Chris Eubank Jr’s promoter believes his fighter will not opt to retire after his recent loss to Conor Benn, with Ben Shalom hinting cryptically at the “reasons” for that result.
On 15 November, Eubank Jr was comprehensively outpointed by Benn, who dropped his fellow Briton twice in the final round. The fight took place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, seven months after Eubank Jr beat Benn on points in the same venue.
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Eubank Jr, 36, looked sluggish throughout the rematch and hinted afterwards that he had gone “through hell and back” in the lead-up.
He refused elaborate on what had negatively impacted his preparations, and he appealed to Shalom not to discuss the matter in the latter’s post-fight press conference.
Now, Shalom has addressed Eubank Jr’s future, telling The Ring: “I believe it’s a ‘when’ he will fight again and not an ‘if’ right now.
“I believe he will now have the time needed to recover. He threw 30 per cent of the punches that he could in the first fight, his body was not there, and he was not ready. He was not able to do what he needed it to do.
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“And look: there’s reasons for that, that aren’t my place to even talk about. The main thing for me is, when he fights again, he needs to have dealt with that.
Chris Eubank Jr (right) hit the canvas twice in the final round of his rematch with Conor Benn (PA Wire)
“From speaking to him, I feel like he’s got the motivation to fight again, so now he’s going to have to deal with that and what happened.”
Benn, 29, dismissed the idea of a trilogy bout in the aftermath of his redemption, while Eubank Jr appeared more open to the possibility.
Benn, who fought Eubank Jr at middleweight in both of their bouts, is eyeing a return to his preferred division of welterweight, where he desires a world-title fight or big-name opponent.
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“That was not Chris Eubank Jr in the ring that night,” Shalom continued. “I know that, you know that, anyone who has watched him over the last 15 years knows that.
“Now it is time for him to make sure he is going into the ring at 100 per cent, not 50 or 60. That’s what he was, and it wasn’t nice for him. He managed to get through the rounds and give us all a massive spectacle, but it wasn’t him.
Eubank Jr with his promoter Ben Shalom ahead of the first fight against Benn (Getty Images)
“Was that because the fight was at middleweight? I don’t know. Maybe I’d be more comfortable with him fighting at super-middleweight from now on.”
Eubank Jr narrowly missed weight for his first fight with Benn, with the middleweight limit having been a key point of contention in the lead-up to that bout.
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Eubank Sr, an icon of British boxing, criticised the fact that Benn was made to move up in weight and that his own son had to cut it. However, while Eubank Jr has fought at super-middleweight in the past, he has largely fought at middleweight in recent years.
Eubank Sr made a late, shock arrival at his son’s first fight with Benn, while he was more involved in the build to the rematch. In the 1990s, Eubank Sr fought Benn’s father Nigel twice, beating the latter in their first clash and drawing their second.
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