Conor Benn defeats Chris Eubank Jr by unanimous decision in rematch – as it happened
That’s all for tonight.Thanks as always for following along with us and be sure to check out Donald McRae’s ringside report from tonight’s fight.Here are the official judges’ scorecards from tonight’s main event.Notably, one of the three arbiters had it even through eight rounds.That card belonged to John Latham, who refereed the chief support bout between Jack Catterall and Ekow Essuman.
Benn is asked what’s next for him if a third fight with Eubank Jr doesn’t come to pass.He’s ready for the question, saying he’ll move back down to welterweight in search of a world championship at 147lb.“I fancy [Mario] Barrios for the WBC world title,” he says.“Ryan Garcia, Rolly Romero, Devin Haney: all of them Yanks can get it, any day of the week and twice on Sundays.”Nigel Benn, Conor’s beaming father, is then asked to comment on the fight he just witnessed.
“I’m so proud of what he done tonight,” the former middleweight and super-middleweight champion says.“He stuck to his game plan.He worked the body.I can’t fault what he done.Unanimous decision.
He done what you had to do.Now you can drop back down to 147, bring the WBC, get rid of the Intercontinental stuff.Grab the real belt.”Conor admits he “felt the pressure” to honor the family name.“That’s all that matters,” he says.
“I come in here tonight and all that matters is my dad, me, my old man, the family feud.There was a lot of pressure on me to settle it tonight.I felt the pressure.Not from the world, not from anyone, but I just wanted to do the family name proud.And I’ve completed it, mate.
I’ve completed it, mate, forget everything else,It will forever be in history,”“I want to thank everyone who’s come out tonight,” a triumphant Benn says,“It’s been some journey, and I feel like this is the end of the Benn-Eubank saga,Done and finished.
It’s over.I know Chris has twins coming and I’ve got my boy, but this ends here.”Asked what felt differently in the ring tonight for him, Benn is to the point: “Well, everyone’s saying I can’t box.Put that in your pipe and smoke it.How about that?”He adds: “This wouldn’t have been what it was without Chris and our dads, most of all.
this is generational,This has never been done before in history,So credit to Chris,Credit to Chris, man,That’s all I gotta say.
Thank you for sharing the ring with me,Not bad for two silver-spoon kids, eh?”“I’ve been through I’ve been through hell and back to get to this night,” Eubank Jr says,“It is what it is,I tried my best,And listen, the kid fought hard.
He fought tough.He’s got power, this kid.He was bigger on me on the scales! I don’t know how you did it.I’m looking at him.But listen, we put on a show.
And yeah, Conor Benn was the best man tonight.So congratulations to him.”He’s asked what’s next.The score is one apiece.Could a third fight be in the works?“It’s one-one.
I’ve got to go away and deal with some of the things I’ve been dealing with over the last couple of months.And who knows, whether we will see something new with me and him.Maybe we won’t.But for right now, it’s all about this man.This is his night.
”A quick sift through the reader reactions.The critics were not kind.Here’s Sean Duffy’s take:This fight for me summarises everything wrong with boxing these days.There’s no reason for this fight to take place other than people think and have fleeced the public for their cash.This isn’t a good fight, it means nothing and neither fighter has, or will make an impact on world level.
Next, we look forward to one of the Pauls v Joshua.Oh the joy, and I’ve watched boxing across the world for 27 yearsAnd there it is.Unsurprisingly, Benn has win a unanimous decision.The official scores were 119-107, 116-110 and 118-108.Round 12Benn drops Eubank with a left-right combo, the right detonating on the temple.
It’s a heavy knockdown.Eubank beats the count but he looks at sea.There’s about a minute to go and Eubank is in big trouble.Benn rushes in to try to close the show, throwing flurries of punches with Eubank in full retreat.And Eubank is down again! He’s to his feet quickly and it looks like he’s going to be saved by the bell.
