Embattled welterweight Conor Benn has trouble envisioning his rival, Chris Eubank Jr., hanging a win over Liam Smith.      

Eubank, the longtime middleweight contender from Brighton, England, is scheduled to take on Liverpool’s Smith on Sept. 2 at AO Arena in Manchester, in a rematch of their first fight in January, which Smith won via fourth-round stoppage.  

A win for Eubank would obviously benefit Benn, as it would keep afloat the possibility of their own fight. Benn was originally supposed to face Eubank in a high-profile fight last October that banked on the heated boxing rivalry in the 1990s between their fathers, Eubank Sr. and Nigel Benn. But that match-up was cancelled after Benn was revealed to have tested positive for a banned substance. It was later disclosed that Benn had tested positive for the same substance in another instance, earlier in the year.

But if Benn’s prognosis of Eubank’s chances against Smith are any indication, their own fight could stand to lose its appeal.

“I haven’t seen no hype around it or build up or anything,” Benn said of Smith-Eubank II in an interview with Boxing Social. “But I can’t see Eubank getting past Smith. As much as I love Eubank to win, of course, as we’ve got our own feud that we need to settle, but the damage that has been done is done. And you know it’s only going one way.

Benn, who has continually maintained his innocence throughout his drug scandal, and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, have frequently expressed their interest in revisiting a fight with Eubank. The Essex native has not fought since knocking out Chris van Heerden in two rounds in April 2022.

Benn was the recipient of some positive news when the National Anti-Doping Panel lifted his provisional suspension. However, that decision has been appealed by United Kingdom Anti-Doping and the British Boxing Board of Control. Despite that development, and the prospect of another legal battle ahead, Hearn has stated that Benn will return to the ring in September.

Benn (21-0, 14 KOs) is convinced that even if Eubank (32-3, 23 KOs) loses to Smith (33-3-1, 20 KOs) again that their own fight could still be commercially viable, so long as there is enough demand from the public.

“Listen, if the public want it, the public can get it,” Benn said. “All this talk about me shying away from fighters, listen I’m willing to go up to 160 to fight this man. So, what more can you want from a fighter willing to go up to 160 to entertain the fans. My natural weight is 147. Listen, if the public want it, the public can get it. That’s it. If it’s in demand I will give it to the public. If they want it, they can have it.”