Whether or not you’re a fan of the matchmaking of Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn, you will certainly have an opinion on it. One man who would rather see different fights is Shane McGuigan.
Eubank and Benn are just weeks away from their catchweight fight in London. Benn will be moving up to 157lb, whilst his opponent will be coming down – a much harder task. Still, hype is huge for the event, which will see the pair relive their fathers rivalry in the ring.
Mcguigan, who currently works with Daniel Dubois and Lawrence Okolie, spoke to SecondsOut about the fight around the time that it was announced.
After raising some concerns around the weight cut for the bigger man in Eubank, the trainer turned his attentions to Benn, whom he believes should be pursuing big, meaningful fights in his own division at this stage in his career.
“I don’t quite understand what’s going on with Conor. He’s in a really good position, he’s got some great momentum, and now he’s going in against a very good middleweight. Yes there’s 4 pounds down and there’s a rehydration clause but that doesn’t make him instantly a bad fighter.
And I really like Conor. I think he’s a great lad, he’s doing great. He draws a lot of attention. He holds himself really well, he talks well. He’s boxed, not at the peak of their career, but still big names. I just think it’s a silly fight to make, just my opinion, because it’s short sighted.”
McGuigan went on to list potential fights at welterweight, including some very ‘winnable’ ones for Benn that would carry a lot of clout and merit.
It’s true that both Benn and Eubank Jr had other options on the table before taking the fight, and McGuigan makes a good case for those paths rather than this. However, the fact that they did have options, and that this isn’t a cash out fight, perhaps adds to the intrigue for some.