After a bitter build-up, Chris Eubank Jr. (35-3, 25 KOs) claimed a unanimous-decision victory over Conor Benn (23-1, 14 KOs), with all three judges scoring the contest 116-112.
Family pride was on the line at the sold-out 65,000-seater Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the pair finally collided three years on from when they were first scheduled to meet. Benn failed two drug tests to see the initially planned date scrapped just two days out from the fight taking place.
Fathers Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn had a similarly bitter rivalry, which saw them collide twice in 1990 and 1993.
The bad blood was evident before the opening round as referee Victor Laughlin demanded that the two men touch gloves. Eubank Jr landed a left hook to start the opening round and was considerably larger than Benn. Eubank Jr‘s left jab found a home early as Benn looked uncontrolled and wild. However, Benn landed a right hand close to the end of the round, which Eubank Jr smiled at.
Benn calmed down to open the second round, landing his first decent jab with the left hand. Eubank Jr allowed Benn to take the rounds as his output dramatically dipped.
Eubank Jr ate a big right hand to start round three, appearing a little stunned as Benn’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, was on his feet screaming for more. Benn grew in confidence as the round continued, landing a left hook that continued to subdue his rival.
Eubank Jr landed a left hook to start the fourth as Benn missed with a wild right hook shortly after. Eubank Jr jabbed to the chest and followed up with a right-hand uppercut midway through the session. Benn landed a good body shot with a minute on the clock and continued a positive period with a right hand as the round closed, but Eubank Jr took it well.
Benn was on the canvas in the fifth but from a slip. Eubank Jr started to let his hands go after a slightly less active previous two rounds, landing a big right hand, but Benn responded with one of his own. Benn worked the body with a scowl on his face as Eubank Jr landed a solid left jab halfway through the round. As the fight set fire early, Eubank Jr landed a jab followed by another big right with a minute left. However, Benn would score a clean left hook 15 seconds later.
Both men came out swinging in the sixth. Benn landed a right hand as Eubank Jr landed a right hand of his own and narrowly missed the uppercut.  A stiff jab gave Benn something to consider, but he wouldn’t stop coming forward as his chin held up. Things got messy at times, as the referee did well to keep it clean. DAZN commentators Barry Jones and Darren Barker had it three rounds a piece.
Round seven saw another lively start, with Benn landing a right hand on the inside. Eubank Jr responded with a right uppercut, but Benn walked straight through it. Eubank Jr screwed in a right hand with a minute down shortly followed by another right hand. The round closed with both men landing a right to the head.
Round eight started with Benn glancing a combination. Eubank put a combination together, but Benn’s chin saw him ride the attack. Eubank Jr landed a left hook with a minute to play. Benn started to look a little vulnerable but would land a good shot to the body. Neither man took a backward step during a wild round as the rivals traded intensively.
Round nine saw another wild start as Benn got caught on the ropes as Eubank worked head and body. Eubank landed a left hand but Benn responded with a left hook to the body. Eubank Jr was cut above the left eye from a clash of heads, but it was his round as he let his hands go.
A right hand from Eubank Jr opened another wild round. Benn landed a left to the body as he continued to commit to every shot. Benn landed again to the body moments later and also landed a good right to the head to slow the incoming Eubank Jr down. The round closed with a Eubank Jr right hand, but Benn returned the favour.
Benn attempted a body shot combination to start the eleventh but missed. A wild and tired Benn was then caught with a smart left jab. Benn landed a body shot, but Eubank responded with a right hand. Eubank continued to press, landing two shots clean from a three-shot combination as both men kept swinging until the bell.
The twelfth and final round began with Eubank putting a spiteful combination together as he pressed Benn on the ropes. Benn held on as Eubank landed another right hand. A left hand appeared to hurt Benn as Eubank went for the late stoppage, landing another overhand left hand. Benn placed a left hook on the body to slow the onslaught.
Anthony Yarde vs. Lyndon Arthur 3
In the chief support, light heavyweight Anthony Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) scored a unanimous decision victory against Lyndon Arthur (24-3, 16 KOs) to claim the WBA intercontinental title. Â In a very close fight, the judges scored it at 115-13 and twice at 116-112.
The pair first collided in Westminster in December 2020, when Arthur picked up a split-decision victory. A rematch came a year later at the Copperbox Arena, with Yarde claiming redemption with a fourth-round knockout.
