SportsCasting were proud to host a pre-Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn press-conference down in London last week and we were joined by ex-boxers Carl Froch, Tony Bellew and George Groves. They looked ahead to the fight, giving predictions, strong opinions and much more.
Read the full transcript below and also find the video. The fighters looked back on some of their own bouts, rivalled each other on the mic and most importantly gave a full analysis of the highly anticipated rematch.
Host: First of all, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for taking time out to come down to the SportsCasting preview of Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn, the rematch. You don’t need me to remind you just how enthralling the first match was, the narrative, the fathers, the history, and what a great performance they both put on. And now here we are with our three former champions: Carl Froch, Tony Bellew and George Groves. Thanks for joining us guys.
Q: Tony, being a man who had four rematches in his career, winning each one of them. How do you go into a rematch? How does it differ from the initial bout for you?
Bellew: All four rematches were with different opponents with very different styles. The first one was Ovill Mackenzie. Then it goes to Isaac Chilemba, then Nathan Cleverly and then David Haye. All different styles. Going into a rematch, the biggest part for me was studying the mistakes that they made, ’cause every fighter makes mistakes. Every fighter has telltale signs. And for me, going into the rematch with each one, I was well prepared for the telltale signs. Even if they changed mid fight. Because all fighters, you study them and study them and then you hit them for the first time and then they change into something completely different than you studied. But what you find in fights with the likes of David Haye and Nathan Cleverly, they can’t change too much. The other fighters I’ve faced like Isaac Chilemba basically ran. So I say, with a rematch, do your study and do your due diligence and it won’t be a problem.
Q: Let’s move on to you George Groves, a man who shared the ring with Chris Eubank Jr. Defeated him. He’s only 18 months younger than you, but here he is still plowing on, he’s talking about world championship fights next year. If this goes to plan against Conor Benn, does that surprise you about him and, and how do you see this fight playing out?
Groves: Yeah, I mean, Eubank Jr.’s done really well, I think I fought him seven years ago now. I retired not that long after, thinking I’d had enough, and he’s still here. He survived COVID, he survived being knocked out, coming back and just about surviving against Conor Benn if I think about it now. We’re all excited about the big fight next week, but after that fight was done, I was like, that was brilliant. Everything about that was perfect and the fight delivered. The build up was brilliant. The big reveal of Chris, did we think Chris Senior was coming? Yes. We all knew Chris Senior was coming. We were so excited when he climbed out of the Rolls Royce and the fight, lived up to it and it went to and fro, and Eubank won and deserved to win and he got the nod. I thought, is he gonna have enough about him now to say, let me go out on this mega high, this ultimate high. I’ve beaten my new nemesis on the biggest stage. He hasn’t. He’s gone back. He wants to do it again, and now maybe it might come unstuck, but maybe then maybe not. Maybe 1-1 means we, we get a third and we’re all happy, you know? But I’m not sure he’s made the right decision in taking this rematch, to be honest.
Q: Carl, a man who loves to go against the grain. Benn goes against the grain in his own way, so does Chris Eubank Jr. Who’s, who are you picking for this and how do you envisage it playing out?
Froch: I mean, it is interesting what George said there. Because the first fight was great. It had everything, the buildup and then Senior climbing out Rolls Royce. I mean, when I saw Senior, I kind of knew the way it was coming.
Groves: You didn’t know it was coming.
Froch: I didn’t know know.
Groves: You didn’t know.
Froch: We kind of all knew, didn’t we? You didn’t know that right hand was coming did you? But listen, the first fight was good, it delivered in terms of the level of the fight. None of the world champions in that weight division of 160 are gonna be worried about either of them too, let’s be honest. But the first fight delivered because it was exciting, it was watchable. It ebbed, it flowed. The right man got his hand held, can you do the same again in the rematch at 36, getting on for 37. So, I think that would’ve taken a bit out of him. If he gets clipped early, he really had to work hard and dig deep in the last three or four rounds and that takes a little bit out of you at that age. When you are younger, you grow from it, you learn from it, you come back a bit stronger, but when you’re older it takes a bit out of you. And, Conor Benn’s getting better. He’s improving. He will learn a lot from that first fight. So this fight for me is a lot closer. Conor can catch him and calm him down a little bit on the outside and not rush. He was rushing his work and all his head movement and little short steps and all this on the outside, unnecessary energy getting wasted for the 12th round. If he could just calm that down a little bit, and he’s got Tony Simms in his ear just to settle him down in the sparring. I think it could be a different decision on this one. I sort of fancy Conor Benn. You’ve got to make Eubank the favorite ’cause he’s bigger and is naturally bigger and usually someone bigger will beat someone littler and all that. In this case, I don’t know, it is a close one.
