Conor Benn Opens Up On Negotiations With Chris Eubank Jr.: ‘His Ego Kept Getting In The Way’

Conor Benn says Chris Eubank Jr. was a tough person to deal with and was a reason why the fight took so long to get made.

Benn and Eubank Jr. are set to fight on October 8 at The O2 Arena in London in a catchweight bout set at 157 pounds. Throughout the process of making the fight, Benn was vocal in saying Eubank Jr. was hard to deal with but told his team to let him have whatever so the fight can be made.

“There were numerous things (delays caused by Eubank during negotiations),” Benn told BBC 5 Live Boxing (via BoxingScene). “His ego kept getting in the way. [Eubank wanted] ringwalk second, home corner, his name first on the bill, all of that. Everybody knows its Benn-Eubank, but anyway, we let him have Eubank-Benn. So we let him have all of that. We was arguing about all of that and I just, you know what, just let him have it all…my ego ain’t that big. If he feels like he needs all that, then that’s fine. Just give me an eighteen-foot ring and we’re good.”

Conor Benn usually fights at 147lbs so he will be moving up two weight classes for this bout, but there is a re-hydration clause in the contract. For Benn, he just wanted to make the fight as it’s a legacy fight for both men while their dads – Chris Eubank Sr. and Nigel Benn – were longtime rivals in the 1990’s with Eubank Sr. winning the first fight and the second fight being a draw.

Although he is looking to get one back for his dad, Benn says he’s just worried about himself but he is confident he will get his hand raised in a big way.

“We’re just different,” Benn said. “The apple don’t fall far from the tree. He’s exactly like his dad, and I’m exactly like mine. Our approach has been completely different in the pro game. He is what he is and I am what I am… I work extremely hard. I leave everything in the gym. I do as much as I can, I do the best I can. Why have I got to feel the pressure? I’ve done this too many times, I’ve entertained too many times for this to now just go, all of a sudden, it’s going to make me crumble.”

Who do you think will win, Conor Benn or Chris Eubank Jr.?