Both men sat in the pocket for large portions of the fight, but Arthur did find himself sitting on the ropes for large periods also. Yet, the Manchester man did have success landing left and right hooks with Yarde pressing. Yarde led with left hooks to set up the right hand as Arthur looked to tire in the later rounds. Neither man ever appeared that hurt in, at times, a scrappy affair.
More theatre surrounding the main event unfolded as the trilogy played out. Former Eubank Jr foe Billy Joe Saunders was denied access to the away team’s dressing room to inspect the hand wrapping. Eubank’s manager, Elliott Amoakoh, and Saunders exchanged verbal threats, with a member of Eubank Jr’s team claiming that a representative of Benn had already been inspecting the hand wrapping. It was tough to split the two men.
Liam Smith vs Aaron McKenna
Irish middleweight Aaron McKenna (20-0, 10 KOs) put in a career-best performance to claim a unanimous-decision victory over one-time world champion Liam Smith (33-5-1, 20 KOs) to claim a WBA regional title. The scorecards read 108-119, 108-118 and 109-117.
McKenna was given all ten rounds going into the eleventh by the DAZN broadcast team. The Irishman’s range advantage caused Smith constant problems all night. His shot selection, movement, and punch output was a pleasure to watch while not giving his opponent any sniff at glory. The early rounds were tentative as the pair tried to read each other. However, by the time the fifth round ended, McKenna was pulling away on the scorecards, trading when needed, and slipping and sliding out of the way of the majority of Smith’s attacks.
A left-handed body shot saw Smith slump to the canvas at the beginning of the twelfth and final round. The Liverpudlian begrudgingly rose to his feet on the count of 8. Admirably, Smith emptied his tank to see the final bell as McKenna’s creativity shone through until the final bell.
In a surprising turn of events, Chris Eubank arrived at the venue with Eubank Jr. During the build-up, Eubank had repeatedly stated that he was not happy with his son taking part in the main event, but it appears they fooled us all.
Viddal Riley vs. Cheavon Clarke
Viddal Riley (13-0, 7 KOs) secured the British cruiserweight title against North London rival Cheavon Clarke(10-2, 7 KOs) with a unanimous decision victory. The judges saw this one at 115-113, 116-112 and 117-11.
Not all the scorecards reflected how the London derby played out, with Riley generally controlling the 12-round contest. Riley’s fast hands had caused problems for Clarke in the opening round, with his right-hand landing regularly. Clarke’s counterpunching showed promise in the second round, but Riley had found his rhythm early, landing a smart left hook to the head in the third. However, Clarke would retaliate with a big right to finish the round. Riley’s foot movement made him elusive to Clarke’s obviously loaded-up attacks in the middle rounds. Riley was comfortable on the back foot as Clarke continued to press with little success, who also received a cut from a clash of heads in the eighth round.
Clarke looked ever more cumbersome as the fight went into the later rounds. Riley took firm control of the tenth, sticking to his tactics and working off the back foot. Clarke just couldn’t really connect with a usually dangerous right hand. That was until the dying moments of the bout, as Clarke shook him with a big power shot. However, it was too little too late as Riley gained some serious recognition with victory against the one-time Olympian.
Chris Billam-Smith vs. Brandon Glanton
Former cruiserweight world champion Chris Billam-Smith (21-2, 13 KOs) returned to winning ways with a unanimous decision against USA’s Brandon Glanton (20-3, 17 KOs). The judges scored the 12-round non-title fight at 116-113 and twice at 116-112.
Glanton appeared to be getting the better of Billam-Smith in the first half of the fight, backing his opponent up against the ropes to work the body. However, Billam-Smith caught Glanton’s attention in the sixth with a right hook to the temple. The Englishman took control of the rest of the round, a right uppercut being the highlight. Billam Smith took the incentive into the seventh, landing another right hook followed by another right uppercut. Glanton’s lack of head movement made it possible for Billam-Smith to land at will. Billam-Smith’s right to the body also swung the fight in his favour.
Glanton’s tactics to press Billam-Smith were met by the former world champion, forcing the fight to the center of the ring, resulting in him finding more rhythm and relying on his boxing skills rather than brawling in the eleventh and twelfth rounds.
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