CHRIS EUBANK JR was victorious on his return to the ring after beating Kamil Szeremeta by TKO.
‘Next Gen’ floored the Polish fighter twice before the referee called off the fight in the seventh round.
Eubank Jr claimed the vacant IBO Middleweight title for a third time on the night.
Conor Benn stormed the ring at the end of the bout, prompting further anticipation for the blockbuster all-Brit clash with Next Gen.
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Ouch!
Going back to that Wardley fight, Frazer Clarke’s head was a mess.
Check out the dent in Frazer’s head.
The KO
This was the moment the ref called time on Kamil.
Eubank scored the KO in round 7. It was a brutal display by the Brighton bruiser.
Full report
SunSport’s boxing man Wally Downes has the lowdown on the Eubank fight.
Read his brilliant report below.
Meanwhile…
FABIO WARDLEY has destroyed Frazer Clarke in one, single brilliant round that left the battered challenger with a dent in his temple.
After the fight, he said: “I know that once I hurt someone, I can get rid of them.
“I had a few issues for the first fight but I got rid of them, had a gameplan and executed it.
“I learned enough from the first fight to know I had enough to beat him properly.
“I can’t help it, it’s my name; War by name War by nature.
“I want belts and titles next, these domestic ones are great but I want the ones that have ‘world’ written on them.”
Fighting talk from Benn
Conor Benn has made a chilling promise to Chris Eubank Jr.
He took to X to reveal what he plans to do.
Benn wrote: “I promise you I will chin this idiot in Inside 3 rounds”
Eubank Jr reacts
Chris Eubank Jr has already shared his thoughts about his ring bust-up with Conor Benn.
Brilliantly, he took to X and challenged Benn to a fight.
Two blockbuster fights remain
Up next in Riyadh is the highly-anticipated rematch between Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke.
Seven months ago the two heavyweight stars put on one hell of a show at the O2 Arena, with many dubbing it the fight of the year.
You can follow all the action from Wardley vs Clarke 2 with our independent LIVE BLOG.
And last but not least, Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol meet for a huge light-heavyweight clash.
The two will be aiming to become undisputed light-heavyweight champion – and you can catch all the action with our independent LIVE BLOG.
Amusingly…
Quite funnily, it was Brazilian footballer Neymar who was in the thick of it.
He was there, breaking it all up.
What a laugh.
Here’s that mad moment
How on earth Benn managed to get himself in the ring is anyone’s business.
But here’s the moment the two went face-to-face in the ring.
We should have had this two years ago, if only Benn didn’t fail a drugs test.
Maybe we will get it in the near future in a future Riyadh season event?
More action to follow…
Still three more fights to go! Jai Opetaia defends his IBF cruiserweight world title against Jack Massey, before an exciting British heavyweight title rematch between defending champion Fabio Wardley and Olympic bronze medallist Frazer Clarke.
Then we have the one we’ve all been waiting an age for: Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol for undisputed status at light-heavyweight.
Benn fires back, wants rescheduled grudge match next
“You think you can beat me off the back of that?” Benn scoffs as he blasts Eubank Jr’s stoppage win.
“Sign the contract and we’ll see what happens, you have to come up [weight divisions] now,” Eubank replies.
Al-Hilal forward Neymar, formerly of Barcelona and PSG, was in the ring rather humorously overseeing their confrontation. He’s a friend of Eubank Jr, given their shared love of… poker and the US nightlife!
They butt heads before walking off, adding more spice to a matchup which needs little now. They were scheduled to box two years ago this month, before Benn tested postive for clomifene.
Eubank speaks…
On how he felt his performance was? “I was having fun in there, could’ve finished it in the first-round but needed to feel the energy of the Saudi crowd, it was beautiful! Had fun and that was the main thing, to work on things… got a big fight coming up next.”
His uppercut tendencies: “Kamil’s a tough guy, certain people get hurt and look for a way out, knew body shots would take him out and worked on things with my new coach Johnathon Banks.”
Says the partnership between them went beautifully for their debut together, Banks most notably was previously Golovkin’s trainer.
Eubank via R7 TKO, Benn in the ring!
For all the security ringside, somehow welterweight Conor Benn has managed to get from his seat into the ring without fuss and angrily confronts Eubank Jr – before the result is even announced – just like he did yesterday prior to the ceremonial weigh-ins. Unsavoury scenes.
The crowd stir as it appears Benn pushed, or attempted to hit Eubank Jr while they were exchanging words… now I see Hamzah Sheeraz talking to TNT Sports just outside the ring apron.
1:50 of R7 is the official time, with referee John Latham mercifully stopping Szeremeta from further damage.
Eubank Jr vs. Szeremeta R7
Eubank Jr lands a barrage of body punches early in the stanza forcing Szeremeta to take a knee, and the end looks very near now.
He’s teeing off on the Pole, who does his best to withstand punishment but is being hit far too often and it’s taking a toll.
Right on cue, he’s floored a second time in the round and the referee wisely waves it off!
