Nigel Benn didnt blink when asked if son should | Boxing News

Nigel Benn didn’t hesitate to say that his son, Conor, will face Chris Eubank Jr in a rematch. The two rivals ended three years of dangerous blood with a brutal back-and-forth conflict on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night time, with Eubank Jr. given the nod by all three judges by a rating of 116-112.

While each boxers agreed to a rematch clause earlier than the combat, Benn, 28, was fast to demand a probability to avenge his first profession defeat after the bout. Twelve punishing rounds could have taken its toll for now, however within the aftermath, Nigel was additionally drawing up plans for his son to face Eubank Jr, 35, as soon as again.

“I thought he did really well,” Benn Snr said of his son. “He learnt a lot from this and will come back stronger. He was working too much on the ropes, he should have been off the ropes.

“We’re not taking anything away from Chris, it’s his night. We can handle defeat gracefully. We’ll go back to the drawing board.”

However, with welterweight Benn bulking up for the middleweight showdown, Nigel stated the rematch should occur quickly so Benn can return to his former weight.

“You can’t go to 160, then drop down to 147, then come back up to 160,” he said. “Stay at 160, have the rematch, and then come back down to your weight. Then we’ll be happy.”

Benn himself was in a reflective temper following the defeat, after the unique conflict between the rivals was scrapped after he failed a drug check.

“14 months out the ring played a factor,” he said. “Inactivity, apart from that I felt like it was a close fight, I’m not going to say I think I won it, I’ll watch it back. I thought it was close. I maybe stayed on the ropes too long. I enjoyed it.

“It’s a hard one to swallow. I didn’t come into the fight thinking it would be that close, I didn’t come in to lose or for anything apart from winning. I want my revenge.”

However, it has been claimed that Eubank Jr and Benn could fight again in just five months’ time. Saudi Arabia boxing boss Turki Alalshikh revealed he has already earmarked a date and venue for the follow-up.

“If they’re not injured and ready, we want the rematch in late September at Tottenham,” he said. “The British fans were amazing, and I thank them.”

Benn, however, is waiting to see what comes his way. He said: “We always knew Chris was a good fighter. All the fighting talk is fighting talk. He’s a good fighter. I believe I can fight at 160.

“I’d love to avenge that loss, but if we don’t do the rematch, I want to go to welterweight and win that WBC title, [Mario Barrios, the current WBC welterweight champion] Barrios or Eubank rematch. Whatever happens next.”