‘Grudge match’ is a term often overused by eager promoters hoping to sell a fight to the public. “BLANK just insulted BLANK on Instagram Live! Can you believe it?!” However, even cursory look will show you that most of the time this is either a) the fighters in question taking a page out of the Conor McGregor promotional handbook, knowing that sh*t talking will amplify your public profile or b) the quote is taken out of context. For the most part, fighters tend to be respectful toward each other.
That said, the animosity between boxers Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn is anything but a PR stunt. Put simply, these guys do not like each other. One might even go so far as to say they despise each other. This makes the hotly anticipated rematch between the two on November 15, not just a grudge match, but an all-out war.
“You punch like a fairy,” Benn shouted at Eubank Jr. in a press conference in London just a few days ago. But unlike his opponent, Eubank Jr. is not a pugnacious sh*t talker; he sits composed and speaks calmly, like a samurai preparing for battle. It was a tactic that proved effective in their last fight earlier this year, as Eubank Jr. beat Benn via decision in one of the most exciting bouts in recent history.
But the fight itself was only half the battle. Eubank Jr. and his father, former boxer Eubank Sr., had not been on speaking terms for some time, and the biggest question leading into the fight was whether or not father and son would ever reconcile. After all, Conor Benn had his own father and former boxer and opponent of Eubank Sr., Nigel Benn, proudly standing at his side the whole time.
But like any good Hollywood story, on the night of the fight, cameras followed a black SUV pulling into the arena, and out stepped Sr. and Jr. together, side by side, father and son, and walked into the arena together. The cheers and tears were deafening.
And on November 15, 2025, Chris Eubank Jr. looks to beat Conor Benn for the second time as they go blow for blow at Tottenham Spur Stadium in London.
Having made Dubai his home just a little over a year ago, I meet Eubank Jr. at his hotel room at The Marylebone in London where he’s in the midst of cutting weight for Friday’s weigh in. Determined not to miss weight like he did in their last fight, Eubank Jr. was forced to give up 500k GBP (AED 2.4 mil) of his fight purse to his opponent as a penalty. Benn used this cash to buy a Rolls Royce, something he provocatively gloats about in every interview.
ESQUIRE: How do you feel going into the rematch? Do you feel that you have something to prove?
CHRIS EUBANK JR.: I don’t have anything to prove in this fight. Now, it’s just about how far I can take things in my career and in my life; what heights I can reach; how big a legacy I can create. That’s the only goal I have left in this sport.
ESQ: Do you think Conor Benn will make any drastic changes coming into this fight?
CEJ: In my experience, it’s very hard to make any drastic changes after only six months. But there will be tweaks. There will be new strategies about how to beat me. And they will try to follow this game plan, but I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen.
ESQ: Do you feel that winning the first fight gives you an edge this time around?
CEJ: As a fighter it’s your job to sense your opponents weaknesses. Sometimes when you are across from a man, you can just feel that he’s scared. But that works both ways, if you give away those senses to your opponent, that will give them courage and confidence to bring into the ring, so you can never give them that power. I’ve felt that many times in my career, where opponents were scared of me leading up to the fight, and this is one of those fights.
ESQ: How impactful was having your father accompany you on the night of your last fight?
CEJ: It was huge. It made the night. It was iconic, something that people will never forget. People came up to me the night of the fight or even just in the street in the following weeks and months telling me they haven’t spoken to their father in years, and they called him up that night of the fight. The impact of seeing a father and son going through tough times, but putting everything aside in the last minute to unite—that’s bigger than boxing. That really resonated with the people, and I’m really glad we were able to do that for the fans.
ESQ: Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, was recently exposed for lying about the ambulance drama after the last fight [on his way to the hospital, Eubank Jr.’s ambulance was blocked from leaving the premises for over twenty minutes, something Hearn claimed was a lie, only for it to be proven that Chris was, in fact, telling the truth]. How does that make you feel that any fighter could be blocked on their way to the hospital?
CEJ: Whoever is in charge of these events—promoters, managers, whoever—has a duty to their fighters to keep us safe. We are putting our lives on the line for them and for the fans, so to not be looked after when we need it most, to not have direct access to medical attention, as quickly as possible is an absolute disgrace. I was held up at Tottenham Hotspur stadium for 25 minutes trying to get to the hospital. Thankfully, it was just my toe that was injured, but it could have been much more severe, like a potential brain injury. People called me a liar, but I have no reason to lie. And it’s not just about me, it’s about every fighter. If it can happen to me it can happen to anybody. And I’m not blaming Eddie Hearn for this, but I’m just making a point that this sport is too dangerous to have any incompetence when it comes to the safety of fighters. It’s unacceptable and it can’t happen again.
ESQ: How important is sleep, and have you ever struggled with it?
CEJ: Sleep is vital. I can’t even put into words how important sleep is. If I didn’t get good sleep, I wouldn’t be the fighter I am. If I was restricted to only 3-4 hours a night, there’s no way I could’ve reached the heights I’ve attained in this sport. For me, 8-9 hours minimum. I’ve experimented with sleep—waking up early or late and training at different hours—but for this camp I’m waking up in the afternoons. So, going to sleep late and waking up late. For me, taking naps during training camp just wasn’t beneficial, as I found it hard to get back to sleep. But for performance, recovery and sanity, sleep is the most important thing. I cannot function without sleep.
ESQ: Having made Dubai/UAE your home, do you hope to fight there sometime in the future? And what do you make of Dana White’s new boxing federation?
ECJ: I would love to fight in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. I’ve fought in Saudi many times. Dubai is still on the way up in terms of boxing. As for Dana’s new federation, I don’t know much about it. Change is not welcomed in this sport, so it’s going to be tough for him to infiltrate a different sport, so we’ll see.
ESQ: There’s a rumour that you’ve caught the acting bug. Is there any truth to that?
CEJ: There is. I’ve always been passionate and in love with the art of acting. Recently, I had my first acting experience on Netflix’s The Gentlemen, which was amazing, because I loved the first season and the film. So to be a part of the second season is a privilege.
ESQ: In terms of fear or nerves, is there any crossover you feel in acting versus fighting?
CEJ: In the acting world, if you screw up, guess what? You can go again. Spending hours and hours on one scene until its absolutely perfect. But I’ve been brought up in a world where you have one shot for everything. When you’re at a press conference you have one chance to say the right thing, and if you don’t, you’ll get embarrassed and torn apart on social media and by the press. And in the ring, everything has to be perfect. One wrong move and that’s it. That is not the acting world. There’s a lot less pressure, which I actually enjoy.
