Boxing’s so well followed in the UK that Chris Eubank Jnr-Conor Benn was certain to be big over there. But on the eve of them finally fighting, it’s also got some buzz in the US.

Chris Eubank Snr’s apparent refusal to be involved is one of the details that has made it more than the domestic dust-up it was on course to be seen as. Maybe Eubank Snr will be there on fight night anyway – maybe he’ll even be in his son’s corner – but he’s added to the curiosity.

There’s little question both fighters remain in the shadow of their fathers. Neither has been a legitimate world champion – and I’m not convinced either ever will be. But the magnitude of what their fathers did in the UK in the 1990s, and the rivalry they had, is shown by the size of the occasion being anticipated on Saturday, at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 

If any other fighters had accomplished as little as these two have, it’d only be a domestic-level fight – even in the UK, where fights are so often so well attended. But the reality is that if something’s sufficiently well followed in the UK, the rest of the boxing world will also be interested.

None of which is to suggest I’ve forgotten that it was Benn failing two drugs tests that cancelled their fight in October 2022. When I watched, in three fights in relatively quick succession, Benn stop Samuel Vargas, Chris Algieri and Chris van Heerden, after being a sloppier fighter than he showed on those nights in 2021 and 2022, he looked a young fighter coming into his own. When it emerged that he failed two drugs tests, it became difficult not to be suspicious of those improved performances; in his two fights since then, the decisions he earned over Rodolfo Orozco and Peter Dobson, he looked decent, but also again slightly sloppy. It’s natural that questions persist.

It’s similarly relevant that Benn’s a welterweight moving up to fight a middleweight. I hope it’s a good fight – particularly because of the attention it’s generating – but it’s difficult to make a strong case for him winning.

Eubank Jnr has previously beaten James DeGale – a faded version of him, but it was still DeGale – Matt Korobov, albeit one who injured his shoulder, and Liam Smith. He has a sound body of work, and he’s also much bigger than Benn, who it’s difficult to consider capable of posing a major threat.

Perhaps the greatest cause for Benn to have confidence is that Eubank Jnr was stopped by Smith, also the smaller fighter, in their first fight in 2023. His ability to take a punch – he once absorbed a lot of punishment from the heavy-handed George Groves – may not be what it was. But they’re also fighting at 160lbs instead of the 157lbs they were going to fight at in 2022 – and those three pounds are far more in Eubank Jnr’s favour than Benn’s, because having to lose that additional weight could have drained Eubank Jnr significantly. Benn had a greater chance of winning in 2022.

Benn’s already spoken about returning to welterweight after Saturday. But that’s not necessarily a reflection of how well he can be expected to perform on fight night. A fighter should consider the weight he’s most likely to succeed at, and for Benn, simply, that’s 147lbs – particularly at a time when at 147 there’s a lack of depth. 

This fight is so important for Benn – more so than it is for Eubank Jnr, both because of the controversy he’s previously been involved in, and because Eubank Jnr is so much more proven. It’s the best opportunity Benn will ever have to show us he has more than we’ve seen before now. 

Eubank Jnr needs to impose himself and his size advantage early, and to use the jab that was effective in the rematch against Smith. If he combines that jab with some physicality – he needs to pick his moment to do so – he has to be favoured for victory. But it shouldn’t be overlooked that we also now know that Eubank Jnr can be knocked out. 

Both, also, will require a balanced mindset given the size of the occasion. Being emotional has got Benn to where he is; being more calculated has helped Eubank Jnr to date. The occasion and the atmosphere that is guaranteed will test both fighters and mean that Benn can’t afford to be too emotional, and that Eubank Jnr can’t be too calm and collected.

I expect Eubank Jnr to win, via pulling away from Benn during the second half of the fight, and to earn a wide unanimous decision.