Eubank Jr struggled with the weight in his two fights with Benn, and after being hospitalised following the rematch in November, the Brit has been urged to call it a day
Chris Eubank Jr has been advised to retire after he was hospitalised following his rematch with Conor Benn
Conor Benn has called for long-time rival Chris Eubank Jr to retire following the latter’s recent health update.
Last April, the two stars traded leather in an all-time classic, with Eubank Jr going on to get his hand raised on points. Seven months later, Benn got his revenge after dropping his adversary twice en route to a decision victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London.
Ahead of both fights, Eubank Jr struggled to make the 160lb limit, and looked completely dejected throughout the sequel in November. After the contest, the Brit faced calls to retire – which intensified merely weeks later after he posted worrying footage of him receiving urgent medical treatment.
In the build-up to his rematch with Benn, Eubank Jr revealed that he’s set to become a father to twins boys. Boxing is a very unforgiving sport, and Father Time waits for no man. That’s why Benn has urged his bitter rival to hang up the gloves once and for all.
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He said: “Do I think he should call it a day? Personally, I think he should sail off into the sunset. It’s always hard to do that with a loss but I think he should call it a day.
“He’s got twin boys, two beautiful twin boys, that have come into this world and sometimes you need to prioritise your health and safety over everything else. But for some reason I’ll be expecting a phone call once he realises 168lbs is not for him. Who’s he going to fight at 168lbs?”
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Amid calls to retire, boxing promoter Ben Shalom recently provided an update on Eubank Jr’s condition and admits the British star could return to the ring this summer. “He’s had a lot of stuff to do medically to flush out what he’s been dealing with,” he said. “Once that’s done, he will be back, probably at 168lb, but there was an underlying issue he had to get rid of. We’re looking forward to him being back in the middle of the year.
“There wasn’t enough time between April and what ended up November, but initially September, to sort out the issue, it was something that required proper medical attention and he didn’t get that. But now he’s getting that sorted. He lives the life and then he can come back in a healthy and safe safe way.
“But until that’s completely resolved then he wont again in a ring. But from the procedures and everything that he’s had so far, it’s looking like he’ll make a full recovery.” He added: “When you offer fighters loads of money to do stupid things, that’s what they do.
“Unfortunately it is. That’s where it takes the regulator to say it shouldn’t be allowed. I regret seeing it, but ultimately the fighters have that choice over their own body and there’s only so much you can do. It won’t happen again. But I wouldn’t want to see it again in boxing to be honest. I think it’s really dangerous and will lead to something pretty bad.”