Conor Benn vs. Chris Eubank Jr (My Prediction)
Based on my observations, Conor Benn could win this fight via decision; I don’t think Chris Eubank Jr will allow himself to get knocked out in this fight, a knockdown is possible on either side, as I assume Conor Benn will come out swinging because he’s not only small guy in this fight, he’s shorter, and by a percentage basis Chris Eubank Jr at a higher weight class has a higher knockout percentage.
The more I look at Chris Eubank Jr, the more he reminds me of Roy Jones Jr., who was a special fighter whose style I don’t believe could ever be EFFECTIVELY duplicated. To have 1/4 Roy Jones Jr. Career would be an achievement, but Roy Jones in his PRIME was just to quick, and we’re not talking about simply quick with his hands, he was light on his feet, he was NEVER chinny, the only reason Roy Jones Jr. got knocked out was that he really should have never fought higher than super middleweight.
Roy Jones, at 168 pounds(12 stone), should have been where he stopped, as Roy Jones aged, you saw all the flab in his body fighting at light heavyweight(175lbs); all of Roy Jones’s losses came at Lightweight and cruiserweight(200lbs), weight classes Jones Jr.s had NO BUSINESS fighting in, in the first place.
I bring this up because Roy Jones was a super-athlete; he could have easily done what GGG did and played it safe; Jones could have owned 160 and 168 his entire career, but he was so good he fought above his weight class. With Chris Eubank Jr, I don’t see any of that. Chris Eubank Jr in my opinion, is a warrior, but I don’t see much skill, as Chris Eubank Jr has the personality of a know it all.
I used to observe Amir Khan in his prime, and my complaint with him is that he appeared to throw his training out the window when he was in a boxing match. Amir Khan, similar to Chris Eubank Jr., will follow the game plan for a few rounds, and then they do what they want to do, which is okay but puts you as a fighter in a bad position when you’re fighting a skilled fighter who will stick with the game plan.
Liam Williams was able to land on Chris Eubank Jr, and to most observers, Chris Eubank Jr looked like a poor mans, Roy Jones. Roy Jones, early on in his career was fundamentally sound, his dad trained him well, BUT… Because Roy Jones used to beat his opposition so easily, Roy Jones developed A LOT of bad habits, which caught up to him in his LATE 30s. When Tarver knocked out Roy Jones, it revolved around Jone’s BAD habit of NOT blocking punches.
Imagine a smaller guy not blocking punches and being hit by a bigger, stronger Tarver with a REACH advantage. So when I see Chris Eubank Jr mirroring the Roy Jones style, for me, it looks like a disaster waiting to happen.
On the flip side, there’s Conor Benn; now, I’m not going to lie, when I see what Conor Benn is attempting to do, what comes to my mind is Kell Brook vs GGG. But then I have to smack myself and remember that Chris Eubank Jr is no triple GGG. In fact, I think GGG would make it a short night if he fought Chris Eubank Jr.
With that said I do think ONE shot from Chris Eubank Jr could change the fight. Knockouts aside, it’s the Conor Benn defense that intrigues me in this fight, if I’m to be honest, Conor Benn probably didn’t need the weight drain. I think Conor Benn could beat Eubank at 160, and the reason I think believe this is Conor Benn can SLIP punches and counterpunch.
My issue with Conor Benn is that he’s so small, I’m not even sure he’s really 5ft8; he looks like he’s a tall 5ft7. If you watch the Conor Benn fight with Chris Algieri, what you’ll notice is DISCIPLINE! Chris Algieri is a smart fighter and what BROKE him in their fight was that Conor Benn was CONSISTENT with his game plan.
Veterans like to break their younger opponents, who will usually panic when things aren’t going as planned. Conor Benn in their fight, looked disciplined and you’ll notice at times that Chris Algieri was landing and was timing his punches very well; what went wrong for Chris is that Conor Benn appeared determined to stick with the game plan.
When Chris Algieri gets knocked out, it looked like MENTAL fatigue to me. But what was IMPRESSIVE was the ability of Conor Benn to slip punches, which when Conor Benn starts landing on Chris Eubank Jr. will be interesting to observe because I imagine when Conor Benn lands on Eubank and Eubank is hitting hot air, this will feel a wee bit embarrassing for Eubank.
One of the most annoying things I imagine as a fighter is to swing and miss your target because now you might start doubting yourself. With Roy Jones, he wasn’t only fast; he was ACCURATE, a trait I don’t see with Eubank.
So in closing, my prediction is Eubank by Knockout or Conor Benn by UNANIMOUS decision!