Chris Eubank Jr has cast doubt over his boxing future after posting a worrying video from his hospital bed. The 36-year-old endured a punishing points loss to long-standing adversary Conor Benn last month, seven months after initially having his arm raised against the ‘Destroyer’. Eubank Jr had struggled during the weigh-in before his initial clash with Benn in April and was subsequently fined £375,000.
‘Next Gen’ then required two nights of hospital care before being released following medical examinations. Eubank Jr acknowledged he experienced acute dehydration whilst desperately attempting to reach the middleweight threshold. It appears he encountered similar difficulties with the rematch after posting a concerning update on social media.
In footage shared on X (formerly Twitter), the Brighton fighter was pictured on a hospital bed with medical staff present, connected to various wires and monitoring equipment. He wrote alongside the post: “I’ve been dealing with a lot of health issues over the last year and yeah it all finally caught up to me last month.
“I will not box again until I’m back to 100 per cent and I don’t know when that will be, but one things for certain… For the fans that have supported me through thick and thin, I will do everything in my power to make sure that one day, the old me makes a big comeback.”
The future remains uncertain for the seasoned fighter with 39 bouts under his belt. Benn, following their 12-round rematch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, has encouraged his rival to consider retirement.
The son of boxing legend Nigel Benn, he advised Eubank Jr to shift his focus towards life beyond the ring, especially after Eubank Jr announced that he is expecting twin boys next year. “I can see him asking for a rematch, but ultimately I think we should let it lie now,” he said.
“We’ve done what we said we would do, we’ve sold out a stadium twice so let’s call it a day.
“He’s got more important things to worry about than fighting. He’s won at life with his two boys and if I was him I would look at his reasons for boxing. Ultimately he will be a dad of two and that’s always a priority. It’s not down to me to say whether he should retire but he has bigger things in life now.”
Eubank Jr appeared a shadow of his previous form in the rematch, throwing 300 fewer punches at Benn compared to their initial encounter. ‘Next Gen’ revealed he had endured significant struggles before his loss.
‘ “I’ve been through hell and back to make it here,” he said. “I genuinely thought that regardless of the issues that I have been dealing with, I would be able to go in there and win, use my boxing skills and use what I used in the first fight to beat Conor Benn. From that first round, I realised that I was mistaken, but it’s OK. I’m a fighter and this is what I do. Regardless of the dangers and the risk, we go to war and that’s what we do.
“I tried my best. Conor Benn put on a hell of a fight, he had a great performance and did everything that was asked of him. I congratulate him for his performance.”
Despite multiple opportunities to elaborate on his difficulties, Eubank Jr refused. When questioned about potential retirement, he responded: “We’re not talking about that right now.
“This is not about me. This night is about Conor. He did what he needed to do to win and he fought a great fight. You guys saw what I was in there tonight. Yeah, I thought once those bright lights hit and that round went, that I’d find something and I tried. I tried hard, but it wasn’t there and Conor was strong, was fast and he was tough. Yeah, congratulations to him.”