The boxing world is ablaze with anticipation for the April 26, 2025, grudge match between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but former world champion Tony Bellew has stolen the spotlight with a blistering verbal assault on Eubank Jr. In a series of explosive interviews, Bellew didn’t hold back, branding Eubank a “terrible boxer” and predicting a brutal defeat at the hands of Benn. As tensions soar in this fiery British rivalry, Bellew’s harsh words have added fuel to an already combustible buildup—leaving fans buzzing and Eubank Jr. under intense pressure.
Bellew, speaking to talkSPORT Boxing, ripped into Eubank’s technical skills, dismissing his claims of being a masterful boxer. “I don’t know where he gets off thinking he’s the second coming of Roy Jones Jr.—he’s not,” Bellew declared, pointing to Eubank’s losses against elite fighters like Billy Joe Saunders and George Groves. “He’s been schooled many times. He’s a better fighter than a boxer, but technically, he’s not very good.” Bellew’s critique didn’t stop there. He argued that Eubank’s belief in his own prowess is his Achilles’ heel, setting him up for a “vicious” fall against Benn’s relentless aggression. “Conor’s explosive, wild, and dynamic. Eubank won’t keep him off for six rounds,” he predicted, forecasting a stoppage within the first half of the fight.
The bad blood between Eubank Jr. (34-3, 25 KOs) and Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) has simmered since their 2022 bout was scrapped due to Benn’s failed drug tests, a saga Eubank mocked by slapping Benn with an egg at a February press conference—a stunt Bellew slammed as “wrong” for risking Benn’s eyesight. “That was personal. Conor won’t forget it,” Bellew told DAZN News, suggesting the incident has only sharpened Benn’s hunger. He believes Benn, moving up from welterweight to middleweight, will overwhelm Eubank with speed and power early on, though he warned, “If Conor doesn’t finish it by round six, size could tip the scales.”
Bellew’s backing of Benn isn’t just sentiment—he sees the 28-year-old as a hungrier, more ferocious fighter, unburdened by the weight of Eubank’s 35-year-old experience. “Conor knows what he is: reckless, explosive. He’ll jump all over him,” Bellew told First Round TV, doubling down on his five-round knockout call. Yet, he acknowledges Eubank’s edge if the fight drags on, noting, “After six rounds, Eubank could wear him down.” This “tale of two halves” prediction has split fans, with some on X echoing Bellew’s faith in Benn’s firepower—“Conor’s gonna spark him out!”—while others defend Eubank’s durability: “Max survived Groves; he’s not folding to Benn.”
Eubank Jr., unfazed, has leaned into the mind games, brushing off Bellew’s jabs as noise. His recent stoppage of Kamil Szeremeta and revenge win over Liam Smith prove he’s no pushover, but Bellew insists those victories mask deeper flaws exposed by world-class opponents. “He’s not beating any world champion,” Bellew told talkSPORT, a barb that’s reignited debate about Eubank’s ceiling. Meanwhile, Benn, cleared to fight in the UK after a doping ordeal, is riding a wave of momentum, with knockouts like Chris Algieri’s bolstering his case as a middleweight threat.
As fight night nears, Bellew’s words have cranked up the stakes for Eubank, who faces not just Benn but the weight of proving doubters like Bellew wrong. Will Conor’s ferocity deliver the early KO Bellew envisions, or can Eubank weather the storm and turn the tide? With a shot at Canelo Alvarez dangled for the winner, the pressure’s on. Catch the fireworks live on DAZN from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium—British boxing hasn’t been this electric in years!
