Conor Benn reveals his demand for an 18-foot ring ahead of his fight with Chris Eubank Jr
The latest chapter of the Benn-Eubank family feud is set to be written this Saturday when Conor Benn takes on Chris Eubank Jr.
Over 30 years after their father’s rematch, the rivalry is set to be reignited in arguably the most anticipated fight of the year.
Ahead of the fight with Chris Eubank Jr, Conor Benn revealed his only demand in an interview with Sky Sports.
“The only thing I asked for in my contract was an 18-foot ring,” Conor Benn said.
“Coming in there to steamroll him? Of course I am. You think I’m coming in there to muck about? That’s just how I am.”
“If you think you’re faster than me, prove it. You think you’re stronger than me, prove it. You think you’re smarter than me, prove it,” Benn said.
“Come meet me in the middle.”
Smaller ring encourages a ‘tear-up’, says Eddie Hearn
The promoter of Conor Benn, Eddie Hearn, told Sky Sports that he feels the smaller ring suits his fighter, and he expects Benn to stop Eubank Jr.
“It’ll be a nice small ring to have a tear-up in,” said Hearn.
“It might suit Eubank.
“He may decide to stand and have a shootout.”
Hearn also said:
“Conor can box, by the way, he’s got great legs and his movement’s very good. It’s not like he just comes forward.
“That’s the thing that I think will give Eubank fits, is Conor’s movement, the way he dips down, comes in.
“It’s horrible, stuck against the ropes, boom, boom, it’s the speed of it.
“There are very few fighters that are as sharp as Conor Benn early in a fight like that.
“Conor tries to end the fight in the first round; that’s why he’s so exciting.
“If he (Eubank) decides to stand and trade, it’s all over in three rounds, one way or the other. It will be the British Hagler-Hearns. That’s what it’ll be.”
‘Size’ is the only reason this fight is close, says Hearn
A lot has been made about the weights of both fighters in the build-up to the bout.
Conor Benn typically fights at welterweight, which is contested at 147 lbs. Chris Eubank Jr, on the other hand, is a middleweight (160 lbs) who has competed as high as super-middleweight, which is 168 lbs.
Benn is jumping up two weight classes for this fight to middleweight to fight his rival, but a re-hydration clause has been implemented to prevent either man weighing more than 170 lbs on fight night.
Eddie Hearn said that the fact Eubank Jr is naturally the bigger man is the only reason this fight is a “50-50”.
“Pound for pound, it isn’t even close, this fight. But it’s the size that makes it a 50-50 fight. That’s the problem for us in this fight. But we accept the problem, we’ve trained for the problem, and we’ll overcome the problem on Saturday.” Hearn said.
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