Losing to Chris Eubank Jr was not part of Conor Benn’s redemption arc.
Making the move up to middleweight, the 28-year-old fought bravely against the man he has grown to hate over the last three years.
Despite having Eubank Jr in some peril at different stages of their 12-round thriller at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he could not find the telling shot to put him down.
It was a performance that will have helped endear Benn to the boxing public once again. While he is not quite yet ‘the people’s champion’ promoter Eddie Hearn christened him as once the dust had settled in north London, he will have certainty clawed back some respect.
Speaking to reporters late last night, Benn conceded 14 months out of the ring may have robbed him of the killer instinct he needed to put Eubank Jr away.
The Ilford fighter failed two drug tests before the fight was originally set to take place in 2022 with his suspension lifted in November.
A rematch clause means there is the option for these two to do it all again perhaps later this year. But for Benn, better opportunities may lie elsewhere.
World title opportunities at welterweight
With the exception of two fights at 154lbs, Benn has spent his entire career campaigning at welterweight, making serious inroads at world title level before his focus shifted solely to Eubank.
In his post-fight press conference, Benn discussed the possibility of moving back down to welterweight to challenge Mario Barrios for the WBC title. His promoter Hearn also discussed the possibility of a meeting with American superstar Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, who holds the IBF and WBA belts.
Returning to his natural weight where he has already demonstrated how destructive he can be will present Benn with his best and most realistic world title opportunities. Before Eubank Jr and the drug test scandal that rocked his world, Benn was one of the division’s most exciting fighters, blasting his way through a stellar list of opponents.
Returning to the weight where he is most comfortable and more importantly, most dangerous, will serve Benn well. While becoming world champion at 147lbs poses its own huge challenges, it is where the best version of himself operates.
‘I don’t want to see him [Benn] in too many fights like that [at middleweight],’ Hearn warned. ‘They’re the kind of fights that will shorten your career, and he has such a long career ahead of him.’
Family revenge might be too tempting
The desire to avenge Saturday’s defeat will be enormous, however. With so much family pride at stake after the epic battles their fathers shared 30 years ago, Benn might feel there is a sense of duty in fighting Eubank Jr again.
With a rematch clause and contract agreed, it may be the easiest and most profitable option to take.
‘Yeah, I want the revenge man. I want my revenge,’ Benn said.
‘All the fighting talk is fighting talk, he’s a good fighter. I believe I can fight at 160. If we don’t do the rematch, which I’d love to avenge that loss, go back down to welterweight and win the WBC world title.
‘It’s either Mario Barrios or the rematch with Eubank. Whichever happens next I’ll be content with.’
Problems for Benn whatever move he makes?
Moving up and down the weight divisions can be problematic. Two former world champions in Amir Khan and George Groves have suggested that Benn may no longer be the force he once was at 147lbs.
Khan himself made a similar leap up from welterweight to challenge Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez at middleweight in 2016. After being knocked out cold by the Mexican superstar, Khan struggled after moving back down to 147lbs.
‘Sometimes I think it is a really bad idea when you move up in weight and put all of that weight on because when you go back down again, you can never be the same strong, explosive fighter as you are thinking about looking muscle and making weight,’ Khan told Metro. ‘He will put so much muscle on that when he goes back down in weight, he will find it harder.’
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Groves added: “Before the fight was made, I thought he was making fantastic progress and improving.
‘When they made this fight with Eubank, I thought, that’s the end of Conor Benn, as such. He’s not going to be a force at welterweight if he’s moving up to middleweight, he’s not going to be able to drop back down successfully.’
For Benn, his father Nigel, trainer Tony Sims and promoter Hearn, talks over the next move will already be underway. And despite a first defeat of his career, the options ahead of him are promising.
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