Chris Eubank Jr shuts down promoter at press conference after losing boxing fight to Conor Benn

It marked a dramatic reversal of their meeting seven months earlier, when Eubank Jr had emerged victorious after a draining weight cut left him severely dehydrated and in hospital for two days afterwards.

This time Eubank Jr, 36, looked physically stronger on the scales, weighing in at 159.1lbs to Benn’s 159.3lbs under the strict contractual limits both camps agreed to.

But as the fight wore on, the veteran appeared increasingly flat, visibly labouring through the middle rounds as Benn racked up points.

When the final bell sounded, Eubank Jr faced the media first and openly admitted he had been battling serious problems in camp - issues he declined to detail.

“I’ve been through hell and back to make it here today,” he said.

“I genuinely thought that regardless of the issues that I’ve been dealing with, I would be able to go in there and win… From that first round, I realised that I was mistaken, but it’s okay.

@britclips_uk Eubank Jnr at the post fight conference 😳😱 #fyp #foryou #boxing #eubankjrbenn #EubankBenn2 ♬ original sound - britclips_uk

“I’m a fighter. This is what I do. I tried my best. Conor Benn put on a hell of a fight.”

Things turned tense only moments later when Shalom tried to elaborate on those problems, telling reporters: “All I want to say is what Chris went through in camp, he won’t want to talk about it but the things I saw - he did incredibly well to get in the ring tonight. He’s the reason this has been so big.”

From across the room, an irate Eubank Jr barked “Ben!” in warning, prompting Shalom to respond, “I know you don’t,” before finishing his remarks by crediting his fighter for pushing through.

“Chris doesn’t want to say it but I saw what I saw and he deserves a huge amount of credit to get in there tonight,” he stated.

Eubank Jr then walked out of the room, leaving questions over the full extent of the hardships that had undermined his preparations.

The strict weight-cut was clearly part of the strain. Eubank Jr had posted footage on social media showing himself wrapped in layers of sweat gear, cycling and sitting in a sauna while drenched in sweat. “Ain’t no way I’m missing weight this time,” he wrote.

Benn, meanwhile, celebrated wildly after the final bell, declaring the famous father-and-son rivalry between the two families finally settled.

“It’s been some journey and I feel like this is the end of the Benn-Eubank saga,” he told DAZN. “It’s done and finished. This ends here.”

The son of former world champion Nigel Benn also relished proving doubters wrong.

“Everyone was saying ‘can’t box’ – put that in your pipe and smoke it,” he said, before paying tribute to both fighters’ fathers. “This wouldn’t have been what it was without Chris and without our dads… Not bad for two silver spoon kids.”

Asked whether he would entertain a trilogy fight, Eubank Jr offered no commitment.

“I need to heal,” he said. “I need to deal with what I’m dealing with and then… I can start thinking about my path in the sport.”

For now, the rivalry appears finished — and the questions surrounding Eubank Jr’s troubled fight camp remain firmly unanswered.