And there’s the bell.That’s it.This would have been a wide points win for Benn even betfor the knockdowns.The threequel no one wanted incoming?Guardian’s unofficial score: Eubank Jr 7-10 Benn (Eubank Jr 106-120 Benn)Round 11Another straightforward round for Benn, who is three minutes from a career-best win.Meanwhile, Oscar De La Hoya has entered the chat.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Eubank Jr 9-10 Benn (Eubank Jr 99-110 Benn)Let me give you a little tutorial on boxing since you all don’t know shit,Eubanks never had a chance due weight drain,Round 10Benn is coming on aggressively, throwing punches in bunches in search of the knockout,Blood is flowing from Eubank’s nose after an overhand right from Benn lands clean,But the story is Eubank’s vastly diminished form, almost certainly due to the rehydration clause.
He is landing just six punches per round tonight after connecting with 31 per frame in their first meeting.Guardian’s unofficial score: Eubank Jr 9-10 Benn (Eubank Jr 90-100 Benn)Round 9Another easy round for Benn.The flashes for Eubank are too few and far between for Eubank, whose body language is giving like he’d rather be anywhere but here.His trainer, BoMac McIntyre, is telling him that he needs to win every remaining round.Realistically, he needs a knockout.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Eubank Jr 9-10 Benn (Eubank Jr 81-90 Benn)Round 8More of the same for Benn,Right hand leads,Right crosses,Jabbing beautifully,Hard to find even a pity round for Eubank, who looked up at the clock twice during the eighth.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Eubank Jr 9-10 Benn (Eubank Jr 72-80 Benn)Round 7Benn sharper on the attack and in defense, lighter on his feet and quicker to the punch,He’s throwing and landing more,Benn lands a heavy right hand near the end of the round that sends the crowd into an uproar, then jaws derisively at Eubank after the bell,Benn has landed nearly three times as many power shots (45) as Eubank (18) through seven rounds, according to Compubox’s punch statistics,Guardian’s unofficial score: Eubank Jr 9-10 Benn (Eubank Jr 63-70 Benn)Round 6Another round for Benn.
One-way traffic.Eubank is very slow back to his stool.Could a late stoppage be in the cards?Guardian’s unofficial score: Eubank Jr 9-10 Benn (Eubank Jr 54-60 Benn)Round 5There nothing in Eubank’s legs.It’s hard to see how he’ll be able to turn this one around.Benn is scoring at will using the jab and combination punching, taking full advantage of the visibly weight-drained Eubank.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Eubank Jr 9-10 Benn (Eubank Jr 45-50 Benn)Round 4Benn is total control through four rounds.He’s working beautifully behind the jab and controlling the distance while Eubank simply looks slower and off rhythm.Not a particularly difficult fight to score.Guardian’s unofficial score: Eubank Jr 9-10 Benn (Eubank Jr 36-40 Benn)Round 3Eubank keeps probing for openings that Benn’s jittery movement aren’t allowing.More excellent ringcraft from Benn, who is landing punches in combination from inside and at distance.
Eubank lands a flush counter left hook near the end of the round, but it’s not enough to erase Benn’s work.Truthfully, Eubank looks drained and compromised, almost certainly by the rehydration clause, which is going to be the center of conversation if Benn runs away with this fight as it looks like he might.Guardian’s unofficial score: Eubank Jr 9-10 Benn (Eubank Jr 27-30 Benn)Round 2Eubank is getting his activity going early in the second.Benn wrestles Eubank to the floor and referee Kevin Parker calls time, giving both men a word of warning to keep things clean.Eubank is again conceding the center of the ring to his foe, perhaps a bit too easily.
