Chris Eubank Jr suffered a comprehensive defeat at the hands of Conor Benn in their highly-anticipated rematch on Saturday night, before offering a cryptic explanation for his lacklustre performance.
A One-Sided Affair
In a stark contrast to their thrilling first encounter just seven months prior, Conor Benn dominated from the first bell. The fight concluded with Benn dropping Eubank Jr twice in the final session, decisively exacting his revenge for his previous loss.
Eubank Jr failed to replicate the form he showed in their initial bout, producing a performance that left fans and pundits baffled by its one-sided nature.
Eubank Jr's Cryptic Revelation
In the aftermath of the defeat, a subdued Eubank Jr alluded to serious, undisclosed problems during his fight preparation. "I've been through hell and back to make it here," he revealed to the media.
He admitted his mistaken belief that he could overcome these issues, stating, "I genuinely thought that regardless of the issues that I have been dealing with, I would be able to go in there and win... From that first round, I realised that I was mistaken."
Despite being invited on multiple occasions to detail the nature of his struggles, Eubank Jr consistently declined to elaborate, keeping the specifics shrouded in mystery.
Credit to the Victor and an Uncertain Future
Eubank Jr was gracious in defeat, insisting the spotlight remain on his opponent. "This is not about me. This night is about Conor," he stated. "He did what he needed to do to win and he fought a great fight... congratulations to him."
When questioned about potential retirement, the fighter was non-committal. "We're not talking about that right now," he said, adding that he needs to "heal" and deal with his personal issues before considering his future in the sport.
Promoter Ben Shalom, founder of Boxxer, attempted to shed some light on the situation, confirming Eubank Jr's difficult camp. "All I want to say is what Chris went through in camp, he won't want to talk about it, but the things I saw, he did incredibly well to get in the ring tonight," Shalom stated before being cut off by Eubank Jr himself, who implored him to stop.
With Benn having already declared the "saga was over" and ruling out a trilogy fight, the path forward for Chris Eubank Jr in the boxing world remains uncertain.
