- Chris Eubank Jr was taken to hospital by ambulance for precautionary checks
- He beat bitter rival Conor Benn 116-112 on all three scorecards in a gruelling bout
- Eubank Jr suffered a cut above his right eye in the latter stages of the fight
Chris Eubank Jr has been taken to hospital by ambulance for precautionary checks after beating Conor Benn by unanimous decision in a punishing grudge match in London.
Benn has claimed that Eubank Jr suffered a broken jaw during their bout.
Eubank Jr’s post-fight press conference was cancelled and he also suffered a cut above his right eye after a clash of heads in the ninth round.
He won 116-112 on each scorecard as he inflicted a first career defeat on Benn, claiming bragging rights in their grudge match after a 30-month wait to clash.
Benn said afterwards: ‘I wish him well. I know he’s gone to the hospital. I’ve heard he’s got a broken jaw, so I wish him a speedy recovery. I also want to thank (Chris Eubank) Sr for turning up because this really is a family affair and it wouldn’t have been what it was without Sr there.’
Chris Eubank Sr, who beat Nigel Benn for the WBO Middleweight Championship in 1990, and retained his WBC Super-Middleweight crown with a draw in 1993, had expressed fears in the run-up to the fight about the safety of his son attempting to make weight.
Chris Eubank Jr has been taken to hospital for precautionary checks after beating Conor Benn
The 35-year-old was pushed all the way in a punishing 12-round contest, with his rival claiming he had suffered ‘broken jaw’
He managed to win 116-112 on all three scorecards, handing Benn a first career defeat
He failed the first weigh-in on Friday, being narrowly over the 160lb and slapped with a $500,000 (£375,000) fine as a result, before making weight for the strict 170lb cap for the fight-day weigh-in.
But he cut a dominant figure in the ring, landing 152 more punches than his opponent on his way to winning eight rounds.
There appeared to be a moment where he was out on his feet in the 12th round, sticking his head through the ropes, but he rallied back in a demanding last minute.
‘I knew I was capable of that, I just needed someone to bring that out of me. I’m not going to lie, I didn’t expect that he’d be the guy to do that,’ he said in the aftermath.
‘But the fact that our fathers did what they did all those years ago, it brings about a different soul and spirit into you, and that’s what we showed tonight.’
Eubank Jr celebrated with his father, the former middleweight champion, who shocked the boxing world by turning up to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to back his son.
The 58-year-old had threatened to boycott the fight due to safety fears, calling it ‘against the law of boxing,’ and branded his son ‘disgraceful’ for slapping his rival with an egg during a February press conference.
But catching up with Mail Sport at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he said: ‘I back my son no matter what. The egg thing he did? Very disappointed, but I forgave him instantly. And now, he always has to understand you always have to preach that this is not the way we behave as standardbearers, as noblemen.’