It might be a bit controversial to say this. I don’t think it’s a fight that needs to happen. I think we’ve seen it. We’ve seen the fight. It was great. The right man won. You kind of put it to bed. No world titles. They’ve both got lost on the records. What’s at stake? Nothing. The guys are just doing it for a load of money. Listen, they all wanna get paid. But as a boxing purist, when I watched Naseem Hamad fight Kevin Kelley, and he got dropped, my heart was pounding. I was nervous and I didn’t want my hero to get beat. Some of these fights that you see now, it’s just all about the money and it takes it away from me.
Bellew: Have you seen a fight that was that good last year or this year?
Froch: No. Listen, it was a great fight.
Bellew: Well why not see it again? It’s like saying, why don’t Micky Ward Vs Arturo Gatti keep fighting. The fight was great and we want to see it again.
Froch: Yeah, but that’s a different level.
Bellew: No it’s not.
Froch: It is because Micky Ward and Arturo Gatti were far more superior to this fight.
Bellew: No, Micky Ward is not at a superior level, not in his career.
Froch: Look at what he did to Gatti.
Bellew: Look, Micky Ward’s career, he was a journeyman at one stage.
Froch: Yeah. But journeymen come and go and become World champions.
Bellew: Micky Ward was a full blown journeyman at one stage in his career. A full blown journeyman. He’s got so many losses on his record. Micky Ward became a living legend by what he’d done with Arturo Gatti. Before Arturo Gatti. He was not a legend.
Froch: That’s a good story, mate. Thanks for that.
Q: Tony, you were skeptical about how much the weight cut affected Chris Eubank Jr. in the first fight, he had to go to the hospital to be rehydrated. How do you see it playing out this time?
Bellew: I’m not skeptical. He’s a world champion at that weight division. There’s no two ways about it, why are you the World champion at a weight you can’t make? Now, I don’t class that belt as a world title, I think there’s more valuable belts in Matalan on Next. But at the end of the day, on paper, he’s the IBO middleweight champion of the world. You can’t claim you’re the champion of the world and then say I’m no good at this weight. It doesn’t make any sense. It’s like Carl coming out and saying when he was super middleweight champion, I’m no good at 12 stone. It’s ridiculous.
Froch: I don’t think Chris is a super middleweight either. He is not big enough for 168. So he’s got to say that he is a 165.
Bellew: He’s not even a big middleweight.
Froch: So I think he’s making a lot of being 160 and doing the weight drain because it’s kind of a get out clause. Listen, you could do one 160. It is hard for you to do, but have a look at what your dad used to do to make weight, starving himself for a week and sitting in saunas and sucking on little frozen peas. Fighters do that. I’m fortunate enough, I always do weight quite well. I was always very, I’d say professional, but a lot of these fighters are professionals and still struggle with the weight, it’s just natural to put weight on. Chris is a middleweight. He is not a big middleweight, but he’s a middleweight.
Groves: I think he’s tired of the weight. I think it’s not easy. Some guys can fluctuate in weight and some guys can’t, you know, and I don’t think he’s a guy who can fluctuate in weight. He can’t go heavy. I don’t think he can get light. He looks fragile. Eubank will post his sweating out videos, which we all do but we’re not allowed to do. But Eubank will do it.
Bellew: There’s UFC fights that do far worse than them and you lose more weight overnight. You’ve got UFC fights that lose 20 pounds overnight and it happens on a regular basis, and then they fight the next day. It all depends on how you make weight. These fighters now, which I didn’t do when I was fighting, they use water and hydration to lose huge amounts of weight. I’ve watched it, witnessed their former fighters, gym mates like Jamie McDonald. I watched him drink nine liters of water and then shed 10 pounds overnight. I didn’t agree with it, but I watched them do it and I was like, why the f*ck are you doing this to your body? You’re gonna get hurt. And it was just their way of making weight. Some of them were tight, some of them went, but in no way, shape or form is Chris Eubank dead at the weight. He’s the world champion at that weight. This kid’s moving off from welterweight to middleweight and I think weight is only a factor for one person in this fight.
Q: Do we have anyone here that thinks Chris Eubank Jr. is gonna win this rematch?
