There is clearly not the same interest in seeing Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn meet for a second time in 2025 after the former produced a decisive victory when they met at the end of April.
However, this is the money fight for the two and Turki Alalshikh had placed a two fight deal into the original contract which means the two fighters will head back to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for 'Unfinished Business'.
The tagline does not inspire very much considering business was clearly concluded when Chris Eubank Jr deservedly had his arm lifted in an Unanimous Decision.
Everything about this build up has been toned down compared with the original contest, but pride is still on the line and the fight made the most sense for Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn before perhaps chasing other avenues in 2026.
Riyadh Season is promoting the event, which means a decent enough undercard has been put together for the event in North London, but most fans may already be thinking ahead to next week when a huge show is broadcasted from Saudi Arabia.
November 22nd is a monster card from top to bottom and the 'Night of Champions' cannot fail to live up to the expectations around the event.
There are a couple of decent cards to get through this weekend, while we have had some solid fights announced for January already.
2025 has not really lived up to the promises, but 2026 looks like it could be a big year for Boxing fans and January is laying out a decent start to the season.
Everyone is still waiting to see if the rumoured Shakur Stevenson vs Teofimo Lopez fight is made official, while there are big hopes that Vergil Ortiz Jr and Jaron Ennis step into the ring in the first quarter of the year too.
However, recent trends in Boxing has seen in-ring face offs fail to materialise in an actual bout and rumours suggest both Ennis and Ortiz Jr could move in different directions before actually meeting later in the year.
In saying that, I do hope Danny Garcia and Errol Spence Jr are not those chosen to take on the young lions.
You cannot speak about Boxing this week and ignore the reports that Anthony Joshua has agreed a deal to fight Jake Paul in December.
There is a real expectation that this will actually happen and in a professional bout.
Credit has to be given to Jake Paul for wanting to take the fight, but it makes so little sense and Anthony Joshua will blitz him very quickly if he so wishes.
AJ and Eddie Hearn have targeted a big, big fight in 2026 in what could be the final year of his career, but you cannot blame him for taking the multi-millions on offer to beat an opponent he likely could with one hand tied behind his back. It may not be a great look for Boxing, and Paul could potentially get seriously hurt, but nothing surprises me in the sport and money talks.
Plenty of fans will choose not to tune in, but the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul exhibition showed plenty of others will and that is ultimately the reason it will happen, even if it is a complete and utter mismatch that would likely not be sanctioned in many places.
Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn II
Back in April it felt like there was storyline after storyline around the original fight, but all of that is lacking when Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn meet for a second time in 2025.
The 'will he or won't he?' around father Chris Eubank Sr and whether he would be at fight night ended with the iconic entrance on the night, but this time Sr was sitting alongside his son at the final press conference.
We also had the drama of Chris Eubank Jr missing weight by an ounce or two on tge Friday before fight night, but this time he has actually come in below Conor Benn's weight.
And even the outcome of the first fight means there isn't much controversy to hang onto this time.
However, you cannot ignore the potential for 'bragging rights' between the Eubank and Benn names and there was plenty of excitement the first time around that will have fans tuning in for the rematch.
Conor Benn has put a bit more on and Chris Eubank Jr has come in slightly below his last couple of fights, although tellingly at the same weight he was when beating Liam Smith in the rematch of that clash. That was also under the guidance of BoMac, who is back in the Eubank Jr corner, and it will be interesting to see what kind of adjustments the winner will make.
He will certainly feel he was dragged into a fight that Conor Benn wanted- Eubank Jr looked the classier of the two when he got behind the jab, and he showed those qualities in the final three Rounds to close out the win.
You have to believe that will be the game plan in this one- BoMac will not chase the Knock Out, but he will want Chris Eubank Jr to do the fundamentals right and if the Stoppage is available to then turn it up a notch.
Rather than making this Round Thirteen, Chris Eubank Jr may choose to rely on his skills a bit more and make things a bit more comfortable all around.
Adjustments will also be made by Conor Benn- he is most certainly trying to be a much calmer figure all around this week compared with last time and Benn has blamed his emotions for getting away from himself. He perhaps gassed himself out in the first fight having invested a lot early, but Conor Benn has to take some encouragement from the fact that he did seemingly hurt his opponent a couple of times and now having put twelve more Rounds into the Eubank Jr body.
Looking back at the first fight, there are a couple of moments where Conor Benn has considerable success and looks to be ready to take Chris Eubank Jr out. His team do feel that Benn rushed his work when those moments came up and this may mean a slower than usual start from The Destroyer in a bid to keep the reserves that may be needed later on.
At the same time, Chris Eubank Jr will take a huge amount of encouragement out of the way the Twelfth Round went for him and the partnership with BoMac resulted in a Stoppage win over Liam Smith as he broke down his opponent on that night.
When they met back in April, the feeling was the Chris Eubank Jr may end the fight late on and there is a feeling that the Judges may not be needed this time.
The resilience and pride of the fighter's will not allow them to quit in this one, but a this could be a slower start, which means a bit more left in the tank to find the power late on to force the referee to intervene.
