Eubank Jr vs Benn: The one big mistake Conor Benn cannot afford to make

Conor Benn will hope to upset the bookmakers when he faces Chris Eubank Jr., with the welterweight star insistent he will destroy his rival once the action gets underway.

'The Destroyer' enters this bout as a decently priced underdog, but that has not deterred his confidence throughout the build-up to Saturday's blockbuster grudge match.

Benn can certainly stop his foe. He is unbeaten, packs a punch, and can end matters fast, as proven in fights against opponents such as Chris Algieri and Samuel Vargas. 

With Eubank Jr. too, there is evidence he can fold under early pressure when hit quickly in the contest, as was the case in his first meeting with Liam Smith back in 2023.

There, the Liverpool man hurt 'Next Gen' inside the opening few rounds, and the latter had no answer for further attacks with the damage done before a fourth-round loss.

• Eubank Jr vs Benn is live on DAZN PPV: £19.95; $24.99; €24.99 - buy now here

One big difference between Benn and Smith though is the latter’s experience at the highest level, as a former world champion who mixed it with proven elite fighters.

'Beefy' was in with stars such as Canelo Alvarez and Jaime Munguia throughout his career, and sharing the ring with Eubank Jr. was barely a step up for him to handle.

Smith therefore possesses the blueprint Benn needs, and it is likely the former's destruction in his first bout is largely where the younger star's confidence is drawn from.

But he just cannot gamble on this fast-start approach as his ticket to victory. Benn can jump out of the traps as fast as he wants but he must make an instant impact if so.

Should he fail to do so, it is a strategy that contains so much risk, especially if Eubank Jr. is still left standing after four rounds of the contest in north London this weekend.

If the bigger man can start equally as fast and land something big on Benn, then the fast start from the Essex man will instantly make him revert to a different plan. 

Savvy defence could well nulify the threat in the opening stages, which means Benn must have an alternative tactic to make his gameplan tell against his rival.

Eubank Jr. will be expecting him to begin quickly, and he will be desperate to take him to the later rounds. Benn must conserve energy and plan his attacks intelligently.

If Eubank Jr’s defence is savvy enough to help him nullify the threat in the opening stages, then Benn must have an alternative tactic because Eubank Jr will be expecting him to begin quickly, and he will be desperate to take him to the later rounds. 

He must ensure his shots are not wasted because if this fight goes long and the best of Benn’s work came in the first half then the crucial rounds will be telling late on.

Eubank Jr. is no stranger to scoring a late win with both his last wins coming via second half stoppage - and he may well find the wind in his favour if it goes there again too.

Watch three incredible fight nights in one week only on DAZN

Fight fans are in for a treat at the end of April / start of May, with three amazing fight cards within seven days - and  DAZN PPV  is the only place to watch them all.

• April 26:  Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn
• May 2:  Ryan Garcia vs Rolly Romero; Devin Haney vs Jose Ramirez; Teofimo Lopez vs Arnold Barboza Jr.
• May 3:  Canelo Alvarez vs William Scull

Arch rivals Eubank Jr and Benn finally go head-to-head to start the exhilarating week, with PPV prices at £19.95 in the UK; $24.99 in the US; €24.99 in Europe.

Garcia vs. Romero and Canelo vs. Scull fight nights follow, which will both be exclusively on DAZN. Fight fans can purchase either fight individually for  $59.99 US; £/€21.99 UK/IRE; ROW - $24.99 per PPV  or take advantage of the DAZN Knockout Weekend Bundle where both fights can be purchased for  $90 US; £34.99 in the UK and €34.99 in Europe .