Chris Eubank Jr's promoter, Ben Shalom, has broken his silence on the boxer's future following his decisive points defeat to rival Conor Benn, offering cryptic hints about the "reasons" for the surprising result.
A Cryptic Assessment from the Promoter
Speaking to The Ring magazine, Shalom expressed his belief that the 36-year-old Eubank Jr is not ready to hang up his gloves. "I believe it's a 'when' he will fight again and not an 'if' right now," Shalom stated, providing a glimmer of hope for fans of the seasoned fighter. The promoter emphasised that Eubank Jr needs time to recover from a performance where he looked uncharacteristically sluggish.
Shalom pointed to stark statistics, revealing that Eubank Jr threw 30 per cent of the punches he managed in their first encounter seven months prior. "His body was not there, and he was not ready," Shalom explained, adding that there are specific reasons for this which are not his place to discuss publicly.
The Dramatic Final Round and Aftermath
The highly anticipated rematch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 15 November ended in dramatic fashion, with Benn flooring Eubank Jr twice in the final round. This sealed a comprehensive victory for the 29-year-old Benn, avenging his own points loss from their first bout in the same venue earlier in the year.
Immediately after the fight, a defeated Eubank Jr hinted at a troubled preparation, telling reporters he had gone "through hell and back" in the lead-up. He pointedly refused to elaborate on the issues and appealed to his promoter, Shalom, not to discuss the matter further during the post-fight press conference.
"That was not Chris Eubank Jr in the ring that night," Shalom insisted. "I know that, you know that, anyone who has watched him over the last 15 years knows that." He estimated that Eubank Jr was operating at only 50 or 60 per cent of his capability, a level that made for a difficult spectacle for the boxer himself.
What's Next for the Rivals?
While Eubank Jr appeared open to the possibility of a trilogy fight, Benn has dismissed the idea. Instead, the victorious Benn is now setting his sights on a return to his natural welterweight division, where he is pursuing a world-title fight or another major opponent.
Shalom also raised the question of whether the middleweight limit was a factor in his fighter's poor performance. Eubank Jr had narrowly missed weight for their first fight, drawing criticism from his father, boxing legend Chris Eubank Sr. "Maybe I'd be more comfortable with him fighting at super-middleweight from now on," Shalom mused, suggesting a potential change in strategy for Eubank Jr's career moving forward.
The promoter's final word was one of cautious optimism, contingent on Eubank Jr addressing his undisclosed problems. "From speaking to him, I feel like he's got the motivation to fight again," Shalom said, "so now he's going to have to deal with that and what happened."
