Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn are getting ready for a big grudge match on April 26 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. As the fight gets closer, Billy Joe Saunders, who's won world titles in two weight classes, has some thoughts about Eubank Jr's punching power.
Saunders doesn't think much of Eubank Jr's strength. He even said:
"Golovkin has more power in his p***k that what Eubank had in his hands."
That's a pretty bold statement, comparing Eubank Jr to Gennady Golovkin, who's known for his heavy hands.
Saunders knows Eubank Jr well. They fought back in November 2015 on the undercard of Derek Chisora versus Tyson Fury II. It was a close 12-round fight, with Eubank coming on strong in the second half. But Saunders won by split decision and kept his British, Commonwealth, and European Middleweight titles.
Since then, Eubank Jr has fought 18 times, winning 16 and losing 2. He's stopped opponents like Liam Smith and Kamil Szeremeta. Overall, he's won 34 fights with 25 knockouts. But people don't usually think of him as a big puncher.
Saunders isn't just critical of Eubank Jr's power. He thinks Eubank doesn't have much skill and won't ever be a world champion. He's even picking Conor Benn to win this fight.
Benn's moving up to 160 pounds for this bout. He's won all 23 of his fights so far, with 14 knockouts. But he's mostly fought at welterweight against lower-level opponents.
Eubank Jr says he'll stop Benn. But there's a catch - a rehydration clause that might make it hard for Eubank to put on weight after the weigh-in.
Saunders hasn't fought since losing his super-middleweight title to Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez in May 2021. Before that, he had some impressive wins. He beat Andy Lee for the WBO middleweight belt in 2015 and defended it against hard-hitting David Lemieux.
You can hear more of what Saunders had to say about Eubank Jr's power in this interview.
