Promoter Eddie Hearn is convinced that Conor Benn’s performance on Saturday night in his 12-round unanimous decision loss to middleweight Chris Eubank Jr. has transformed him into a “superstar” in the UK. He says they need to think carefully about their next move because he believes Benn (23-1, 14 KOs) can win world titles at 147 and 154.

He doesn’t say who Benn could beat in those weight classes to become a champion, because he would be vulnerable against even the weakest link in both divisions. Benn looked good tonight, but that was against an old career British domestic-level fighter, Eubank Jr. If Benn had fought any of these middleweight champions, he wouldn’t have seen the 12th round:

– Janibek Alimkhanuly
– Erislandy Lara
– Carlos Adames

Hearn isn’t sure if Benn should take the rematch with Eubank Jr. because he took a lot of punishment tonight, and he’s worried that it could shorten his career. He lost the fight by the scores 116-112, 116-112, and 116-112 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Early in the fight, Benn enjoyed a brief three-round period of success, but when Eubank Jr. changed his style in the fourth, it was all downhill from that point on. Eubank Jr. won every round, seemingly sweeping the last nine rounds.

“For me, when the final bell went, everyone was looking around, ‘We got it. We got it,'” said promoter Eddie Hearn to the media at the post-fight press conference about his team believing that Conor Benn had done enough to defeat Chris Eubank Jr. on Saturday night in their fight in London.

No one on social media thought Benn came close to winning the fight. They’d have to be blind to the fight that took place for them to believe that Benn did enough to get the victory. The fight was 9-3 in favor of Eubank Jr. Benn should feel happy that the judges scored it 8-4 [116-112 x 3], because it was more one-sided than that.

“I thought the last two rounds could go either way, but when I heard the scorecards, I couldn’t even bother to moan because I was just so proud of him [Benn],” said Hearn. “It wasn’t like I didn’t think he could win, but I didn’t think he could stand and trade with a middleweight over 12 rounds.

The 11th and 12th were the most one-sided in the fight with Eubank Jr. overwhelming Benn with punches, and having him close to being knocked out. Hearn wasn’t seeing the fight clearly for him to think the last two rounds could have gone “either way.”

Round 11 punch stats

– Eubank Jr – 52 of 109 punches
– Benn – 30 of 86

Round 12 punch stats

– Eubank Jr – 57 of 122
– Benn – 29 of 78

“Superstar” Status

“I know the British public. In defeat, even, this kid has become a superstar,” said Hearn about Benn. “We have to think about what we’re going to do next because he showed tonight he’s a world class fighter, and he can win world titles at 147 or 154. We have a rematch up at 160, but this kid can become a superstar of the sport in this country.

“He could be filling arenas, filling stadiums. It’s not about just throwing him back in a war, trying to avenge a defeat in a weight class he probably shouldn’t be in. I think he can win a rematch, and I think it’s the biggest fight in Britain and one of the biggest in the world. We have to think carefully what we do because he’s been through an unbelievable amount,” said Hearn.