Eubank Jr vs. Szeremeta R6
I’m told the cut Eubank Jr suffered earlier on, where he is sporting some blood, was caused by an accidental head clash.
Just as I’m searching for further details, Chris drops Szeremeta a second time at the end of a three-punch combination!
Left uppercut, right to the body and a right to the head leaves Szeremeta having to climb back to his feet a second time. Into the second-half now though…
Eubank Jr vs. Szeremeta R5
Szeremeta starts better and Eubank almost gets caught clean as his lazy entry away to the ropes is met by an acknowledging nod by the Pole, holding his own here now and giving as good as he’s getting.
I wouldn’t say we’ve quite hit a lull yet, but Eubank Jr’s urgency has slowed, and Szeremeta is more than happy to stifle him in the centre ring.
Credit: Getty Eubank Jr vs. Szeremeta R4
The third was a lot more scrappy, Eubank Jr down twice after losing his footing near the ropes but the pair are suddenly throwing haymakers with mean intentions to kick off this fourth stanza, wow!
Chris leading the dance as expected, then the pace predictably slows a touch and allows him a chance to probe behind his jab if he so pleases.
Instead he’s throwing that right hand, getting countered upon occasion for standing still too long and Szeremeta’s confidence will have grown, even if he is wearing some damage and losing this.
Eubank Jr vs. Szeremeta R3
The referee warns them about something, unclear what, early at the start of the third as Eubank lands some scoring shots up close.
They’re separated but only briefly as he goes back to the well, an increasingly marked up face for his troubles, trying to time the fight-ending sequence that will get him a highlight reel knockout.
I hear instructions ringside from one broadcaster to get European middleweight champion Hamzah Sheeraz’s view on how this fight is going – another to call Eubank out – wonder what he thinks?
Eubank Jr vs. Szeremeta R2
It was a nicely-executed right hand that dropped Szeremeta, as shown on the replays. Elsewhere, I can see a very animated Conor Benn ringside reacting too… he knows how much money is potentially still on the table for him in a prospective grudge match against Chris.
Jr lands a succession of sneaky uppercuts on the inside against the Pole, who has no answer for that shot and instead opts to try closing distance between them.
It doesn’t last though, he’s wobbled by another shot and I’d be very surprised if this bout goes beyond the middle rounds at this rate.
Three more uppercuts land flush for Eubank, who has no problem finding the target tonight.
Credit: Getty Eubank Jr vs. Szeremeta R1
They’re off! Szeremeta in the red and white befitting his beloved Poland, while Eubank has black and gold – the same style you see UFC champions sporting, if that’s your thing.
Eubank starts by picking his shots on the outside, then chains together a combination which drops Szeremeta barely a minute in!
Szeremeta’s legs still look unsteady after beating the referee’s count but he gathers his bearings once more, whizzing wildly and landing a pair of right hands to gain Eubank’s respect again, then stinging him in the final half-minute.
Fun first round! How long it’ll last, is anyone’s guess.
Eubank Jr, meanwhile…
Having celebrated his 35th birthday last month, the Brighton-born star attraction avenged a stunning R4 TKO defeat by Liam Smith eight months later in 2023 – though inactivity has been a familiar problem for the former IBO world super-middleweight titleholder.
Smith is here tonight and has insisted he wants a trilogy bout, though Chris has bigger targets on his radar: Conor Benn, a Billy Joe Saunders rematch and other, more outlandish opponents too.
A bit on Szeremeta…
Poland’s Szeremeta boxed to a 10-round draw on home soil against Abel Mina on February 24 at super-middleweight, after a pair of wins last year.
The last time he faced someone at world-level was back in June 2021, where he suffered a sixth-round defeat by Jaime Munguia.
Six months before that, he lasted just a round longer in a IBF and IBO world middleweight title opportunity against Kazakh legend Gennadiy Golovkin. As I can hear his music hits…
Eubank Jr time!
Well, not quite. Both fighters are doing an interview with TNT Sports’ Steve Bunce right now, but in a few minutes’ time, they’ll do introductions and the like for a middleweight contest no-one was expecting… but now we get it! Chris Eubank Jr makes his return after a 13-month absence, boxing seasoned veteran Kamil Szeremeta.
Credit: Getty Nicolson retains WBC featherweight gold!
All respect between the pair as they meet in centre ring and share a hug, having played their part in a historic world title fight on Saudi shores for the first time.
As a neutral, you can only wish this was more entertaining though perhaps Amanda Serrano is the only woman in this division who can bring that out of the 29-year-old Australian. Comfy winner here.
Scorecards: 99-91, 98-92, 98-92 Skye Nicolson
Final round! Nicolson on the verge..
After an eighth with little noteworthy action, the ninth is busier.
Nicolson lands clean which briefly sees Chapman stumble backwards midway through the ninth, the champion is stung by a stray left but is smart enough to manoevure away and evade further danger. Final round coming and Raven needs a stoppage in this next stanza to win.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
