Chris Eank JR and Conor Benn have finally arranged their long -term feud in the ring.
The sons of Chris Eank Sr and Nigel Benn clashed on Saturday evening in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England.
Chris Eank and Conor Benn would come off in 2022, but their collision was canceled after Benn had been tested positively on a forbidden substance just a few days before the event.
Three years later, Eank hit an egg over his head during a fiery first press conference that formed the scene for a pulsating 12-round middle-weight match, which ended with Benn who ran a unanimous decision in the 'fight of the year'.
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty images
Chris Eank Jr beats Conor Benn
Benn was on the front foot from the start. 'The Destroyer' went headhunting for a quick finish, but he hit the air more than he hit his opponent during the first three minutes.
In the next few rounds, Benn was able to land clean shots on the chin of Eank while apparently established an early lead on the scor cards of the judge.
Eank landed a beautiful uppercut in the fourth frame, where the two men had each other in the middle of the ring before the referee entered to warn them against punching on the break.
It was close and competitive due to rounds five and six, but Eank may have won both when he started stamping his authority on the game.
Eank looked great in the seventh stanza. Benn had to bounce back in round eight, and he did exactly that then his biggest fight so far in a Slugfest fell.
It was more of the same if both men went for it in round nine. A cut opened above Eank's right eye, but he reacted by landing a huge blow to temporarily falter his opponent.
Eank seemed spent in the tenth frame. It was the biggest round of the fight for Benn, who started to look like he could perhaps force an interruption.
The penultimate three minutes saw Eank biting his Gumshield and pushing Benn against the ropes where he could land big shots to put his way back to things.
Hell broke loose in the 12th round. Both men waved to the fences planning to complete the fight, instead of leaving it over to the officials on the ring.
They continued to throw the last bell, so fans wondered who had done enough to get the nod.
In the end, all three judges scored the fascinating fight 116-112 in favor of Eank.
Chris Eank Jr and Conor Benn respond after the fight
During his interview after the fight, Eank expressed his shock about the level of his old rival.
“I knew that I was able to. I just needed someone to get it out of me,” he told Sky Sports. “I did not expect that Conor would be the man who did that. I didn't know he had that in him, I thought I would break him early.
“I underestimated it, I have not prepared for such a fight.”
Benn suggested that inactivity may have cost him after the first defeat of his boxing career.
He thought: “Maybe 14 months did not help, so inactivity is the only one.
“I am not going to say that I deserved to win it, I have to look back.
“Maybe I stayed on the ropes for too long. Chris is a good hunter.
“The whole fight is fighting to talk. I would like to keep the rematch.”