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On Saturday 26 April, 2025, 67,484 boxing fans got their money’s worth, and then some. The capacity crowd packed into Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to see the resolution of a feud generations in the making: Chris Eubank Jr versus Conor Benn. The fight they witnessed was worth the wait, with an intoxicating encounter culminating in the former claiming victory via unanimous decision. Now it is time to revive the rivalry, with the pair returning to their former battleground for a rematch on Saturday, 15 November. And Eubank Jr is doing everything in his power to ensure a repeat result. “Training for me isn’t something that starts and stops,” he says. “It’s a lifestyle. Even when I’m not in camp, I’m still training – still sharpening the tools. Then when camp begins, everything just intensifies.” As he talks through his average day, the term “intense” begins to feel inadequate. From hour-long weighted shadow boxing sessions and pre-sunrise runs to technical drills and the essential habit “people don’t expect from a fighter” – this is what Chris Eubank Jr’s camp looks like. A typical week in Eubank Jr’s camp involves six days of training and one day “off”. The word “off” is in speech marks because, even on this day, the fighter still tends to do some form of “active recovery” – low-intensity activity to keep the body moving. “Every session has a purpose,” Eubank Jr says. “You’re building endurance, power, speed, reflexes – all the attributes that make you dangerous in that ring.” Training days tend to start early, with the boxer beating the sun to head out on a six or seven mile run. “That’s followed by a session in the boxing gym: pads, bag work, technical drills,” he continues. “Sparring comes in a few times a week once we’re in the thick of camp. Strength and conditioning sessions slot in between those explosive movements, core stability and mobility.” • Read more: Strength training helped Crawford reach a new level... which workouts should you do to improve your boxing performance? A professional boxer is a consummate athlete, blending the supreme skill needed to succeed in the sport with physical attributes such as strength, power, speed and agility. Knockout power is the one that steals most of the limelight, but it is another aspect of fitness Eubank Jr believes correlates most closely to success in the ring. “Everyone will tell you something different – power, speed, endurance – but for me it’s all about conditioning,” he says. “You can have all the talent in the world, but if your engine fails, you’re done. “The ability to sustain intensity round after round, that’s what breaks opponents. You develop that through consistency and suffering; the early morning runs, the rounds when your lungs are burning and your body’s telling you to stop. That’s where the conditioning is built – when you keep going after the point most people would quit.” To get a taste for this, Eubank Jr recommends the drill below. Complete three rounds of the following sequence: “Skipping is old school, but it’s timeless – there’s a reason every great fighter does it,” he says. “It builds rhythm, coordination, footwork, and it’s one of the best forms of cardio you can do without even leaving your house. “Try to skip for three three-minute rounds with 30 seconds rest in between. Do that consistently and you’ll start to understand what boxing fitness really feels like.” • Read more: The expert-approved workout that can help boxers build fight-ready fitness “Shadowboxing has always been my bread and butter,” Eubank Jr says. “It’s something a lot of fighters overlook, but it’s the purest form of the craft. You’re visualising your opponent, perfecting your timing, your rhythm, your movement, no distractions, no contact, just you and your imagination.” Some days, he will do this for up to an hour, holding light dumbbells or adding ankle weights to increase the resistance and challenge. “It looks simple, but it’s one of the hardest things to master,” Eubank Jr warns. You will only reap the physiological rewards of training loads you can recover from. There is no point flogging an athlete to the point they cannot bounce back and train hard for the remainder of the week – that is what fight night is for. However, Eubank Jr also needs long, intense training sessions to develop the skill, endurance and physicality required to thrive as a fighter. For this reason, he and his team take recovery incredibly seriously. “Recovery is as important as the work itself,” he says. “I’m big on stretching, massage, and sleep. I take my rest seriously. “I also meditate. People don’t expect that from a fighter, but quieting the mind helps you deal with the chaos that comes with what we do.” He also ensures he supports his performance by fuelling his body appropriately. “In terms of diet, it’s clean, disciplined eating: lean protein, greens, complex carbs, all measured, all with a purpose,” Eubank Jr explains. “But I’m human – after a fight, you’ll probably catch me with a pizza or a box of Krispy Kremes. During camp, though, there’s no compromise.” Read more: Why skipping is a key part of boxing training, and how it helped Crawford beat Canelo Eubank Jr’s initial answer to this question is concise and clinical: “Obsession. Discipline.” “You need the ability to suffer and keep your composure – you have to be comfortable being uncomfortable,” he adds. “Some of that you’re born with – that inner drive, that competitiveness – but a lot of it you forge through experience. “I’ve lost fights, I’ve been written off, I’ve been in hospital beds. Those moments either break you or harden you. For me, they’ve hardened me. “Mental strength comes from embracing pressure. When you learn to stay calm when the whole world’s watching and someone’s trying to take your head off, that’s when you know you belong at the top.” Read more: The daily non-negotiables that transformed Conor Benn’s health and mindset in 70 days DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts. For pricing in your country, more information and to sign up, click here.
