BILLY JOE SAUNDERS DELIVERS HONEST VERDICT ON CHRISS EUBANK JR'S PERFORMANCE AGAINST CONNOR BENN

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Billy Joe Saunders has summed up Chris Eubank Jr.‘s performance after he was beaten in his rematch with fierce rival Conor Benn.

Benn put on the best performance of his career to date as he floored Eubank Jr twice in the final moments of their 12-round middleweight bout at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Eubank was a shadow of the fighter that he was when he faced Benn for the first time back in April, with many claiming that the 36-year-old had struggled with a number of weight related issues in the lead-up.

Another man that has been at the forefront of a bitter feud with Eubank over the years is two-weight world champion Saunders, who handed his countryman the first defeat of his tenure back in November 2014.

Speaking to Boxing King Media, Saunders have an honest assessment of Eubank’s performance against Benn as he admits he believes their first bout was ‘one too many’ for the 36-year-old.

“There was a little bit of mixed thoughts on it really. I did have a thought of, obviously, Eubank just purely getting old, fatherhood catching up. I think that he was on the decline now for the last couple of years but I just think that 11 stone 6 has pulled it out of him trying to maintain that weight for so long, your body’s going to naturally grow.

“He always keeps in good shape so it’s not really a case of he’s blown up and trying to get back down to the weight, he’s always been in shape and I think it was one too many last fight and I think the last fight took a lot of mileage off.”

It has been suggested that Eubank may now decide to retire from the sport, while Benn is set to target one of the welterweight world champions.

- Kailem Lowe

BILLY JOE SAUNDERS BANNED FROM CHRIS EUBANK JR'S DRESSING ROOM AS CHAOS ERUPTS IN ROW

Billy Joe Saunders was denied entry to Chris Eubank Junior's dressing room as a huge row erupted and Conor Benn's 'mind games' backfired ahead of their fight

Billy Joe Saunders was denied entry to Chris Eubank Junior's dressing room as chaos erupted with a huge row backstage at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The British boxer, 35, was due to inspect the hand wrapping of Eubank Jr ahead of his clash with Conor Benn but was not allowed in to check his wraps.

Conor Benn, 28, planned the stunt in a bid to get into his rival's head, given Saunders' win over Eubank Jr, 35, earlier in their careers. But his plan backfired as Saunders rowed with Eubank Jr's manager after being refused entry.

A member of a boxer’s team is allowed into the opponent’s dressing room when they are wrapping their hands to ensure they are done within the rules.

But Saunders is not a British Boxing Board of Control licence holder so Eubank Jr's team did not have to let him in.

Chris Eubank Jr had insisted Saunders - who beat him in 2014 and been involved in plenty of verbal spats with ‘Next Gen’ - inspecting his hand wraps wouldn't unsettle him.

Speaking this week, he said: "You can't unsettle me. I'm ice cold. Would I be alright with it? I mean, obviously, I would prefer him not to be there, but if he does it's not gonna affect anything, you know, it's not like he's gonna be talking to me.

"He'll be in his little corner, watching and I'll get my hands wrapped and then he'll get out of the room. It makes zero difference."

Earlier in the evening, Chris Eubank Senior sent fans wild by turning up with his son. The iconic fighter, 58, whose fights with Conor Benn's dad Nigel Benn in the 1990s are the stuff of boxing legend, had seemingly become estranged from his child.

He even went as far as to say he wanted his son's boxing licence revoked ahead of the bout. Eubank Sr had branded his son a "disgrace" and vowed never to be in his corner again after he slapped an egg off Benn’s cheek at a press conference. He then implored the British Boxing Board of Control to stop the fight over fears at what weight the bout was happening at.

But at 8.15pm on Saturday his father emerged, smiling as he got out of a large car and then his son came around the other side and they were arm in arm as they walked into the arena. The crowd in North London erupted into rapturous cheers as footage of the pair arriving together was played on big screens in the stadium.

- Neil Docking

PAUL-TYSON $18.1M GATE KO'S COMBAT SPORT RECORD OUTSIDE LAS VEGAS

You can debate whether Jake Paul is a "real" boxer, but what is not debatable is that the 27-year-old is now the biggest draw in boxing. Paul's unanimous decision victory over Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, ended up being a massive success with a record-breaking gate.

The main event that pitted the YouTuber-turned-boxer against an iconic heavyweight champion -- paired with a historic co-main event in which Katie Taylor narrowly defeat Amanda Serrano via controversial split decision -- was the biggest gate for any boxing or MMA event outside of Las Vegas in U.S. history, according to a statement from Paul's Most Valuable Promotions.

Over 72,300 fans attended Paul vs. Tyson and brought in $18,117,072 in total revenue. The event, promoted by MVP Promotions and streamed live on Netflix, clocks in as the ninth-highest combat sports gate ever in U.S. history and set a record as the highest-grossing gate at AT&T Stadium for a combat sports event.

The previous Texas gate record was set by Canelo Alvarez's 2021 showdown with Billy Joe Saunders at $9 million.

As a result of the success of Paul-Tyson, Netflix stock rose 2.8% to close at 847.05 on Monday.

"Paul vs. Tyson and Taylor vs. Serrano 2 rewrote the record books, solidifying Most Valuable Promotions as a trailblazer in combat sports," Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, said in a statement. "From setting the highest gate outside of Las Vegas in U.S. history for a combat sports event to becoming the most streamed sporting event in U.S. history, this event is a testament to the global impact of Jake Paul, Mike Tyson, Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano, and the incredible athletes on this card."

The event was also a massive success on Netflix, despite widespread streaming issues, with 60 million households tuning in for Netflix's first foray into live sports.

Off the heels of Paul-Tyson, the streaming giant announced that Beyonce will be performing at halftime of Netflix's first NFL Christmas Gameday, where the Houston Texans will host the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 25. Netflix also announced the debut of WWE's "Monday Night Raw" on the streaming platform will take place on Jan. 6 at Los Angeles' Intuit Dome and feature a special appearance by Travis Scott.

- Andreas Hale, ESPN

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Mechi ya Canelo Alvarez na Liam Smith itafanyika September 17...Liam ni dogo ambae anaweza kujitahidi na kupambana ulingoni...Itakuwa ngumu kumchapa Canelo lakini hata hivyo itakuwa mechi kali ambayo itampa tizi zuri Liam...Baada ya mechi hiyo labda Billy Joe Saunders atapambana na yoyote atakae shinda ingawa kwa uzoefu atakuwa Canelo...Bofya hapa upate habari zaidi.