Boxing

Eubank Jr. looks good at 159, and Benn looks exhausted again

Published

12 months ago

November 14, 2025

Image: Eubank Jr.’s Smooth Weigh-In Makes Hearn Joke About 157; Benn’s Shaky Appearance Raises Fears of Another Late-Round Mauling

Promoter Eddie Hearn jokes that he should have asked for the weights to be adjusted to 157 pounds for the Chris Eubank Jr. rematch. with Conor Benn after Eubank Jr. weighed 159.1 pounds at Friday’s weigh-in ahead of the return leg on Saturday, November 15 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

(Source: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)

Official weights

Chris Eubank Jr. 159.1 vs. Conor Benn 159.3
Jack Catterall 146.7 vs. Ekow Essuman 146.5

Conor already looked defeated

Hearn predicts that his fighter Benn (23-1, 14 KO) will do the same. “Be much betterin a rematch than in his first fight with Eubank Jr. (35-3, 25 KO) earlier this year, on April 26, 2025. Conor fell tiny in this fight, losing by unanimous decision of 12 rounds by scores of 116-112, 116-112 and 116-112.

Hearn believes that Benn merely had to be “a little better” for defeating Eubank Jr. What the hell is Hearn talking about? I felt like Benn had to be a lot better to win this fight because Eubank Jr literally beat the crap out of him from rounds 7-12.

Benn’s body isn’t made for this

The 6-foot-11 Benn’s performance last time out may be as good as it gets for him, as his game isn’t built for taking a lot of close-range shots against a bigger player. He is more of a potshot fighter who wins his fights by knocking out opponents with single shots after stunning them.

For Conor to change his style and become a sturdy combo puncher at his age and body type may be physically impossible. Benn is what he is. If he doesn’t manage to hurt Eubank Jr. on Saturday. with one of his single headshots, he’s in for a long night of eating countless headshots.

Eubank’s plan for 900 blows

Eubank Jr. scored 367 912 blows for connection speed 40.2%. Landing almost 1,000 punches is an absurd number for a middleweight. If his results are anything like last time, Benn may need aid from his trainer because he won’t be able to take that kind of punishment again. He appeared to be on the verge of being stopped three times last April when Eubank Jr. he peppered him with punches in the championship rounds.

“I don’t know how simple it was for him. Maybe it made it a lot easier,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. Ring Magazine about Chris Eubank Jr. who gained weight today and lost a pound under. “If you listen to this narrative, say, ‘Oh, this is going to be a tough fight.’ It will always be tight [drained looking]”

It was Benn who looked exhausted from creating. He has obviously been eating well and training challenging since his last fight with Eubank Jr. We’ll see on Saturday whether the effort to gain weight will bother him. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if that was the case.

Hearn’s 157 jokes mask panic

“At 159 pounds, he didn’t look particularly arduous,” Hearn said of Eubank. “Maybe we should have fought at 157. Is there still time?

“I feel like Conor Benn will be a lot better in his performance. Last time he just had to be a little bit better to get the win. If he’s a lot better, I think he’ll win,” Hearn said.

The trainer may need a white towel ready

If Benn isn’t much better on Saturday, he’ll lose, and that might not be pretty. It would have been a good idea for his coach to retire him at some point when it was clear he wasn’t going to win. If Hearn wants to save Benn for money fights at 147 pounds against fighters like Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia, it would be a good idea to yank him early on Saturday night.

Last update: 14/11/2025

Boxing

Chris Billam Smith vs Chev Clarke Live Updates: Round by Round Action from Zuffa Boxing 12

Published

1 hour ago

November 7, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Chris Billam Smith vs Chev Clarke Live Updates: Round by Round Action from Zuffa Boxing 12"

Follow Billam-Smith against Clarke with live round reports, scoring and the official result from London.

Chris Billam-Smith fights Cheavon Clarke over 10 rounds tonight on Sky Sports in the UK and Paramount+ in the US. The former WBO cruiserweight champion headlines Zuffa Boxing 12 at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday, November 7.

Billam-Smith vs Clarke Round-by-Round Updates

Live reports will appear here from the opening bell, tracking clean punches, knockdowns and which fighter controls each round.

● LIVE

Chris Billam-Smith vs Chev Clarke

2026-11-07 · 14:00 ET / 7:00 PM UK · Copper Box Arena, London · Paramount+, Sky Sports

Chris Billam-Smith0

AFTER0ROUNDS

Chev Clarke0

ROUNDChris Billam-SmithChev Clarke

Undercard Results

Featherweight Masood Abdulah (14-1, 8 KOs) scored two knockdowns to defeat Adan Palma (14-2) by an eight-round unanimous decision. The judges scored it 78-72, 77-73 and 76-74.