After the gruelling fight just a few months ago, some of the resilience will have been lessened and both were in a bit of bother in the second half of the first fight.
Both fighters will have a new respect for one another having gone through Twelve Rounds against one another, but this may be a rematch that ends much more decisively, especially if we end up seeing both plant their feet and trade again.
The undercard is quite mixed in terms of fighters looking to move onto World level and others just hoping to kick careers further forward.
Richard Riakporhe is now operating in the Heavyweight Division and faces Tommy Welch, son of Scott who won British and Commonwealth Titles in the Division in the mid-90s and who fought for the WBO World Title.
This is a big step in level for Tommy Welch who has been fighting at Cruiserweight or Bridgerweight classes, while there is nothing on his record that will suggest he is ready to take on The Midnight Train.
At 35 years old, Richard Riakporhe does not have time on his side as he prepares for his second bout at Heavyweight, but the Stoppage win over Kevin Espindola will have gotten some attention seeing as the latter went all Six Rounds with heavy-handed Moses Itauma.
In the fight with Riakporhe, Espindola was withdrawn at the end of the Fourth Round and this could be another relatively early win for the former Cruiserweight World Title challenger before he looks for bigger fights in 2026.
The British and Commonwealth Light Middleweight Titles are on the line when Sam Gilley takes on Ishmael Davis and the latter has been very active over the last twelve months.
This may give him the edge, as will the experience he has picked up in fights against opponents of a higher level than Sam Gilley.
The vacant British Title and the fight being at the home of Tottenham Hotspur is going to offer plenty of inspiration for Sam Gilley and he is a fighter that will not shy away from having a scrap.
This should make this a fun addition to the undercard, but Davis is looking to take advantage of the opportunities that have come up and he may just do enough to wear down this opponent having allowed his fight against Caoimhin Agyarko to slip away.
His team are likely going to want Ishmael Davis to stay strong and to win Rounds well and that may also see him through for a late Stoppage.
The two chief support bouts on the undercard both look appealing.
Adam Azim's original opponent has withdrawn, but Kurt Scoby has arrived to make his presence known and he is unlikely to take a backwards step.
It should be fun for as long as it lasts, but this is a good chance for Adam Azim to show why he is so highly rated and his quicker hands and stronger footwork are likely going to see him prevail and inside the distance too.
The problem for the American is that he is stepping up levels, while Adam Azim has been in with former World Title competing opponents.
He needs to be more active in 2026, but Azim is on a good path and he can get this one done before the bell for the Seventh Round.
In the other chief support, Jack Catterall and Ekow Essuman meet in a real crossroads contest.
Both have wins over Josh Taylor, but this is a more natural weight class for the The Engine.
However, his style should also suit Catterall who will have opportunities to counter and this may mean a better watch, which has been a criticism of Jack Catterall in the past.
We did see Josh Taylor having plenty of early success against Essuman without being able to sustain it- this time Jack Catterall may be able to go longer and he may just do enough to take this on the cards, even if Ekow Essuman is coming on strong at the end.
He came up levels to beat Taylor, but Jack Catterall still looks to have a bit more left in the tank and has operated at a higher level, which can show up across the likely Twelve Rounds needed.
Over in Mexico, we do have a second decent card headlined by a World Title defence.
Richard Torrez Jr may be the leading up and coming Heavyweight from the United States and he is in a showcase spot with bigger fights expected in 2026.
The chief support is a bout between Lindolfo Delgado and Gabriel Valenzuela and this is seen as a chance for the former to show he is ready to take the next level in his career.
His team will be hoping that they are catching Valenzuela on the slide, but Lindolfo Delgado looks plenty short and there is every chance the odds and the unbeaten fighter can be upset.
Main eventing is Rafael Espinoza who was expected to depart the Featherweight Division- he is a huge fighter for the weight class and remains unbeaten, but failing to get one of the other Champions into the ring may have meant his time was up.
However, Espinoza has at least one more fight with his WBO World Title on the line and he is expected to be too strong for Arnold Khegai.
The latter has never been Stopped, but was beaten by Stephen Fulton at Super-Bantamweight and this is a significant step up in level for the 33 year old.
Rafael Espinoza carries plenty of power and he should be able to breakdown this opponent and become the first to end the contest inside the distance against Khegai somewhere in the middle of the scheduled Twelve Rounds.
MY PICKS: Chris Eubank Jr-Conor Benn Either Fighter to Win Between 7-12 @ 3.00 William Hill (1 Unit)
Richard Riakporhe to Win Between 1-5 @ 2.00 William Hill (2 Units)
Ishmael Davis to Win Between 7-12 @ 4.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Adam Azim to Win Between 1-6 @ 2.62 Bet365 (2 Units)
Jack Catterall to Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)
Rafael Espinoza to Win Between 5-8 @ 3.10 William Hill (1 Unit)
Boxing 2025: 23-68, - 40.02 Units (115 Units Staked, - 34.80% Yield)
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