Chris Eubank Jr has defeated Conor Benn by unanimous decision in their highly anticipated blockbuster fight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Eubank battled through a severe cut in an effort to make weight. He had the weight advantage but Benn was fighting two weights above his usual division for this headline-grabbing middleweight boxing showpiece.
32 years after Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr fought to a draw in their own bitter grudge rematch, all three judges scored the fight 116-112 in favour of Eubank.
The difference in scores was reflective of Eubank's late superiority but was agreed by pundits to be too wide.
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Benn started on the front foot in an explosive opening despite the visible size difference and continued the pre-bout jawing after taking the fight to Eubank in the first round.
With the fighters in conversation throughout, Benn started to land his blows in rounds two and three before Eubank landed a powerful right-hand uppercut in the fourth to seize the initiative.
The 35-year-old hit the mark with a pair of big jabs in round six as the size and strength advantage started to look significant in what had been an even scrap up to that point.
Benn rallied in a fiery eighth round and the fight went up another gear.
Eubank went into round ten with a nasty cut opened up over his right eye by a clash of heads and Benn's superior speed gave him a degree of control before Eubank punched his way back into contention in the latter rounds, eventually rocking Benn in the middle of a thunderous twelfth.
But the fight, slow and measured at the start and a brawl in the end, went the distance with little to choose between the fighters.
The judges delivered a wider than expected win on the scorecards, giving the fight to Eubank by a clear unanimous decision.
He admitted after the fight that he underestimated Benn and hadn't trained for "this type of fight" but delivered a final round that made all the difference.
Eubank Jr is expected to earn £10 million from the fight despite a hefty fine for missing weight, while Benn will reportedly pocket £7 million.
With a rematch on the cards, there's plenty more where that came from.
Topics: Chris Eubank Jr, Conor Benn, Boxing, Boxing News
Chris Nee