Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn predictions, preview breakdown: Who wins Britain’s ultimate blood feud?

Eubank Jr. and Benn will hope to follow in their famous fathers’ footsteps and deliver an all-British classic that will be remembered for years to come when they enter the ring on Saturday in front of 65,000 passionate fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Eubank Jr. (34-3, 25 KOs) has the edge in both experience and size and therefore enters the fight as a favorite. Benn will be moving up two weight classes to battle Eubank in their long-awaited grudge match, which has been brewing for almost three years.

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Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) was 3.6 pounds lighter than Eubank at Friday’s official weigh-in and will likely be outweighed by around 10 pounds by Eubank by the time they enter the ring on Saturday. Eubank missed weight on Friday and will likely struggle to stay within the 10-pound rehydration limit for Saturday morning, which could be beneficial for Benn, as Eubank will not be able to rehydrate as well as he would have liked.

Benn has had 17 fewer fights than Eubank and has never stepped up to world level. Benn’s best wins have come against fighters smaller and past their best. Eubank Jr. unsuccessfully challenged for the WBA super middleweight title in 2016 and has shared the ring with a handful of world-class opponents.

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Benn’s biggest advantage comes in the form of youth. At 28, he is seven years younger than Eubank and has far less wear and tear. Being the much lighter man, Benn will also have the edge in speed. The welterweight impressed in his fight against Chris Algieri, showing terrific head movement and composure — attributes that will be key against Eubank.

The biggest mistake Benn could potentially make in this matchup is to fight with emotion. Benn has appeared reckless in some fights, and those are the bouts where he tends to telegraph his punches and leave himself open for counters.

Benn has never stopped an opponent past the fourth round. He is an explosive puncher, and his power seems to deteriorate as the rounds go on. The key for Eubank Jr. will be to weather the early storm and get into the second half of the fight, where the size difference could play a big part.

Overall, Eubank’s size and experience advantage should see him through to the finish line, but Benn shouldn’t be counted out in this one, particularly if he can hurt Eubank early.

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Prediction: Eubank to win.

Anthony Yarde vs. Lyndon Arthur 3

In the Eubank vs. Benn co-feature, light heavyweights Anthony Yarde and Lyndon Arthur will have their rubber match.

Arthur (24-2, 16 KOs) upset Yarde by split decision in December 2020 on a behind-closed-doors show. The Mancunian controlled the lackluster action with a precise jab. Yarde, who had lost several family members in the months before due to the coronavirus pandemic, claimed that he was distracted heading into the fight and produced an underwhelming performance as a result.

True to his word, Yarde (26-3, 24 KOs) was a different fighter in the rematch, viciously stopping Arthur in four rounds. In the deciding round, Yarde forced Arthur onto the ropes and sunk in heavy body shots and uppercuts to put Arthur down and out.

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Both Yarde, 33, and Arthur, 33, went on to challenge for world title shots in 2023. Yarde came off second-best in a firefight with Artur Beterbiev in January, and Arthur lost a wide decision to Dmitry Bivol in December. Yarde has beaten three low-level opponents since, while Arthur managed only one fight in 2024, a split decision over Liam Cameron.

Yarde is a significant favorite in the fight and is expected to replicate his performance from the second meeting with Arthur. Arthur has looked beatable in fights since the Yarde defeat, even excluding the Bivol loss. He had a tough night with the late-replacement Boris Crighton, he was dropped by Braian Nahuel Suarez and won only a split decision over Cameron, who himself was stopped in two rounds by Ben Whittaker this past Sunday.

Prediction: Yarde by KO/TKO.

Liam Smith vs. Aaron McKenna

Former WBO super welterweight champion Liam Smith will end a 19-month layoff against the unbeaten prospect Aaron McKenna in an experience vs. youth matchup on the Eubank vs. Benn undercard.

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Smith (33-4-1, 20 KOs) stopped Eubank Jr. in the fourth round in January 2023 in an upset but was comprehensively beaten in their rematch eight months later. The Liverpudlian hasn’t boxed since that loss due to injuries.

McKenna (19-0, 10 KOs) has fought at nowhere near the same level as Smith. Saturday’s fight is a monumental step-up for him on paper.

McKenna, 25, has impressed in his fights against lower-level opposition. The biggest question in this matchup is whether Smith, 36, still has enough in the tank to beat the eleven-year-younger McKenna.

Smith is a competent pressure fighter who excels at the basics of the sport. McKenna will have the advantage in reach and height, but will likely spend a significant portion of the fight on the inside, exchanging with Smith. McKenna’s defense isn’t as compact as Smith’s, and he could come off second-best with that strategy.

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If Smith still has enough left in the tank, he should prevail over McKenna.

Prediction: Smith by KO/TKO.

Cheavon Clarke vs. Viddal Riley

Cheavon Clarke defends his British cruiserweight title against Viddal Riley in a fight that many are picking to be the Fight of the Night.

Clarke (10-1, 7 KOs) has had back-to-back nip-and-tuck fights with Efetebor Apochi and Leonardo Mosquea, respectively, the latter of which he lost by split decision this past December. Clarke now drops down a level to defend his British title for the first time.

Riley (12-0, 7 KOs) is the English champion at the weight. He beat Nathan Quarless to win the belt and has made one defense of his title against Mikael Lawal in March 2024.

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Clarke is a stocky pressure fighter whose leaky defense has been exposed as he stepped up the levels. Riley, a very competent pure boxer, has yet to show much in the way of power in recent fights. This is a classic boxer vs. fighter matchup, and Riley will likely have to keep Clarke off of him for twelve rounds to walk away with victory.

Clarke is the more experienced of the two in the pro ranks, with seven fights to his name scheduled for more than ten rounds, compared to Riley’s two.

Prediction: Clarke to win.

Chris Billam-Smith vs. Brandon Glanton

Chris Billam-Smith, the former WBO cruiserweight champion, returns to the ring to face Brandon Glanton for his first outing since November’s loss to Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in a unification bout.

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Billam-Smith (20-2, 13 KOs) upset Lawrence Okolie in 2023 by majority decision to win the title and managed defenses over Mateusz Masternak and Richard Riakporhe before losing the belt.

Glanton (20-2, 17 KOs) has won three fights in a row since sustaining back-to-back defeats in 2022-23 at the hands of David Light and Soslan Asbarov.

Billam-Smith had his best success at short range with Riakporhe and Okolie, who have long punches and struggled to match the Brit’s work on the inside. The former champion wasn’t able to utilize those tactics as effectively against Masternak and Ramirez, who were better suited to fight Billam-Smith at midrange and up close.

Glanton edged Apochi in a Fight of the Year contender in 2021 by pushing the Nigerian back and hurting him with power shots. Glanton ate his fair share of punches in that fight, but he showed a good chin and ability to trade on the inside, which will be vital against Billam-Smith.

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Glanton, 33, and Billam-Smith, 34, are both tough, come-forward fighters, and it should make for an exciting fight. The American Glanton, however, is better suited to win this style matchup with his edge in punching power and being fresher of the two, as Britain’s Billam-Smith is only five months removed from his grueling battle with Ramirez.

Prediction: Glanton to win.