Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn's rematch is on. But should it be? Do either need it to be? And whose career does it serve best?
It was announced this week that the pair will lace up the gloves again at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on November 15, seven months removed from their all-British blockbuster as both seek definitive answers as to what lies next.
Both want world title shots. Both want to share the ring with the world's best. Both also know the power and pull their iconic names hold, and the ease at which a second fight can govern boxing conversation again as one of the most prosperous events they will partake in.
But was once enough?
When they last met...
With a back-drop of egg-slaps, weight-cut controversy and a dramatic father-son reunion, it was a dogged and unrelenting Eubank Jr who outlasted and out-landed his rival through gritted teeth in one of the fights of the year, capped by a breathless final round to snatch bragging rights and vindicate one of the great ring-walks.
It was to be Eubank's finest hour as he defended his family name in a grudge match forged through the legacy of their legendary fathers, both of whom watched on from ringside after Sr's shock arrival in the wake of years of no-contact with his son.
Upon learning of his victory, a typically cold and steely-eyed Eubank Jr broke character to fall to his knees in ecstasy, while a despairing Benn stared into the distance having come up shy with a valiant performance that had thrust him back onto world boxing's radar.
Eubank Jr had billed the occasion as 'villain vs villain' as Benn's failed drugs tests became a prevalent theme during a prolonged build-up since the first fight's cancellation. The breakdown of Eubank Jr's relationship with his father meanwhile became a source of needle courtesy of Team Benn, and somewhere in the middle Eddie Hearn served as a verbal punch-bag for his fighter's opponent, embracing the role impressively.
For better or worse, it was unignorable, unavoidable boxing theatre fuelling a fight-night tension like no other amid a suffocating British boxing atmosphere. In the end the fight itself was defined by heart and will more so than power or skill as both traded leather furiously in 12 rounds of no-punch-pulling war.
You sat there and wondered whether a rematch could ever match the emotion, every match the drama, ever match the anticipation, every match the intrigue. Eubank had made his point. Benn had reignited his career.
A risk for Eubank Jr?
Eubank Jr returns as the man with more to lose, staring down the risk of undoing the greatest night in his career as well as missing out on the lucrative fights that might wait beyond the horizon.
The 35-year-old endured a gruelling weight-cut process in the build-up to the pair's first fight, initially coming in over the limit on the Friday before dealing with the restrictions of a rehydration clause granting him no more than 10lbs in leeway. He and Benn would then go on to produce the most physically draining and taxing contest of their respective careers, the toll of which it took on the body of a 35-year-old Eubank Jr remains to be fully determined. November will be telling.
Eubank Jr rarely finds himself out of fighting shape, though, as one of the fittest athletes in British boxing, but now faces the prospect of another war capable of knocking more years off the clock, this time against a fresh and more knowledgeable Benn.
A 2026 showdown with pound-for-pound great Canelo Alvarez had been floated by Turki Alalshikh as a potential prize for Eubank Jr should he overcome Benn. Defeat in November's rematch could yet impact not only the timeline but the likelihood of a meeting with the super-middleweight king, who himself is currently gearing up for September's mega-fight against Terence Crawford.
"I have beaten eight Brits so far?" Canelo said in an interview with The Ring Magazine in May. "Well, it's going to be nine then. Would people like to see me against Chris Eubank Jr? Maybe that's the fight. That's a fight I'd consider, but we don't know what is going to happen."
There is no rematch clause currently confirmed for Canelo's fight with Crawford, though another spanner in the works could arrive in the form of rising sensation Hamzah Sheeraz.
The British star is coming off a statement knockout victory over Edgar Berlanga and has himself set his sights on challenging Canelo. What's more, his wish also has the backing of boxing's chief string-puller.
"Hamzah now deserves Canelo in 2026," Turki Alalshikh wrote as part of a post on social media following the Berlanga win.
Benn reborn?
While April's result went against him, it would prove a performance and a night that revived the career prospects of Benn following his failed drugs test in 2022 and the unflattering spotlight that had ensued.
He, as Benn himself put it, 'failed to pull the trigger' in a display that reintroduced boxing fans to his blistering speed and knockout threat. Eubank Jr called on every ounce of nous and experience to keep Benn's flailing, occasionally wild and always dangerous hands at bay, while also absorbing a string of tough but non-decisive shots in the process.
Benn had given an admirable account of himself and might have had good reason to feel the judge's cards could have been closer than they were. Among the overriding takeaways, though, was a sense he would be wise to move back down to welterweight in pursuit of what now looked a real world title pathway at his more comfortable weight.
Was there anything more to prove in a rematch? Would a rematch serve as another unnecessary delay on his world title ambitions after the lengthy spell out of the ring he already experienced amid his suspension? Perhaps. There was enough momentum from the display itself to put his division back on alert.
Sure, the winner of Lewis Crocket and Paddy Donovan after their fight for the IBF welterweight title could have been one option for Benn, but personal pride would always make it impossible to ignore a Eubank Jr rematch.
What he does have over Eubank Jr, however, is time on his side. Still just 28, Benn has shed the ring rust and boosted his stock while knowing his age and profile will keep him in good shape to earn a world title opportunity at welterweight, regardless of what happens in the rematch.
If anybody can afford to roll the dice again, make some added millions to his name and indulge in the Eubank-Benn history, it is probably him. He also enters with the knowledge he brings a bigger and better version of Conor Benn to a second fight.
An impromptu, unofficial, largely-jestful fight agreement with Shakur Stevenson would serve as recent evidence that Benn should have no problem working his way to bigger days ahead. He is a familiar face, a familiar name and a promised payday, with an edge-of-the-seat fighting style and ferocity, all of which will take him forward.
As for Eubank Jr, the future appears a little less certain as retirement creeps closer and the list of logical and elite opponents slims down. Win again, though, and the biggest fight of his life should beckon.