Benn looks sharper and quicker to the punch, while Eubank looks oddly subdued in the counterpuncher’s role.Guardian’s unofficial score: Eubank Jr 9-10 Benn (Eubank Jr 18-20 Benn)Round 1Benn immediately takes the center of the ring, agrressive on the front foot.Benn finally lands a left jab and a good body shot.Benn lands a short right hook, the hand speed telling early.Eubank checks Benn’s progress with a crisp right hand
Colbert on Trump and Epstein: ‘They were best pals and underage girls was Epstein’s whole thing’
Late-night hosts covered this week’s latest bombshell Epstein and Trump revelations and spoke about the president’s latest interview with Laura Ingraham.On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert spoke about the government shutdown likely coming to an end after “an historic impasse” (the shutdown later did end) and Democrat Adelita Grijalva being sworn in as a member of Congress, seven weeks after she won a special House election in Arizona.Colbert said she has been “reborn from the ashes” and will be the 218th and final signature needed to force a vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.He joked that on her first day she was shown around and told “down there is the room where you’re going to topple the pervert cabal”.This week saw some new emails from Epstein released which suggest Trump knew of his conduct
Colbert on Trump ‘building a massive compensation for his weird tiny penis’
Late-night hosts spoke about the controversial behavior of a small group of Democrats and Donald Trump’s continued destruction of the White House.On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert spoke about the vote to end the federal government shutdown which has seen some Democrats choosing to cave to Republican demands without restoring the healthcare subsidies which were initially threatened.Chuck Schumer told his party he would give the deal neither a blessing nor a curse and would give no steer on how to vote.Colbert joked that this was “bold leadership” and commented on Schumer’s “failure” in the situation.The shutdown has caused major chaos at airports as air traffic controllers were being unpaid for so long that many of them stopped coming to work
‘I really enjoyed it’: new RSC curriculum brings Shakespeare’s works to life in UK classrooms
Act 1. Scene 1. A classroom in a secondary school in Peterborough. It is a dreary, wet afternoon. Pupils file into the room, take their seats and face the front
Jon Stewart on government shutdown deal: ‘A world-class collapse by Democrats’
Late-night hosts unleashed on Senate Democrats for caving on the longest-ever government shutdown with no assurance on healthcare subsidies from Republicans.Jon Stewart minced no words for congressional Democrats on Monday evening, hours after a coalition broke from the party and voted with Republicans to extend government funding through January with no assurances on the healthcare tax credits at the center of the 41-day stalemate. “By the way, tonight’s show will be brought to you by: I can’t fucking believe it,” Stewart fumed at the top of The Daily Show. “I can’t fucking believe it: for when the ‘I can’t believe it’ Edvard Munch scream emoji doesn’t quite convey how much you cannot fucking believe it.”“They fucking caved on the shutdown, not even a full week removed from the best election night results they’ve had in years,” he continued
Old is M Night Shyamalan at his best: ambitious, abrasive and surprisingly poignant
In August 2002, Newsweek boldly anointed the stern-faced man pictured on the cover of its splashy summer issue as “The Next Spielberg”. While some might have called this an unfair comparison to one of cinema’s most legendary figures, for a then 31-year-old M Night Shyamalan, it was a childhood dream come true. The Indian-born, Pennsylvanian-raised film-maker had whetted his cinematic appetite on the images of Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark, and for better or worse, would find himself chasing that same level of stratospheric fame in the early days of his career.Despite the initial acclaim of The Sixth Sense, though, Shyamalan’s reputation and audience goodwill would soon begin to nosedive as his idiosyncratic directing style rubbed against the grander ambitions of his movies. But after a temporary exodus from Hollywood and a retreat to his roots in independent cinema, Shyamalan finally returned to studio film-making in 2021 with the release of Old, a masterful high-concept thriller that rekindled the director’s longtime fascination with family, parenting and the mystifying possibility of the unknown
‘Harlem has always been evolving’: inside the Studio Museum’s $160m new home
The iconic museum, which was founded in 1968, has been rehoused in 82,000-sq-ft building providing a new destination for Black art in New York CityCall it the second Harlem renaissance. On Manhattan’s 125th Street, where a statue of Adam Clayton Powell Jr strides onwards and upwards, and a sign marks the spot where a freed Nelson Mandela dropped by, there is bustle and buzz.The celebrated Apollo Theater is in the midst of a major renovation. The National Black Theatre is preparing to move into a $80m arts complex spanning a city block. In September the National Urban League opened a $250m building containing its headquarters, affordable housing and retail space with New York’s first civil rights museum to come
UK budget watchdog in danger of strangling economic growth, says TUC boss
Business secretary backs shift to electric arc furnaces at British Steel plant
Father of teen whose death was linked to social media has ‘lost faith’ in Ofcom
Personal details of Tate galleries job applicants leaked online
Ollie Pope believes pressure on England place will push him to deliver in Ashes
England have become something ugly, brutish and formidable to play against | Andy Bull