Conor Benn has said that defeating Chris Eubank Jr. was very personal. Benn returned to professional boxing after his controversial battles with PEDs. Since then he has battled Eubank Jr twice, losing the first one, which was ultimately labeled the fight of the year.
He has since parted ways with Matchroom, moving to Zuffa Boxing, where he has beaten Regis Prograis, before the fight with Ryan Garcia was announced.
Benn recently spoke to Dan Rafael, reflecting on why beating Eubank Jr was so personal. He admitted that his emotional intensity and overconfidence led to his initial loss against Chris Eubank Jr, making even a “Fight of the Year” honor feel empty.
For Benn, the fight was deeply personal, and losing a second time would have meant accepting that Eubank Jr was genuinely the better fighter.
Because then if I had lost the second time around, it would have meant that he really is better than me. I would have had to accept the fact that he is actually better than me. And because it was so personal…it was just personal. It was spiteful.
“It was real mixed feelings, even getting fight of the year. I lost, and I genuinely thought I’d knock him out. I lost to this guy, but I beat myself in there. I shouldn’t have fought that fight in there, but the emotions were overwhelming.
Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn are set to headline a co-promoted card between Zuffa Boxing and Golden Boy Promotions with Garcia’s WBC welterweight title on the line on September 12.
