CONOR BENN is ready to drop back down in weight after his rematch with Chris Eubank Jr for a welterweight world title shot – before it’s too late.
Benn, 29, has gone up two divisions from his natural 147lb weight class for his two-bout series with Eubank, 36, at the 160lb middleweight limit.
He was beaten by the bigger man in April over 12 thrilling but gruelling rounds – setting up their rematch this Saturday live on DAZN PPV.
But even with the chance to level the score and set up a blockbuster trilogy decider – Benn insists the born rivalry ends here.
He said: “Victory, done. No trilogy. Because it’s like you sit here and you go, yeah, it’s a mega-fight, we want to give the public the biggest fights possible and obviously it’s financially rewarding for us.
“But, you sit there and you go, how much money do you need in comparison to getting a world title and having an opportunity there?
“So that’s really just how I feel at this present moment. I’m really excited to get back down to my natural weight and win a world title.
“That cements my legacy for me, not for anybody else, just for me, something that I thought I couldn’t do when I first turned over.
“I was so far away from achieving it to then achieving it.”
Benn was 26 when he first signed to fight Eubank in October 2022.
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Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn 2 – all the info
TIME for round two of this generation’s family feud!
Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn go punch-for-punch once again as both rivals look to make their fathers proud.
The blockbuster rematch takes place at the 62,000-seater Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, November 15.
Eubank Jr narrowly outpointed his bitter foe after 12 brutal rounds in April to secure the bragging rights in what was certainly a Fight of the Year contender.
And the two British superstars will dance once more as Eubank Jr aims to do the double while Benn seeks revenge after suffering a first career loss.
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But he was pulled out of the grudge match after failing two Voluntary Anti-Doping Association tests.
Benn was found to have had clomifene – known to boost testosterone levels – in his system before protesting his innocence.
The British Boxing Board of Control and UK Anti-Doping provisionally suspended Benn – who vowed to fight his case.
But he took his career to America for two wins up at 150lb – before UKAD later dropped the case – allowing Benn to fight in Britain once more.
Now three years on- all of which spent out of the welterweight division he vows to conquer – the son of a legend is in a race to shrink his body back to welterweight before a title opportunity passes him by.
Benn said: “For me, I’m done after this. Because I’ve been here almost two years at a heavier weight, so it’s like, my body, I ain’t getting younger, I’m 29.
“So for me to then have to drop weight down, it’s gonna take me a good – you won’t see me fight again until maybe summer next year just to get the weight down.
“I reckon I’ve got two fights at 147. I’m sparring light-heavyweights and having no issues at all.
“So I get sparring is sparring but ultimately we competed with Eubank at 160. If we had said this four years ago, it was like, ‘No, he’s way too small, there’s no way.’
“And here I am competing at 160, so for me, yeah, I do feel stronger for this fight, but in the back of my head, I will still want to get back down.
“It’s not like I’m just checking out cash in and I’ve gone, see you lot later. I still wanna do things in the game for myself that I wanna achieve.
“If you told me after I thought that French guy that put me down, Peynaud, or I said I could get a world title, all you would say, ‘What are you smoking?’
“So for me to then go and do that. I feel like I just sort of cements my own sort of legacy.”
Benn said he considered suicide after the news of his failed drug test – struggling to mentally cope as his career and reputation was left in tatters.
But his personal fight came to an end in November 2024 when UKAD confirmed the case was closed.
UKAD were “unable to publicly disclose the decision” or release the evidence that exonerated Benn without the boxer’s permission.
For me, I’m done after this. Because I’ve been here almost two years at a heavier weight, so it’s like, my body, I ain’t getting younger, I’m 29.
Conor Benn
Still, despite the lack of clarity over the result, Benn was free to fight on home soil again and returned with a vengeance against Eubank.
But after leaving all his rage in their second generation grudge fight, a reformed Benn said: “I feel very differently.
“I’m sure everyone, you’ve all documented the majority of my career, I’m a very emotional guy. Fighting, outside, I’m very emotional.
“It’s down to me to keep my emotions at bay, which I have done up to now. I’ve worked religiously on tactics in the gym. Basic s***.
“I’m not going in there swinging. Like, I’m glad you guys and the public enjoyed it, but I feel like I’ve done that now.
“I feel like I’ve done what I said I was gonna do on the tin and now it’s just that I get the win.
“As I said, each time I was going back each round to the corner, I weren’t even questioning whether I’d won the round or not. It went so quick.
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“I couldn’t even tell you whether I’d won the round or if I just wanted to hammer him and that was my sort of mindset whereas now it’s just like keeping my feelings at bay and going in there.
“I mean, you can see his antics already and to me he looks worried because he’s trying to go to these antics and clutching at straws to try and get me going, but it’s just not, I don’t feel like that’s me no more.”