Froch: Yeah, I think it’s close. Chris Eubank Jr. just may get his handheld, he may get the victory. I don’t think he stops Conor Benn. Think Conor Benn’s fitness and toughness and what he learned from the first fight and the fact that he’s got youth on his side, he’s 29 years old. 28, 29. I just think that he’ll be okay unless he gets caught flushed with more than one shot. I just can’t see it happening. But I don’t think you can just pick an out, an out winner and give a full like convicted reasoning why Conor Benn wins.
Bellew: The Bookies have Eubank favourite. I understand why, because it’ll be purely based on the last result. But you’ll also have to look and take into consideration what Carl said earlier, he’s 37, the size, but ultimately to recover from fights like they just went through and believe you me, that was a war, you can’t have more than three of them in your career. Because after you have three of them, it starts to show the signs, the telltale signs today, whether it’s slurred speech, whether it’s your reflexes start coming out the joint, you know you’re getting caught. More and more people do show now, with the turnaround speed of this fight, it will benefit Conor Benn more. The younger man will be the fresher one. The younger man will be, I don’t want to put him as the favorite, but I just think the older man and the heavy man will come stronger later on in the fight. In my opinion, I think he learns more from the last fight, Conor Benn, and I think this time, he possibly does get rid of him. He had him out on his feet two or three times and he just didn’t have it in him to press him. When I spoke to him before the fight, I kept saying to him, Conor, it’s gonna get hard.
And he said, Tony, I’m so fit, I can do 20 rounds on a seven, eight. Trust me, at some point in this fight you are going to tire. And he wouldn’t have it. He would not have it. And said to him, you don’t understand, what you do in the gym is different to what goes on in life. And that was his first fight under the lights on a huge occasion. I know he’s had big fights in the past, but this was one of huge magnitude ones that we’ve all shared here and the difference to normal fights. Now, the difference to title fights, the difference to anything he’s ever experienced before. It’ll stand him in good stead what he’s gone through, but he’s still got it all to do.
Q: George, you were an underdog against Chris Eubank. You overcame that. Do you think that will play into Conor Benn’s hands in any way?
Groves: I think they’re both very strong mentally. They just deal and cope and the position that they’ve been in. To walk into a stadium and perform the way both of them did, would’ve shown they’re mentally tough. But I think Tony’s right that Conor Benn, it was his first big fight, so maybe a little bit of an experience there for him. It’s very hard to know the first time you’re doing something and would’ve been the same for Eubank, I’m sure. And the pressure was on and you had a lot of things in the buildup that didn’t go his way, you know, fine after fine. Uh, which some sure bothered him and failing the weight in the end. There was that fine said to have been imposed on him, but that would’ve haunted me the night before the fight. Half million dollars or pounds or whatever it was. I think time will catch up with Eubank, but I think he is tired. And the weight, he fought me at super middleweight and then moved down and that was seven years ago.
Froch: Did that feel like he was in against someone who’s not super middleweight?
Groves: I felt I was bigger than him and I knew I was heavier than him on the night.
Bellew: George was a big super middleweight.
Groves: Yeah, so I mean, there’s some fighters that can cut and then they put the weight back on and some fighters probably don’t cut as much and don’t hold as much but I’m pretty sure he’s tightened up, the one thing that I think throws a caveat in, is that he’s with Brian McIntyre this time and he’s had success with him before, so we might see something different, the different coach in the corner, maybe even the prep has been different and therefore the weight making might be slightly different and he might be a little bit fresher than I assume he’s gonna be on fight night, but I think it’s gonna be tough for him and if Conor Benn gets his tactics right. He wasted a lot of energy in the first fight, he’s got that sort of style where its big, dynamic movements, big steps, he caught Eubank Jr in the second round but then for me, he didn’t really get anything off on him after that, there’s some basic fundamentals Conor Benn needs to employ to be in with a real chance against Eubank. If he can do them, then he’s in with a real shot. But I do think he’s in with a real shot, I think he might get it and I think if it becomes a, who wants it most and maybe Conor Benn wants it most.
Q: Let’s talk a little bit about the hype and the anticipation, because for the first match, it felt like, obviously with the egg slap and, and all the drama. It was building up to a massive crescendo. Have we not quite had that much this time call? How do you think it will ramp up next week?
