The highly anticipated all-English fight between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn might be over, but the war has just begun among fans. The generational rivals went toe-to-toe on Saturday night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, producing a back-and-forth matchup for an energetic crowd of 67,484 fans assembled in the stadium and a million others at home.

Both men gave it their all, but Eubank Jr. managed to pull away with the win and snatched a controversial unanimous decision victory. All three judges scored the fight 116-112 in Eubank’s favor, but since then, many have voiced their disdain with the outcome through social media. Benn’s long-time promoter Eddie Hearn seemed especially upset.

Eddie Hearn doesn’t even want to talk about the scorecard

After the fight ended, Hearn reflected on the bout, claiming, “I don’t see Chris Eubank winning that fight by four rounds at all… Nigel Benn was the people’s champion; tonight Conor Benn became the people’s champion. He won the hearts of everybody who tuned in.” It’s worth noting that Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. fought twice in the early 90s. While Eubank Sr. won the first fight, the second fight ended in a controversial draw. Regardless, other personalities like Piers Morgan echoed Hearn’s sentiment regarding the final scorecard, advocating that a draw would have been a more accurate judgment of the fight. However, stats from CompuBox seem to tell a different story. 

According to CompuBox statistics, Eubank Jr. appears to have landed a higher number of total punches—367 out of 912 thrown—than Conor Benn, who landed 215 out of 593 thrown. Eubank Jr. also led the way in power punches landed—227 to Conor Benn’s 180. Despite what the numbers had to say, Hearn hopped on X to again assert what he had said post-fight. Sharing a picture of Nigel and Conor Benn in embrace, Hearn wrote, “Not even going to talk about the scorecards. The people’s champion right there.”

This quickly started a war of opinions in the comment section of the post.

Fans remain divided on Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn

Both Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. don’t have the best reputation among British fans. However, netizens didn’t shy away from speaking their minds about the result of the fight. One user ripped into the judges, claiming the scorecard left him baffled. “I think it’s a load of s**te if I’m honest – how have them judges scored that unanimous, absolutely bizarre. At least a draw, AT LEAST, & if anyone won that fight it was @ConorNigel by a small margin, but you could have argued the draw. I’m baffled by the judges’ decision,” the user wrote. Conor Benn can always make an appeal, but those rarely change the outcome.

Another user feared for the sport of boxing after witnessing the outcome of the fight while blaming it all on corruption. “Boxing is finished. Corruption at the highest. Draw for me that, Eubank should’ve had at least 1 point deducted 3 times, he got away with hitting at the back of the head. Benn stayed on the ropes far too long in the last round, never a 4-round margin draw or 1 round either fighter,” the user commented. Since the referees are never interviewed, it’s hard to say what their reasoning is behind the decision.

The next user had similar sentiments about the outcome of the fight, suggesting corruption was at play. “💯 The lad was robbed of a draw at least. The boxing corruption continues, hold your head up high Conor 🥊,” the user commented. But, as mentioned before, the stats from the fight indicate Eubank Jr. had the upper hand.

While many opposed the outcome, it also had several supporters. “Definitely not the people’s champion. It seems the majority were rooting for Eubank,” the user highlighted. The crowd indeed seemed to favor Eubank’s win, but it’s undeniable that the win on the scorecard is exaggerated.

Meanwhile, this user lashed out at Eddie Hearn, believing Eubank’s win was deserved. “‘People’s champion’ .. give it a rest, Eddie lad. The terms and conditions were stacked to give Benn the advantage, and whilst the scorecards were a little wide, it’s hard [to] argue that Eubank Jr. wasn’t the winner on the night,” the user claimed. Perhaps only a rematch can put the final nail in the coffin.

That said, it appears that despite Chris Eubank Jr.’s win, the fans aren’t completely convinced that he is the better boxer. Only time will tell whether there will be a rematch, but from the divided reactions, it’s clear people would come to watch it. What about you? Would you watch the rematch? Was Benn robbed?