Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr Rubber Match Pitched at 168 Pounds
Promoter Keith Connolly wants a Benn-Eubank trilogy at super middleweight with stadium ambitions and Dana White's backing.
The ink on Conor Benn's second-round knockout loss to Ryan Garcia is barely dry, and his team is already pitching a trilogy with Chris Eubank Jr. at super middleweight.
Promoter Keith Connolly laid out the plan to Boxing News 24: Benn-Eubank III at 168 pounds in a stadium setting. "168 pounds, no excuses. The trilogy, another stadium fight, it'll sell out. It'll be a tremendous event," Connolly said. He positioned the fight with Dana White backing Benn's side and Eddie Hearn supporting Eubank, a promotional crossover that would add commercial firepower to a rivalry that has already produced two fights.
The timing has drawn scrutiny. Benn was stopped in two rounds by Garcia, a result that raises questions about whether jumping straight into a third fight with Eubank at a higher weight makes competitive sense. Boxing News 24 described the pitch as leaning on nostalgia, noting both fighters come from famous boxing families.
Eubank Jr. has had his own inconsistent run. Per the report, he has "drifted for years without winning a legitimate world title," which makes the trilogy less about championship implications and more about the commercial appeal of the family name and the rivalry itself.
The super middleweight division is stacked with genuine contenders. Whether Benn-Eubank III at 168 earns a stadium slot on merit or on name recognition alone is a fair debate. But the British boxing public has shown repeatedly that it will pay for this matchup, and in the end, that might be the only metric that matters to the people writing the checks.
Wembley and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have both been mentioned as potential venues. No date has been announced.
Benn gets knocked out in two rounds and the answer is a stadium trilogy at 168, a weight class he has no business in. I get why. Benn against Eubank Jr. sells out anywhere in England and Connolly knows it. But let's be honest about what this is: nostalgia for two famous last names, with Dana on one side and Hearn on the other to add promotional heat.
The competitive case is thin. Eubank has drifted for years without a real world title. Benn just got exposed by Garcia. Neither guy belongs anywhere near the top of a super middleweight division that is stacked with actual contenders. The story said it and I agree.
And yet I would watch it, because the rivalry is real and the crowds are wild. I just want the fight sold as what it is: a grudge match, not a championship event. If they call it that, fine. If they dress it up as meaningful, that is when I get annoyed.
