After 35 years of fierce rivalry between two families, Conor Benn finally managed to achieve what seemed elusive—defeating a Eubank. While the bout might not have been the most thrilling installment in their storied history, the victory was a significant milestone for Benn, who succeeded where his father had twice fallen short.

With the fight concluded, Benn celebrated triumphantly atop the ropes at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. His victory over Chris Eubank Jr. was so decisive that there was no need to wait for the scorecards to confirm his success.

In contrast to the older generation’s fierce battle in April, where a unanimous decision favored Eubank, the younger Benn showcased his dominance through speed and precision, evening the score in their personal rivalry 203 days later.

Without the electric final round, which saw Benn knock down Eubank twice, this event could have been criticized as an anticlimax despite the significant financial stakes. The fighters competed for substantial purses, with Eubank Jr. earning an estimated £10 million and Benn £8 million, in a non-title fight.

Nevertheless, the match offered some thrilling moments and possibly brought closure to a long-standing feud that has stretched the boundaries of rivalry, especially given the weight class differences between the two fighters.

Conor Benn dominated Chris Eubank Jr and knocked him down twice in the final round

The duo went the full distance again but Benn was the clear winner and claimed a first victory for his family out of four in the 35-year feud 

Eubank Jr’s seniority showed and he went down twice in the final round as fatigue set in

As for Eubank Jr., he might later cite various reasons for his lackluster performance, some of which could be valid. The rehydration clauses, which restricted his recovery after cutting weight to hit the 160-pound limit, may have contributed to his sluggish showing.

But it is more likely that his age – 36 and the elder by seven years – simply caught him up. He looked slow and old and thoroughly beaten, taking the family score to 2.5-1.5 across two generations.

Benn was happy to see this one as the last dance between them. He said: ‘It has been some journey and this is the end of the Eubank-Benn saga. Everyone who said I can’t box, put that in your pipe and smoke it.’

To sell it as a boxing masterclass would be a mistake – but it was an impressive dismantling of the opposition. There were also some conciliatory words for Eubank, with Benn adding: ‘Listen, this is generational, never done before, so credit to Chris. Thank you for sharing the ring with me. Not bad for two silver spoon kids.’

Eubank, for his part, alluded to difficulties in making the weight. He said: ‘ I have been through hell and back to get to this night. It is what it is. I tried hard. He fought hard and tough and he has power. I don’t know how he did it.’

The last sentence could be vulnerable to differing interpretations in light of the narrative around Benn’s failed drugs tests prior to the first fight.

But this one had no such drama in the build-up. Indeed, there were a significant number of empty seats ahead of the first bell, which told a story of fading novelty. Without the benefit of a scandal to leverage, or even the mystery of whether Eubank Snr would be present, much of the spice was sapped from an event that was never much more than a money grab for all concerned.

On that front, there was still sufficient demand to use this grand stadium for its host. Besides, an attendance upwards of 55,000 on a drizzly night in November is not to be sniffed at.

Benn shut down any hopes of a trilogy fight, though Eubank Jr sounded more open to it

He roared emphatically after his victory which, in truth, should be the end of this rivalry

But it was telling that 2,000 tickets were gifted to local cab drivers by the Saudi overlords and seats that initially cost £100 were going for as little as £28 on secondary markets by the morning of the fight.

For those present, including Thierry Henry, Rod Stewart and Pierce Brosnan among the notables, Eubank Jr promised to dish out an ‘a**-beating’ and that this would be ‘a fight of the decade contender’.

He didn’t and it wasn’t.

Benn, as expected, showed the extra aggression, but with fewer of the rough edges we saw in April. Rather than hunting with haymakers, he was favouring the jab and repeatedly dipped below waist-height in manoeuvres to draw the taller man down.

Did it work? It was enough to take the early rounds but not to cause damage. Barring a couple of moderate right hands that he absorbed around the jaw and body, Eubank seemed content with the arrangement, but why? Was it by design to sap Benn’s strength? Or just a failure to get those ageing fists flying at a moving target?

Either way, he left himself a lot of ground to make up on the cards. By the halfway point, it was hard to make a case for Eubank having won a single round, with the possible exception of the third, when he finally landed a couple of decent shots.

The rest was a reliable pattern of slow jabs into cold air, quickly followed by a more accurate retaliation from Benn. He was too quick for Eubank and too young.

That was highlighted in the seventh when, finally, there was a moment of legitimate excitement. Eubank had landed a strong jab, but as he stepped forward to follow it, he swallowed a left from Benn and then a far harder right that snapped his head back. Benn leaned forward and laughed in his face.

Thierry Henry, Steven Bartlett, and Tony Bellew were among the celebrities present 

The eighth saw an improvement from Eubank, featuring one driving right flush on Benn’s cheek, but it was only a precursor to more frustration. The 12th round knockdowns settled it all rather emphatically as those right hands from Benn dropped Eubank to the canvas.

With them, he hopefully brought a close to a once-thrilling rivalry that has been allowed to go on too long.