Conor Benn looked unnerved and mentally intimidated today during his face-off with former IBO super middleweight champion Chris Eubank Jr. in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. The two met to promote their fight on April 26th that will be shown live on DAZN PPV. Eubank Jr looked like he was ready to swing if Benn got any ideas during their face-off and he wasn’t about to do anything. The size of Eubank Jr. seemed to sap the courage out of him.
Benn’s Silence
Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) didn’t have much to say during today’s press conference. He might as well have been a cardboard prop because it mainly Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn and Eubank Jr. (34-3, 25 KOs) going at it back and forth. Eubank Jr was talking circles around Hearn, labeling him a “weasel,” telling him he didn’t want to hear his “speech”, and informing him that it wasn’t his show.
Hearn probably would have let Benn speak for himself if he had anything to say, but he was pretty limited to making threats, so he couldn’t contribute to a good discussion. Eubank Jr. got Hearn wound up by telling him to pipe down.
That was like waving a red handkerchief in front of a bull. Hearn went into an angry child mode, saying ‘I won’t shut up,’ and just talking to prove that he wouldn’t follow Eubank Jr’s orders. The press conference needed a monitor that could control the discussion because Ade Oladipo was a completely useless person. He was there in body only. Next time, they need to find someone who can get a control over the discussion.
Eddie Hearn: “I’ll ask you this: Do you want to win this fight because what desire do you have in boxing now? What is this fight all about for you?”
Chris Eubank Jr: “This fight is everything for me. It’s career-defining, it’s ground-breaking. It means more to me than the money involved.”
Hearn: “That’s what I want to hear because I don’t believe it and I didn’t believe it.”
Eubank Jr: “That’s okay because you’re view is extremely irrelevant to me.”
Hearn: “I don’t know if you want it anymore.”
Eubank Jr: “It doesn’t matter what you do or don’t know. Who are you? I’m here to speak to Conor. Speak to him, taunt him, find out what’s inside his mind. Again, you said something absurd at the last press conference. You said this isn’t the Chris Eubank Jr. show. Whose show is it? Is it yours?”
Hearn: “No, but partly. It’s a partnership.”
Conor Benn: “Shut up. You’re an idiot. You fought for the IBO title at the leisure center. That’s your greatest accomplishment.”
Eubank Jr: “I won the IBO three times.”
Benn: “You know what? I turned it down. That ain’t a legitimate world title. It may be hard for you to hear. You’re an idiot.”
Hearn: “I hope you [Eubank Jr] want to win this fight badly. What I will say is I think the other day was a blessing in disguise.”
Eubank Jr: “You’re speaking for too long, Hearn. I don’t want to hear. Do you know how many times I’m going to say it. You’re not going to get your speech in. It doesn’t matter any way you weasel your way in, I’m not listening to your bull s***.”
Hearn: “You don’t have to listen.”
Eubank Jr: “I know I have to listen.”
Hearn: “You have to sit there.”
Eubank Jr: “No.”
Hearn: “Yes, you do.”
Eubank Jr: “I’m not sitting here and listening.”
Hearn: “You do anyway. The media is very important.”
