Benn's Emotional Victory After Personal Demons
In the early hours of Sunday morning at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, an emotional Conor Benn stood victorious after defeating his nemesis Chris Eubank Jr on points in their long-awaited rematch. Despite the surprisingly one-sided nature of the twelve-round bout, Benn's face showed the physical toll, but his emotional state revealed a deeper struggle.
The 29-year-old fighter admitted he felt like crying after the fight, revealing the immense pressure he had been under. "I think I'm going to cry here. Oh man, it's been hard," Benn said quietly, his voice filled with emotion after securing this crucial victory.
Redemption After Controversy and Defeat
This triumph represents significant redemption for Benn, whose career was clouded by controversy in 2022 when he tested positive for clomifene in two separate tests months apart. While he vehemently protested his innocence at the time, he never publicly produced the evidence he claimed cleared him of intentionally taking a prohibited substance.
The personal turmoil didn't impact his earning power - Benn made approximately £7.5 million seven months ago when he returned to boxing in Britain, though he suffered his first professional defeat against Eubank Jr in that brutal encounter. The loss hurt profoundly, especially coming from a man he claimed to detest.
Saturday's victory brought even greater financial reward, with Benn reportedly earning £8 million to Eubank Jr's £10 million. Yet money seemed far from his mind in the emotional aftermath.
The Mental Battle Behind the Physical Victory
Benn attributed his composed performance to resentment toward his doubters. "It's the chip on my shoulder, people saying 'Oh, you can't box, you can't do this or that,'" he explained. "I woke up with that feeling every morning - people think I can't outbox him for 12 rounds? Watch me. That fuelled me."
The fighter acknowledged his complex, emotional nature but revealed he felt pressure from his team to maintain control. "It's hard for me to tone it down," Benn admitted, "but I felt a lot of pressure from my team to get it right. You can't get it right for eight weeks and not on fight night. You'd be a mug."
His dominance in the ring was so complete that Benn revealed he taunted Eubank during the fight, saying: "This is easy work. Is that all you got?" True to his pre-fight prediction, Benn delivered what he called a "systematic beat-down."
Future Plans and Closing the Chapter
Looking ahead, Benn appears determined to move down to his natural welterweight class, which would require shedding 13 pounds to reach the 147-pound limit. While acknowledging the difficulty, he stressed that his "dream" remains emulating his father Nigel by winning the WBC world title.
Meanwhile, Eubank Jr faced the media with credit, despite his comprehensive defeat. The 36-year-old hinted at unspecified "issues" during his training camp that affected his performance. "I've been through hell and back to make it here today," Eubank revealed. "I genuinely thought that regardless of the issues that I've been dealing with, I would be able to go in and win. But from that first round I realised I was mistaken."
When asked about his future in boxing, Eubank sounded contemplative: "I'm not in a state of mind to be thinking about next fights. I need to heal. I need to deal with what I'm dealing with."
In a moment of closure for both fighters, Benn declared their long-running feud over. "I feel like we're done now. I can breathe," he said. "This has been three years of my life - hearing Benn-Eubank, Eubank-Benn every single day. It's good to sit here and say: 'Yeah, it's done and I've ended it with a win.'"
