Chris Eubank Jr has responded to calls for his retirement after he defeated Conor Benn on points in April ahead of their rematch on 15 November.
“Next Gen” said that he doesn’t have to fight any more, but he still feels fresh and has the desire to “perform in front of the fans”.
Eubank Jr told Sky Sports: “I’ve heard people suggest that, 36 years old, achieved so much, fight of the year, what more does he need to do? Maybe he should retire.
“Why go through all that again? Because the truth is, I don’t need to. Because if we’re talking about financial stability, I’m set for life. So I don’t need to be doing this anymore.
“I still feel fresh. I still feel capable. I still have that hunger and that desire to get up to train every day. To better myself as a fighter, to perform in front of the fans. So retirement is just not in my mindset right now. You guys are going to be seeing me for a while.”
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Benn and Eubank Jr put on a fight of the year contender in April – 12 gruelling rounds that saw both men sustain heavy damage and even left Eubank Jr hospitalised from severe dehydration – but he walked away as the rightful winner on the night.
Eubank Jr’s father had a brace of fights with Nigel Benn in the 1990s that shaped a generation of British boxing and was the origin of this cross-generational family rivalry.
In the build-up to the first fight, Eubank Sr was publicly against the fight even happening because of the dangers posed to his son in relation to the rehydration clause that meant Eubank Jr had to weigh 160lb at the weigh-in and no more than 170lb on the morning of the fight.
After looking like he had fully denounced his already long-estranged son, Eubank Sr made a dramatic entrance at the 11th hour as he shook the boxing world and provided the extra boost Eubank Jr needed to get over the line.
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But Eubank Jr revealed they had a frank conversation about his retirement following the victory.
Eubank Jr said: “He [Eubank Sr] had the conversation with me and I told him, ‘This is not the time, old man’. He retired at 32, so in his mind, he can’t understand how I’m still doing what im doing at 36. So I get it. But he’s not me. He doesn’t feel what I feel in the gyms and in these rings.”
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