Why Eubank Jr & Benn deserve more than world champions

Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn are expected to raise millions for their rematch this Saturday, November 15, in London.

(Credit: Matthew Pover Matchroom Boxing)

Millionaires without titles

Reports indicate that Eubank Jr. ‘s purse will be around $12.6 million, and Benn’s will be at $10.1 million. Eubank Jr. get a 60/40 split of the spoils as the A-side for their 12-round middleweight-catchweight bout on DAZN PPV. Why does Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn eight-figure money while neither beat a world-class opponent?

World level? Not even close

It’s hard for fans to understand. Given their meager resumes, these two should be making a fraction of the money they’re getting.

So far, Conor’s best career wins have come against these four fighters:

1. Chris Algieri – 37 years old
2. Chris Van Heerde
3. Rodolfo Orozco – 33-5-3 record
4. Adrian Granados – 21-10-3

Those fighters aren’t world-class welterweights, or at least they weren’t when Benn fought them. Algieri is a former WBO light welterweight champion, but he only briefly held that belt in 2014 before being defeated by Manny Pacquiao.

Eubank Jr’s career best wins came against this fate:

1. Liam Smith – 37
2. James Degale – *Not prime version
3. Liam Williams
4. Arthur Abraham – past his best

The money that Eubank Jr. and Benn are going to make is great, but they haven’t done anything to deserve it. They have never won world titles during their respective careers and are not projected to ever win one unless they are maneuvered into the perfect situation against a paper champion or elevated into a belt.

Boxing’s popularity economy

What the money reveals is that performance is secondary, and popularity is the only thing that really matters in this era of boxing. What happens to their careers after this cash grab if the fight flops or ends badly? Could one of them be used for Riyadh season cards in the future if this fight doesn’t bring in the same PPV numbers as the first? The Eubank Jr.-Benn event, held earlier this year on April 26, reportedly generated 620,000 purchases on DAZN PPV. If Saturday’s event brings in just a trifle, what happens to them?

Eubank Jr. has fought world-level opposition once in his career, losing to George Groves via a 12-round unanimous decision on February 17, 2018. Since then, he has fought a mix of domestic and European opposition. Would either man even survive at world level against the division’s elite? I don’t see a positive outcome for Eubank Jr. if he is lined up against the world champions at 160 or 168. Same with Benn. Can he face WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. compete if he is matched against him now? It is doubtful whether he could.