Abdulah dropped Palma with a short left hook in the opening minute, then used his jab and compact hooks to catch him coming forward. Palma fought his way back into the contest, landing heavy right hands in the fourth round that forced Abdulah to clinch.

A well-timed check left hook sent Palma down again in the sixth, slowing his attack and giving Abdulah more room to dictate the action. Abdulah worked behind his jab and continued finding the left hook over the final two rounds to secure the victory.

Vinnie Kemp (1-0, 1 KO) stopped Liam McElhinney (0-3) with a barrage of body shots at 2:33 of the opening round in their scheduled four-round middleweight bout. Making his professional debut, Kemp charged forward from the opening bell, throwing hard punches and goading McElhinney.

The referee briefly paused the action to warn Kemp about his verbals before allowing the fight to continue. Kemp resumed his attack, stalking McElhinney and driving punches into his midsection.

McElhinney bent forward and covered up against the ropes under the sustained body attack, prompting the referee to wave it off. Kemp’s aggression gave him a quick debut victory, although McElhinney offered little to test him.

When Does Billam-Smith vs Clarke Start?

Main-event ring walks: 🇺🇸 5 pm ET / 2 pm PT · 🇬🇧 10 p.m. GMTapproximately.

The undercard determines the final timing. Billam-Smith and Clarke headline a nine-fight show, with Denzel Bentley against Shane Mosley Jr. in the co-feature.

Main-card broadcast:

🇺🇸 2 pm ET / 11 am PT

🇬🇧 7 p.m. GMT

Preliminary coverage:

🇺🇸 12 pm ET / 9 am PT

🇬🇧 5 p.m. GMT

Sky Sports broadcasts the main card in the UK, with prelims available on its digital platforms. Paramount+ carries the prelims and main card in the US through a subscription, without a separate PPV charge.

Two June Stoppage Wins Set Up the Main Event

Both fighters arrive after punishing fights.

Billam-Smith beat Ryan Rozicki in June, with the Canadian’s corner withdrawing him after seven rounds of their Bournemouth contest. Clarke endured a rougher route on the same bill, recovering from two knockdowns before stopping Jack Massey.

Tonight’s contest carries no championship belt. For Billam-Smith, it offers a chance to strengthen his position at cruiserweight while beating an opponent who twice frustrated him.

Clarke’s second amateur victory came in the 2016 national elite championship final. Beating Billam-Smith in the paid ranks would add a former world champion to his professional record and strengthen his case for bigger fights.

Billam-Smith enters at 22-2 with 14 knockoutswhile Clarke brings a 12-2 record with nine stoppages. The experience gap amounts to ten professional contests.

Both cleared the scales on Friday. Billam-Smith weighed 199.5 lbs (90.5 kg) and Clarke 198.8 lbs (90.2 kg) for their cruiserweight headliner.

Zuffa Boxing 12 Undercard Results

Confirmed results and finishing details will be added alongside the matchups below as the bouts conclude.

Main Card

Denzel Bentley vs Shane Mosley Jr.

Middleweight · 10 rounds

Da’Mazion Vanhouter vs Ivan Balaz

Heavyweight · 8 rounds

Sam Hickey vs Amaury Massenaux

Middleweight · 8 rounds

Kayla Allen vs Julia Igel

Super lightweight · 6 rounds

Lucas Roehrig vs Connal McDonald

Cruiserweight · 8 rounds

Prelims

Zach Parker vs Umar Dzambekov

Light-heavyweight · 10 rounds

Vinnie Kemp vs Liam McElhinney

Middleweight · 4 rounds

Masood Abdullah vs Adan Palma

Featherweight · 8 rounds

Boxing

Chris Billam-Smith vs Chev Clarke Live Updates: Round-by-Round Analysis from Zuffa Boxing 12

Published

1 hour ago

November 7, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Chris Billam-Smith vs Chev Clarke Live Updates: Round-by-Round Analysis from Zuffa Boxing 12

Follow Billam-Smith against Clarke with live round reports, scoring and the official result from London.

Billam-Smith vs Clarke Round-by-Round Updates

Live reports will appear here from the opening bell, tracking clean punches, knockdowns and which fighter controls each round.

