Chris Eubank Jr rejected recommendations to retire, including from his father, to take next month’s rematch with Conor Benn.
Eubank Jr outscored Benn, the son of Chris Eubank Sr’s great rival Nigel Benn, in a 12-round thriller in April.
They will rematch on November 15 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Eubank dismissed the idea that he should have retired after the first fight with Benn.
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“I’ve heard people suggest that, 36 years old, achieved so much, fight of the year, what more does he need to do? Maybe he should retire,” Eubank told Sky Sports.
“Why go through all that again? Because the truth is I don’t need to. Because if we’re talking about financial stability, I’m set for life. So I don’t need to be doing this anymore.”
But he insisted: “I still feel fresh. I still feel capable. I still have that hunger and that fire and that desire to get up to train every day, to better myself as a fighter, to perform in front of the fans. So retirement is just not in my mindset right now. You guys are going to be seeing me for a while.”
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Eubank Jr says he’s ‘fresh and hungry’ ahead of his rematch with Benn and gives his opponent credit for his performance in their first fight
Chris Eubank Sr, a legend in British boxing, repaired his rift with his son just before the first fight. He made an unexpected appearance at the stadium and memorably accompanied Junior on his ringwalk.
After the fight he has also advised his son to consider retirement.
“He had the conversation with me and I told him, ‘this is not the time, old man’. He retired at 32 so in his mind he can’t understand how I’m still doing what I’m doing at 36. So I get it. But he’s not me. He doesn’t feel what I feel in the gyms and in these rings,” Eubank Jr said.
He pointed to his strong finish in the first fight, when he had Benn under pressure in the 12th round.
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Shane McGuigan told the Toe-2-Toe podcast that trainer Brian ‘Bomac’ McIntyre won’t tolerate a poor Eubank Jr camp ahead of the rematch with Benn
“It’s still there. What fighters fight like that for 12 rounds?” he said. “Nobody throws that amount of punches in the 12th round, they don’t throw that amount of punches in the first round when they have all their energy. So I still have it. I’m still capable.”
Eubank Jr was hospitalised with dehydration after the first fight. He cited the rehydration clause in that fight as the reason for that, though the rematch will take place under the same conditions.
“When you are restricted in what you can and can’t eat after a weigh-in, that affects you on the fight night,” he said.
“After a weigh in you’re supposed to be able to replenish yourself as much as you can. I couldn’t do that. Because of that I felt the effects of it during the fight.”
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After the rematch between Eubank vs Been was announced, here’s a look back at how the first bout ended
Despite that Eubank maintained Benn wasn’t the hardest fight of his career.
“I knew exactly where I was, I knew exactly what I was doing. I was controlling that fight. It was tough for sure, but punishing, no. It was a dogfight,” he said.
“I’ve had tougher fights. The George Groves fight, I’m fighting a guy who’s 20lbs heavier, can punch like mule, got cut. That for me was a harder fight.
“I’ve had spars, they’re called doghouse spars, you just spar for as long as you can until somebody gives up. There’s no rounds, there’s no breaks, you keep going until somebody quits. Those are tough. I’ve had a few tough ones.
“I know what I’m capable of, I’ve been in those spots before. I don’t know if he ever has. He has now. But in terms of experience when it comes to getting into those hairy situations, experience is on my side for sure.”
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Speaking on Toe2Toe, Andy Scott and Andy Clarke look back at the iconic moment Eubank Jr and his father were reunited ahead of the fight against Benn
He feels he still has a score to settle with Benn.
“The guy went and celebrated more than I did. I was chilling. This guy was partying, he was going to America, he was front row at these events, taking pictures, signing autographs. I wasn’t doing any of that. You would have thought that he was the one that won,” Eubank Jr said of his rival.
“Delusional. But, hey, I guess as fighters sometimes you have to be delusional. That’s what enables you to reach those heights. You’ve got to be a bit crazy.”