Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn 2 preview and predictions: Can the Benns finally beat the Eubanks?
The feud between the Eubanks and Benns has spanned more than 30 years, and even though the Benn family is 0-2-1 against the Eubanks heading into Saturday's fourth meeting, it is still the greatest rivalry in British boxing history.
Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn were originally scheduled to meet in October 2022, until a pair of failed drug tests on Benn's part forced the fight's cancellation. Benn went through a two-year process to clear his name, and the second-generation clash was finally rescheduled for this past April at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Between drug scandals and the appearance of unsafe weight clauses, a fight once eagerly anticipated was considered damaged goods. But boxing has a way of shining bright even in the darkest of tunnels.
In front of a 67,000 sellout crowd, the pair delivered a fight British boxing will never forget — and now, on Saturday night, they look to do it all over again.
Betting odds courtesy of BetMGM.
Middleweight: Chris Eubank Jr. (-182) vs. Conor Benn (+145), 12 rounds
Eubank (35-3, 25 KOs) won a unanimous decision (116-112, 116-112, 116-112) over Benn (23-1, 14 KOs) in their first contest this past April.
A strong finish from the 36-year-old sealed a competitive points win for Eubank. While Benn performed better than some expected, it wasn't meant to be in his first appearance on the grandest of stages.
However, going into the rematch, Benn carries a wealth of newfound experience with him. The 29-year-old now knows what it's like to fight in front of such a large crowd, to fight a larger man at a weight class that isn't his own — and most importantly, to fight his arch-nemesis, Eubank.
Uncrowned wrote in our preview to the original contest that the biggest mistake Benn could make was to fight off emotion and become reckless. Eubank had done a stellar job of playing mind games with Benn in the lead-up to that bout, and it proved crucial on the night — Benn fought like he was in a street fight. He threw everything hard, swung with both hands, and looked for the knockout from the opening bell. It played right into Eubank's hands.
Looking back, Benn had his best successes when he was composed and using his boxing skills. Benn's greatest asset is arguably his underrated head movement and feints, which allow him to close the distance on the bigger man. He used those attributes brilliantly at times against Eubank, but was predictable in spurts and ultimately outgunned by the bigger, more experienced man in the championship rounds.
Benn has put on size for the second fight. He was 2.8 pounds heavier at Friday's weigh-in for the rematch and even allegedly outweighed Eubank by two pounds when the pair stepped on the scales for their ceremonial weigh-in later in the night. Benn managed to hurt Eubank on a couple of occasions in their first fight and very much hopes to finish Eubank this time with the added weight.
Eubank noticeably struggled on the scales in April and was hospitalized after the grueling battle due to dehydration. At age 36, how many more times can Eubank deplete himself immensely to make the middleweight limit, have restrictions on how much he can rehydrate, and then go to war for 36 minutes just 36 hours later?
Benn, as the younger, fresher man, should theoretically come off better in the rematch. He has been calm for the entirety of the build-up and fight week for this second bout, which should work in his favor if it translates into the ring.
Eubank will feel that he has Benn's number. He's beaten him once before, so what's to say he can't do so again? Especially with Brian "Bo Mac" McIntyre, the trainer of Terence Crawford, now in his corner.
It's going to be another hard-fought, tense affair, but this time, the youth and experience gained from the first fight could prove consequential for Benn.
Pick: Benn
Welterweight: Jack Catterall (-208) vs. Ekow Essuman (+180), 12 rounds
Saturday's co-feature showcases two men whose best wins have both come over the former 140-pound undisputed champion, Josh Taylor.
Jack Catterall (31-2, 13 KOs) lost a heavily disputed decision to Taylor for the undisputed super lightweight title in their first fight in 2022. It was a controversy that shook up the British boxing world and paved the way for a major rematch to take place in 2024, with Catterall avenging his defeat. Essuman (22-1, 8 KOs) subsequently forced Taylor into retirement after scoring an upset win over the Scotsman in his welterweight debut this past May.
After falling short to Arnold Barboza Jr. in February, Catterall moved up to welterweight to face Harlem Eubank in July — a fight Catterall won by technical unanimous decision after cuts forced it to end early. But a move up in weight wasn't the only significant change Catterall made in 2025 — "El Gato" announced Derek "Bozy" Ennis, the father of Jaron "Boots" Ennis, as his new full-time trainer in September.
