‘I didn’t know he had that in him’: Eubank Jr pays respect to Benn after brutal fight

Chris Eubank Jr admits he got more than he expected from Conor Benn.

Chris Eubank Jr had to go to war to get past Conor Benn in London, and his post-fight comments indicated a new level of respect for his rival.

Asked if he was surprised by Benn’s resistance, Eubank admitted he did not expect Benn to be such a difficult challenge.

“Everything surprised me. I didn’t know he had what he had in him,” he said. “I really didn’t. I thought I would break him early. I underestimated him. I didn’t train for a fight like that. I didn’t know he had that in him, he’s never showed that. But then again he’s never had to show it. He had to show it tonight, and so did I.”

Eubank (35-3, 25 KO) added that the generational rivalry between himself and Benn (23-1, 14 KO) made their performances special, and the fight something bigger than many had expected.

“I knew I was capable of that. I just needed someone to bring that out of me. I’m not going to lie, I did not expect that he’d be the guy to do that. But the fact that our fathers did what they did all those years ago, it brings out a different soul, a different spirit. That’s what we both showed here tonight.

“I pushed through. There’s a lot of things that have been going on in my life that I’m not going to get into right now, but I’m happy to have (my father) back with me. We upheld the family name like we said we were going to do. Onwards and upwards from here.”

Eubank also said it was inspiring to have his father ringside, after there being a lot of talk about the elder Eubank not attending.

“It was one of those things that was special. He needed to be here,” he said. “All of this is because of what he did, and we just did it again, baby.”