Conor Benn Slams Chris Eubank Jr. For Fighting Welterweight: A Hypocritical Attack?

Conor Benn slammed Chris Eubank Jr. in an interview for him fighting a welterweight rather than someone from his weight class at 160 or 168. Benn (23-1, 14 KOs) sees that as a weakness on Eubank Jr’s part.

Eubank Jr.’s Massive Fight Paydays

Obviously, Eubank Jr. (35-3, 25 KOs) is fighting Benn, 28, for the giant paydays. His purse for the first fight with Conor was $12 million, and he’s expected to make a similar amount for their rematch on September 20th. There’s no one at 160 that Eubank Jr. can fight who is popular enough for him to get the same kind of dough.

“Do I respect him that much? No. Why’s he fighting a welterweight? Why not fight someone your own weight?” said Conor Benn to iFL TV about Chris Eubank Jr. “Because he’s scared to. He’d rather fight a welterweight that he thought was going to be an easy fight. Imagine me fighting a lightweight.”

Benn’s Hypocrisy: Tank Davis Call-Out

Conor Benn is forgetting that he’d called out lightweight Gervonta Davis in early 2024 after his win over Peter Dobson. He wanted the fight with the smaller WBA 135-pounder Tank Davis. For Conor to be trashing Eubank Jr. for fighting a welterweight makes him a hypocrite. It’s okay for Benn to try and fight an opponent two divisions below him, but not for Eubank Jr.

The reality is that neither fighter possesses the talent to fight the top dogs in their respective weight classes. Eubank Jr. cannot compete with the top 160 and 168-pounders. You can’t put him in with Janibek Alimkhanuly, Erislandy Lara, Carlos Adames, or Canelo Alvarez and expect him to win. He’s domestic-level. Eubank Jr. and Benn are just two spoiled children of talented ex-world champions. In a nutshell, that’s all they are.

Benn can’t compete with top welterweights like Brian Norman Jr., Shakhram Giyasov, or Eimantas Stanionis without getting knocked out. Indeed, those fighters would likely do a better job beating Conor than the 35-year-old Eubank Jr. because they’re top 5-level welterweights. Eubank Jr. isn’t a true top 15 fighter.

Weight Cut Hell: Eubank Jr.’s Rehydration Clause

“He’s an idiot that needs 13 weeks to get ready for a welterweight, and I’m ready to fight him this weekend.”

Eubank Jr. needs time to cut weight because he’s got to drain down to make the 160-lb limit and then deal with the brutal 10-lb rehydration clause that he should have never agreed to in the first place. That was foolishness on his part to accept that as part of the contract—pure wackiness.