Catterall-Essuman is almost a perfect style matchup. Essuman, nicknamed "The Engine," does what it says on the label; he's an all-action pressure fighter who will not slow down for 36 minutes. Catterall, on the other hand, is true technician. Low output rounds and single shots are often the stories of his fights, though Catterall is expected to be more aggressive against Essuman due to the Ennis influence.
Overall, Catterall should be too skilled and crafty for Essuman. Essuman's pressure is no doubt difficult for anyone to handle, but Catterall is equipped to deal with it well through counter-punching and a strong jab. I expect Essuman to have success at times but for Catterall to outbox him over the distance.
Pick: Catterall
Super welterweight: Sam Gilley (+245) vs. Ishmael Davis (-313), 12 rounds
The British and Commonwealth titles are up for grabs in a super welterweight clash between Sam Gilley and Ishmael Davis.
Davis (14-3, 6 KOs) picked up the best win of his career — a unanimous decision over Troy Williamson — in a March 2024 British title eliminator. The victory earned him a shot at the British title he fights for on Saturday night, but his route toward this weekend was far more complicated.
The Leeds fighter recorded three defeats on the trot after the Williamson fight, with the first two being short-notice losses against Josh Kelly and Serhii Bohachuk. Davis was last in action against Caiomhin Agyarko this past September, where he lost a controversial points decision.
Yet even after three successive blemishes in significant fights, Davis lands the British title shot he secured more than 18 months ago.
Gilley (18-1-1, 9 KOs) has had his own career plagued by inactivity — he's managed just two fights since earning a career-best win over Louis Greene in October 2023. Gilley, despite being unbeaten for almost five years, enters Saturday's contest as an underdog, largely due to his poor showing against journeyman Gideon Onyenani in June, with whom he shockingly fought to a draw.
Davis is a versatile fighter. He was forced to be the aggressor in fights against Kelly and Agyarko, who are back-foot boxers. But in his showing against Williamson and early in the Bohachuk fight, Davis' counter-punching and movement were on full display. Gilley, on the other hand, neglects his physical advantages and is happy to have a close-range battle every time out. Gilley's defense is poor, and as Onyenani showed last time out, he's pretty easy to frustrate with some footwork, timing and holding on the inside.
I expect Davis' experience at a higher level and a wider arsenal of tools to give him the edge over Gilley.
Pick: Davis
Super lightweight: Adam Azim (-1200) vs. Kurt Scoby (+850), 12 rounds
Adam Azim was supposed to clash with Zaur Abdullaev on this card, but Abdullaev's place on the show became uncertain around a month out from the card. Event organizers managed to secure Kurt Scoby — who had a fight already scheduled in the U.S. — to replace him.
Azim, 23, (13-0, 10 KOs) is one of the top young talents in British boxing. His speed, power and shot selection have helped him secure a flurry of highlight-reel stoppages — and command comparisons to a young Amir Khan. After earning the best win of his career in February — a stoppage over former 140-pound champion Sergei Lipinets — Azim will no doubt be looking to push on to the world level beginning Saturday.
Scoby, 30, (18-1, 16 KOs) has put together five wins since an upset defeat to journeyman Dakota Linger in April 2024. The American has attempted to rattle Azim during fight week in London, hoping that Azim comes out aggressive and reckless this weekend, giving Scoby the chance to land a concussive blow.
Scoby is evidently a powerful puncher, but there's little else to his game. Azim should be too fast for Scoby, countering the American's slow attacks and landing clean shots with ease. If Azim can avoid getting dragged into a fire-fight or fighting off emotion, he should win and win well.
Azim would be best served by fighting on the back foot in the early rounds behind his jab, counter-punching and waiting for the muscle-bound Scoby to slow, before pushing him back and taking him out. After weathering the initial storm, Linger found it easy to land clean on Scoby as the rounds went on.
Pick: Azim
Undercard quick picks
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Heavyweight: Richard Riakporhe (-1200) def. Tommy Welch (+850)
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Flyweight: Mikie Tallon (-4000) def. Fezan Shahid (+1700)