Froch: I think if it wasn’t a fight fan, I wouldn’t know this fight’s happening to answer that, because the first one, you couldn’t miss it every time you put social media on, somebody was talking about it and now it’s like next week and I dunno about you, but I’m not seeing it anywhere. Maybe I’m missing something, but it hasn’t got that feel that the first one had. And that’s why I said earlier, we’ve been here, seen it, done it now. And Tony would argue and say it was a great fight. Why wouldn’t we want to see it again? Of course we’ll see it again, but there is not as much at stake. The only thing that was at stake was the name and the legacy. Chris Eubank Jr secured that by beating him and that’s done now, I’d like to see Conor Benn move on with his career at his correct weight. This is a guy that’s coming up, he’s given away all the advantages in terms of size. It would be nice to see Conor move on, but he’s gonna earn a few quid now, we’re prize fighters so we wanna earn money so he is maximizing the money before he moves back down to the weight he should be at. And Chris Eubank Jr I dare say, will probably retire after this, win or lose, unless it’s that good that he wins and then we get the trilogy. God help us.
Q: I think all the emotion is out of this fight. It can’t be the same one that it was. They all cuddled in the ring afterwards. Does that make it more of a straight boxing fight now? And surely when you look at the records, what they’ve done and against who, Chris has actually changed a little bit. He was a pressure fighter. Then he sort of tried Roy Jones boxing, surely in a straight boxing match without all the emotion and the egg slapping and the insults, Eubank should win?
Groves: That’s a great point, in terms of the emotion that was involved in the first fight. And is Eubank still trying to pick fights? and is that part of it? because he posted this week that Eddie Hearn prevented him from getting to the hospital and whether that was the stadium’s fault, or it was Eddie Hearns. But maybe he’s trying to create a bit of buzz for this. Maybe he’s still emotionally invested, but it felt like it did come to an emotional end last time because they had it out, they left it in the ring and maybe if you’ve taken emotion out of it, maybe that’s not in Eubank’s favor.
Froch: Well, that’s why I said we don’t need the rematch. Obviously it was a great fight. It was watchable, I enjoyed it. You see two guys, none of them quit. Both put it all on the line and Eubank just finished a bit stronger than Conor Benn was able to, and I think the weight got hold of him, as Tony pointed out again, the bigger guy down the stretch, as long as he hadn’t done his bollocks on the scales, he can finish a bit more comfortably, stronger, and bigger because he’s naturally bigger. So, we’ve seen it all and you’re right, the emotion is taken out of it. Both guys still want to win, there’s still pride on the line, no one wants to get in the ring and lose, nobody’s turning up to get beat, Chris Eubank Jr doesn’t want to lose to Conor Benn because that then sort of cancels out the first win. So he’s gonna wanna win, he is gonna be prepared to die in the ring doing that. He’ll just go hell for leather and get his head down and swing away and he’ll take whatever he needs to take. And Conor Benn is young, quite naive and still learning, they haven’t got an amateur experience, so they’re in there making fundamental mistakes, overreaching and standing out in the ring or missing more shots than they’re landing and getting caught with shots they shouldn’t be getting caught with and putting the weight over the front foot, making all sorts of mistakes, but they’re both making the same mistakes and no one’s holding, and then they’re engaging and they’re hitting each other. It becomes a great spectacle. So I dare say it’s gonna be a good fight again, but yeah, with the emotion being out of it, is that gonna affect it in a negative or positive way? We don’t know. Eubanks probably going to try and box on his back foot and try not to get hit as much as in that first one. He’s got the first win and now he can try to dominate behind his jab, try and be on his back foot. And I think he’s probably the more skillful fighter. I’ve sparred a lot of rounds with Chris Eubank Jr and he is quite talented with that lack of amateur experience, what he’s done, what he can do in there, I quite admire him for what he can do, what ability is there.
And Conor Benn, obviously I’ve never shared the ring with him, but I’ve seen what he does and he’s got a big heart. He’s solid, he means business and he believes in himself and he’s got a good team around him. So they’re quite evenly matched, but the bigger Eubank, I think he’s got the advantage because of the size. But then he’s got the disadvantage because of his age and that first fight would’ve taken a lot out of him. And I don’t think we can see that kind of energy and drive and that kind of performance out of Eubank again and that could be the difference if he doesn’t get clipped, don’t forget, he got absolutely L sparkoed by Liam Smith, battered. He didn’t get rendered unconscious, but he was in a bad way. And that was largely down to what George said earlier, which Tony will argue. He was down in weight. Was that at 160? Yeah, it was at 160 and he’s 37 now, still doing 160 and everybody struggles at the weight. I mean, I didn’t really particularly struggle with weight, but he will be taking weight off and he will be trying to get down. But he’s not a super middleweight, he’s a middleweight. Get on with it, it’s pro boxing, it’s what we do, we struggle at the weight, we starve for a week. We don’t have much to drink, we’re running on empty when we’re standing on them scales, we’re like a boiled chicken, there’s nothing there. And then you’ve got 30 hours to try and rehydrate and refuel and get a bit of energy, try to feel normal again, and then you’ve got one fight, twelve rounds, thirty six minutes. It’s hard work, but it’s hard work for everybody. But it favors the younger man in the rematch. So it’s still a pick and fight and I’ve now got Conor Benn as a slight favorite, just based on the first fight, how it went and I like Conor Benn as well. I think Eubank Jr can be a bit of a prick, a bit of an obnoxious prick, you’ve all seen it.
