by father Chris Eubank and Ronnie Davies until 2020, when he confirmed Roy Jones Jr. as his first full-time trainer.
However after a defeat to Liam Smith in eary 2023, Eubank Jr. is looking to get his career back on track.
Amateur career
Jr. began his career as an amateur in 2007 and after six successive wins, he became Amateur Golden Gloves Champion for the state of Nevada at 165-pounds.
He also became Amateur Golden Gloves champion at the Western States of the United States.
Eubank left the amateur circuit with a record of 24-2.
Eubank Jr. vs Billy Joe Saunders
Eubank's first fight of significant came against Billy Joe Saunders for the British, Commonwealth and European titles in 2014.
After 18 successive wins as a pro, Eubank and Saunders put both of their unbeaten records on the line.
Not only was the bout for the British, Commonwealth and European titles, it was also an eliminator for the WBO middleweight world title.
Experience would determine the outcome with Saunders controlling the first six rounds before Eubank rallied back in the second half of the contest.
Despite producing and landing more punches from round seven, Saunders won via split-decision [115-114, 115-113 and 113-116].
Eubank's unbeaten run
Eubank would bounce back from the first defeat of his career with victories over Dmitry Chudinov, Tony Jeter and Gary "Spike" O'Sullivan in 2015.
In 2016, Eubank Jr. won the British middleweight title against Nick Blackwell, then retained it three months later against Tom Doran.
Eubank move up to 168-pounds in 2017 and began the year with a TKO victory over Renold Quinlan to claim the IBO super-middleweight title.
Eubank had an agreement in place for him to fight in the World Boxing Super Series as long as he could beat ex-world champion Arthur Abraham.
The Briton outclassed an over-the-hill Abraham to confirm his spot for the Muhammad Ali Trophy. Seeded as No.3, Eubank chose Avni Yildirim as his opponent in the quarter-final phase of the knockout competition.
Fighting outside of the UK for the second time in his career - the other being against Tadas Jonkus in Denmark from 2012 - Eubank defeated Yildirim in Stuttgart, Germany, with a sickening body shot in the third round to retain his IBO super middleweight strap.
Up next for Eubank in the semi-finals was Groves for the WBA super middleweight crown at the Manchester Arena in 2018.
Defeat to George Groves
Having captured the imagination of the British public due to their bad blood at several press conferences in the build-up, Eubank's efforts would be tamed by Groves who out-jabbed and out-maneuvered him throughout the fight.
The final round was the most dramatic though, with Groves only able to use one arm after dislocating his left shoulder.
Despite a late onslaught by Eubank, Groves heard the final bell to earn a unanimous decision victory.
Back to winning ways
Since losing to Groves, Eubank has stopped JJ McDonagh inside three rounds and outpointed two-time IBF super middleweight champion James DeGale with two knockdowns in the process.
He also won on his American debut against Matt Korobov, to win the vacant WBA interim middleweight title, although it ended in three rounds after his opponent sustained a shoulder injury.
After the Covid-19 pandemic, Eubank's first fight since 2019 ended with a unanimous decision victory over Marcus Morrison at Manchester Arena on May 1, 2021.
He then retired Wanik Awdijan in the fifth round in October 2021, before claiming a unanimous decision victory over former world title contender Liam Williams in February 2022.
Cancelled Conor Benn fight
Conor Benn was due to face Eubank Jr in early October 2022 but the fight was postponed just days before after the 26-year-old returned a test for banned substance clomiphene, which elevates testosterone levels in men.
Co-promoters Matchroom and Wasserman Boxing conceded defeat in their attempts to stage the catchweight meeting at the O2 Arena in defiance of the BBBofC declaring it was "prohibited" and "not in the interests of boxing".
The bout was intended to be a continuation of the Benn v Eubank feud that saw the rivals' fathers battle it out in two ferocious contests in the early 1990s.
Benn relinquished his licence with the British Boxing Board of Control, who also upheld allegations of misconduct.
Defeat to Liam Smith
Smith came up with a devastating fourth-round knockout to defeat Eubank Jr in their middleweight grudge clash in Manchester.
With the build-up overshadowed by unpleasant exchanges during the final pre-fight press conference, there was little love lost between the fighters as they walked out to a packed AO Arena.
Smith, a former WBO light-middleweight champion with 32 wins from 36 fights, made the better start and although Eubank Jr recovered, he was put down twice in the fourth before the referee stepped in to end the contest.
Personal Life
Eubank is the son to former two-division world champion Chris Eubank Sr. He is celebrated amongst the boxing fraternity and is regarded as one of the greatest, most enigmatic fighters to have been produced from the UK.
Eubank - also known as English - cemented his legacy in the 1980s and 1990s with his epic rivalries with Nigel Benn, Michael Watson and Steve Collins.
Sr. has used his legacy to help promote his son's profile as a professional. Eubank Jr. featured on reality TV show At Home with the Eubanks in 2003 which featured on Channel 5 in the UK.
The duo have also appeared in Celebrity Googlebox on Channel 4.
Chris Eubank Jr's net worth
Eubank Jr's purse against DeGale was believed to have been around £2million, according to the Daily Mail.
The boxer also picked up a purse of £1.5million in his semi-final defeat to Groves in the World Boxing Super Series. His net worth according to Go Richest is £500,000.
Eubank admitted he invests his money wisely after witnessing his father go bankrupt. "Of course he had money troubles and 100 percent it shaped me.
"You have to learn from other people's mistakes, especially people close to you. I saw how it affected him and the things he had to do and what he had to put up with at that stage of his life.
"That was absolutely the last thing I wanted to happen to me in my career. It's all about being responsible.
"You can enjoy your life, you work hard, you've got to have your fun, but all in moderation - don't go crazy. But my dad did go crazy at certain times in his life with money and with his spending.
"He had a great life - he still has a great life - but you've got to be smart with the money."
