Two years of drama, cancelled fights, and more dodgy headlines than actual punches thrown. Chris Eubank Jr vs. Conor Benn is finally happening—April 26 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, live on DAZN. First-ever Ring Magazine UK card. Big stage. Bigger egos.
And now Ricky Hatton’s thrown his hat in the ring with a prediction that’s bound to wind up Eubank’s lot.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Hatton tried to sound balanced—but you could see where this was going from a mile off. According to him, the fact that Conor Benn has never fought anyone near Eubank’s level doesn’t matter all that much. Why? Because apparently, belief and “drive” make up for getting iced by Liam Smith.
“A lot of people are favouring Eubank a little bit because let’s have it right, Conor has not boxed nowhere near the level of Chris or the people Chris has fought.”
Alright, fair enough. Eubank’s résumé is miles ahead. He’s been in with Groves, Saunders, Smith, and still walks around like he’s owed something. Benn? He’s been busy failing drug tests and shouting on social media.
But then Hatton took a sharp left turn into fantasyland:
“Chris will be boiling himself down a little bit. The last time he did boil himself down a little bit, he ended up stepping in with Liam Smith and got knocked out.”
Sure, mate. Ignore the fact Eubank came back and slapped Smith all over the ring in the rematch. But no, let’s hang onto the version of him that looked drained and confused instead. Great logic.
And then came the big twist:
“I, knowing Nigel like I do and Conor like I do… I think that might give him the edge. So I’m gonna go with Conor.”
Right. Because knowing his dad gives him an advantage now? Since when does being your father’s son mean you can magically beat someone who’s done way more in the ring?
Conor Benn’s entire comeback has been one long PR clean-up after the drug test disaster. No suspension. No admission. Just a load of press conferences and posturing. And now he gets the biggest fight of his life against someone who’s actually fought world-level opponents.
This isn’t Rocky. It’s not a fairy tale. Eubank might be insufferable, but he’s been in deep. Benn? He’s been nowhere near.
Hatton can believe in “self-belief” all he wants. But unless Benn’s cooking something again, he’ll need more than “drive” to survive against a seasoned middleweight.
