Conor Benn Says He’s “Better Mentally Prepared” for Eubank Jr. Rematch

LONDON — For Conor Benn, redemption has been a long, grueling road one paved with legal battles, public scrutiny, and personal demons. But as he prepares to meet Chris Eubank Jr. once again this Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the 29-year-old says he’s finally where he needs to be: at peace.

“I feel like I was still healing,” Benn said. “I was still troubled, disturbed, restless, angry, bitter… just in life. My priority was getting back and fighting, but just because I felt like I could go back and fight doesn’t mean I should have.”

A Rivalry Defined by Turmoil

The Benn–Eubank saga has been steeped in personal animosity from the start a continuation of their fathers’ iconic 1990s rivalry that captured the imagination of British boxing fans.

Their first scheduled meeting in 2022 was scrapped when Benn failed two drug tests. Sparking an exhausting two-year legal fight to clear his name. Benn maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal, and though he was finally reinstated to fight in the UK in 2024, the emotional toll nearly broke him.

In a candid 2023 interview with Piers Morgan, Benn admitted he had contemplated suicide during the controversy. “It was the darkest time of my life,” he said then  a sentiment that still lingers when he reflects on his return.

The April Fight: Facing Demons

When the long-delayed grudge match finally happened in April 2024. Benn was back under the lights but far from fully healed. The fight week was chaotic, capped by Eubank slapping him with an egg at a press conference.

Though Benn fought bravely in his second 12-rounder his first at 160 pounds he admits now that he wasn’t mentally prepared for what awaited him.

“It was hard for me to even just face my demons,” Benn said. “I was physically strong, but it was hard. A strong mind can carry a weak body, but a strong body can’t carry a weak mind. That was how I felt.”

Therapy, Healing, and Perspective

This time, Benn says the work has been done not just in the gym, but in the mind. After the first fight, he sought therapy and made mental health a cornerstone of his comeback.

Now, the fighter once described as “reckless and restless” says he’s finally found calm.

“Coming back here, fighting in the UK for the first time in three years I’m ready now,” Benn said. “I’ve done the healing. I’ve done the work. I’m not disturbed anymore.”

A Future Beyond Eubank

While Benn insists he’s laser-focused on the rematch, he also made clear this rivalry won’t define him forever. Once the Eubank chapter is closed, he plans to chase world titles at welterweight and eventually move up to junior middleweight.

“I want to move past this and go after world titles,” Benn said. “This fight is for me to show I’m back, to show I’m clear-headed, and to show I can still be the fighter I was meant to be.”

Saturday’s rematch won’t just be another installment in British boxing’s most storied family feud it’s a moment of reckoning for a fighter who nearly lost everything outside the ring. For Conor Benn, it’s not just about beating Eubank Jr. this time. It’s about conquering himself.

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Robert LaMar is a writer  for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26