Bellew: To come from where they come from. It’s remarkable where they’ve got. You have to understand these two kids are born in f**king silk pyjamas, I come from the streets mate, and Froch, he’s come from f*** all, and not sure on George’s background, but he was with me on England squads, and we were fighting for nothing. Going round the world fighting against people in places you couldn’t imagine.
Froch: Good days though and it builds that resilience.
Bellew: Understand these kids have been given their whole life in front of them and said, you don’t need to do this, you don’t need to do that. And to get to the levels, they’ve got to commend them both, absolute animals, the pair of them. I have so much admiration for them because, people can think, I don’t like Eubank and all that, I don’t really give a sh** what people think, but what I’ll tell you is I’ve got huge admiration for both of them, massive, because I couldn’t do what I did, if I didn’t come from what I come from, I’m a product of my environment and them two are the total opposite and I have to admire that.
Froch: I agree with that. But put it into a boxing perspective. Chris Eubank Jr’s best win is Conor Benn and he’s a guy that’s smaller than him Conor Benn’s done nothing, he’s still got his career to have. So, these two guys meant for a great fight.
Bellew: We’ve just gotta be brutally and totally honest, they both had world title fights on the line and they both chose to face each other, but I don’t blame them because they were getting 10 times the amount to face each other than they were to fight for the world title and being in the business and knowing it and having been to the highest levels and earning stupid amounts of money, you get it. F***ing fight each other the many times you can and get as much as you can because when it’s over, no one gives a sh**. No one cares. And that is the most money you get. Get as much as you can, as fast as you can. And if that means missing out on a world title, then so be it. Because let me tell you, when you look back on the f***ing HMRC or the gas man at your door, he’s not gonna go, it’s all right you won that WBC title fucking 10 years ago I can let the gas bill go this month. He’s going to go “I don’t give a shit about that title, I want f***ing paying.” And that’s the difference, you want to make as much as you can, as fast as you can. I commend them both.
Froch: Well, Conor Benn did say that win or lose this fight. He’s dropping back down to 147. He’s gonna concentrate on his career. So he’s gonna drop down to his weight division. What’s that, welterweight, So he’s going back to his proper weight, but he said I’m not having a rematch with Eubank, which I thought was interesting, because again, if the money’s in it and it’s a great fight he’ll take the rematch.
Bellew: If he beats him, it doesn’t matter what he says, the money will be that huge. He will be facing him again, I don’t care what he said. If he wins and it’s one – one, the money’s astronomical and the people around him and his fathers a bright man mate, don’t let his father fool you, they will straight away be going, you are going into a third fight, Because this is gonna pay 10 times more than that world title fight and that’s just common sense, not rocket science. It’s just common sense.
Q: Speaking of fighting for money, Carl, has a certain Jake Paul been on the line recently?
Froch: No Jake Paul unfortunately, no easy paydays for the Cobra, no. I dunno what he’s doing, we shouldn’t really be bringing him more coverage, it’s a clown show. I suppose it’s relative in his fights off, but is it back on? Do we know? I thought they were looking for a replacement opponent. Have we found anyone, have we seen any news of who Jake Paul’s replacement is?
Bellew: I read something on social media that it was you and I thought I ain’t messaging him, he’ll message me if it’s true.
Froch: What for some sparring?
Bellew: You’re f***ing joking, aren’t you?
Groves: You two should have a scrap and the winner fights Jake Paul.
Froch: Final eliminator, if you’re calling it you’ve gotta be in the mix, what’s the weight going to be at that’s the interesting point.
Bellew: I would be done for GBH.
Q: Against Jake Paul or Froch?
Bellew: Don’t push your luck, Don’t poke the bear.
Froch: Yeah, we need a bit more on that. Who are you getting GBH on?
Bellew: Whoever f***ing gets near me mate.
Froch: So if I came near you you’d get GBH? Mate you’d be f***ed, you’d be unconscious.
Bellew: Carl you couldn’t knock a w*** out if we were in the same room.
Froch: The speed ain’t there no more. I’ve still got the speed.
— END —