● LIVE

Chris Billam-Smith vs Chev Clarke

2026-11-07 · 14:00 ET / 7:00 PM UK · Copper Box Arena, London · Paramount+, Sky Sports

Chris Billam-Smith0

AFTER0ROUNDS

Chev Clarke0

ROUNDChris Billam-SmithChev Clarke

Undercard Results

Featherweight Masood Abdulah (14-1, 8 KOs) scored two knockdowns to defeat Adan Palma (14-2) by an eight-round unanimous decision. The judges scored it 78-72, 77-73 and 76-74.

The referee briefly paused the action to warn Kemp about his verbals before allowing the fight to continue. Kemp resumed his attack, stalking McElhinney and driving punches into his midsection.

When Does Billam-Smith vs Clarke Start?

Main-event ring walks: 🇺🇸 5 pm ET / 2 pm PT · 🇬🇧 10 p.m. GMTapproximately.

The undercard determines the final timing. Billam-Smith and Clarke headline a nine-fight show, with Denzel Bentley against Shane Mosley Jr. in the co-feature.

Main-card broadcast:

🇺🇸 2 pm ET / 11 am PT

🇬🇧 7 p.m. GMT

Preliminary coverage:

🇺🇸 12 pm ET / 9 am PT

🇬🇧 5 p.m. GMT

Two June Stoppage Wins Set Up the Main Event

Both fighters arrive after punishing fights.

Tonight’s contest carries no championship belt. For Billam-Smith, it offers a chance to strengthen his position at cruiserweight while beating an opponent who twice frustrated him.

Billam-Smith enters at 22-2 with 14 knockoutswhile Clarke brings a 12-2 record with nine stoppages. The experience gap amounts to ten professional contests.

Both cleared the scales on Friday. Billam-Smith weighed 199.5 lbs (90.5 kg) and Clarke 198.8 lbs (90.2 kg) for their cruiserweight headliner.

Zuffa Boxing 12 Undercard Results

Confirmed results and finishing details will be added alongside the matchups below as the bouts conclude.

Main Card

Denzel Bentley vs Shane Mosley Jr.

Middleweight · 10 rounds

Da’Mazion Vanhouter vs Ivan Balaz

Heavyweight · 8 rounds

Sam Hickey vs Amaury Massenaux

Middleweight · 8 rounds

Kayla Allen vs Julia Igel

Super lightweight · 6 rounds

Lucas Roehrig vs Connal McDonald

Cruiserweight · 8 rounds

Prelims

Zach Parker vs Umar Dzambekov

Light-heavyweight · 10 rounds

Vinnie Kemp vs Liam McElhinney

Middleweight · 4 rounds

Masood Abdullah vs Adan Palma

Featherweight · 8 rounds

Boxing

Robert Garcia Analyzes Tim Tszyus Odds Against Erislandy Lara | Boxing News

Published

4 hours ago

November 7, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Robert Garcia Analyzes Tim Tszyu's Odds Against Erislandy Lara | Boxing News"

Tim Tszyu seeks to become Australia’s third multi-divisional boxing world champion when he competes for Erislandy Lara’s WBA middleweight title next month, and ahead of the action, trainer Robert Garcia has offered his thoughts on the fight.

Tszyu lost his WBO super-welterweight title in a defeat to Sebastian Fundora back in 2024 and twice failed to reclaim 154lb honours, both against Bakhram Murtazaliev and in a rematch with Fundora.

Since then, the Aussie has stepped up to middleweight and scored a career-best win over Errol Spence Jr earlier this yearand now, the 32-year-old could join lead trainer Jeff Fenech and Liam Paro as his nation’s third two-weight world champion, if he can trump 43-year-old.

Speaking with ProBox TVRobert Garcia, who trains a potential future Tszyu opponent in Vergil Ortiz, admitted that he is leaning towards the home fighter, but noted that Lara will not be phased by competing in the challenger’s backyard.

“We can probably lean towards Tim Tsyzu because he is fighting at home, in front of his hometown, but Lara is not the fighter that brings in a lot of fans following him.

“He doesn’t have a following, he is not one that is going to sell out arenas, so even if it is in the United States, it is likely that most of the people are going to be [there] for Tim Tszyu because Australians do travel and Tim Tszyu has a lot of fans.

“For Lara, going to Australia is like going to Las Vegas or going to New York because he never has that following anyways. Anywhere he goes, he is going to be against the crowd. So, I think for him it is going to be one of those performances where it doesn’t make a difference if he is going to Tim Tsyzu’s hometown.”

Tszyu-Lara takes place at the Cbus Super Stadium in Queensland, Australia on Sunday 13 December.