Conor Benn told exactly how he can beat Chris Eubank Jr tonight
Conor Benn will attempt to exact his revenge tonight when he takes on Chris Eubank Jr in their rematch.
Benn was outpointed in the first instalment seven months ago but returns to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium confident he can reverse the result. He has vowed it will be the final clash between the two families as he plans a world title assault back down at welterweight next year.
Having fought just twice in three years before losing to Eubank Jr in April, Benn is confident he has what it takes to inflict a first defeat on the Eubanks by a Benn following their famous fathers' two fights in the 1990. And here, we asked three former world champions how Benn can overcome Eubank Jr at the second time of asking...
- Brutality of boxing weight cut laid bare after Chris Eubank Jr struggle
- Chris Eubank Jr told he should have retired instead of fighting Conor Benn
I was sitting in the dressing room afterwards and he was heartbroken. I know how it affected hm and it was very hard going in the dressing room He has to learn to pace a fight, he now knows what it's like to fight 12 rounds at a ferocious pace. And he has to learn from his mistakes; he thought he could tire Eubank Jr out
It's a case of capitalising on what he's doing, when you've hurt someone as badly as he hurt Chris in the third and fifth rounds, let your hands go and go for the finish. Chris will tire before Conor if he does it correctly, a middleweight cannot fight at a welterweight's pace.
He has to take his time and not be so erratic. He has to try and draw Eubank Jr in, which is hard to do because Eubank Jr is a reactive fighter. If you go for him, he'll fight back. In his head, if he gets hit by two or three shots, he has to throw four or five back to make sure he is getting the better of the exchanges.
It's a good methodology to use but it doesn't always work like that. Conor Benn was a bit one dimensional, doing the same thing round after round after round and he was wasting a lot of energy. If he tidies it up and slows it down and picks his shots... he still has to throw a lot of shots, but when Eubank Jr throws, he has to meet him as he comes in and go with him then move.
If Conor Benn comes out with a better jab, a range-finding jab and varies the power with a lot of feints, he might settle into the fight quicker and he might be fresher down the stretch. If that happens, I think he could stop Eubank Jr.
Technically, I want to see a better jab from Conor. He has to set better traps and then be more selective with his punch power. He can't afford to waste power punches on Eubank Jr. I would punch to the chest and stomach as those are targets that don't move much. And then when he has success, he can switch to the chin. He doesn't want to get dragged into a dog-fight again.