LONDON: If the first two days of Fight Week were about appearances, Day 3 was about pressure.
The Live Media Press Conference, held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, stripped away the rehearsed lines and brand polish. What unfolded instead was a tense, theatrical showdown between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn, just 48 hours before they meet in a ring already charged with legacy, accusations, and unfinished history.
From the moment Eubank walked in, dressed sharp and confident, the tone shifted. Benn entered quieter, focused but noticeably reserved. The crowd — a mix of media, fans, undercard fighters, and organizers — picked up on the contrast immediately. The flashbulbs didn’t wait. Neither did Eubank.
“He ran”
Standing before a packed room and a bank of cameras, Eubank delivered what felt more like a monologue than a media answer.
“Conor ran to Spain,” he said, pausing to let the tension land. “He couldn’t take the noise here — the chants, the headlines, the jokes. So he left. I stayed. I trained here. I spoke to the kids. I kept my feet in the city. The public's invested in this fight. I feel that every time I step outside. And believe it or not — most of that energy’s been positive.”
He wasn’t done.
“I’m happy with where I am mentally. He’s not. You’ll see that pressure on his face by Friday. It’s building. And on Saturday — it’ll crack.”
Benn holds back
Benn, to his credit, didn’t rise to the bait. He kept his responses brief, even measured. But that silence seemed to speak as loudly as Eubank’s taunts. The contrast was stark: one man played to the crowd, the other kept his fire under wraps. Neither showed signs of blinking — just two different approaches to the same storm.

But the silence raised questions. Was it composure? Or calculation?
More than just hype
This wasn’t the usual press junket. The room was crowded, the atmosphere sharp. Reporters leaned in. Even the undercard fighters — who had earlier spoken about their own bouts — sat up straighter as the main event men took the stage.
This is what happens when a fight is more than a fight. When it’s about fathers, and pasts, and public reputations. When it’s about three years of legal battles, insults, cancelled bouts, and a fanbase divided.
This is Eubank vs. Benn, but it’s also history vs. redemption.
Arab News on the ground
Arab News was on the ground throughout the press conference, reporting live as fighters from across the card took their seats, answered questions, and stared down expectations. From rising talents to headline names, the air at Tottenham was charged — a stadium preparing to trade goals for gloves.
What comes next
With Friday’s weigh-in still ahead, the emotional temperature continues to rise. Saturday’s Fatal Fury-themed fight night will be broadcast globally, with a packed card beneath the headline event. And while most fans will tune in for the fists, the mind games may prove just as decisive.
With the weigh-in coming Friday and the fight just around the corner, the noise isn’t fading. It’s building.

BENGALURU, India: Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood starred with 4-33 in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s 11 run IPL win at home against Rajasthan Royals, who won the toss and chose to field first Thursday.
Chasing 206 to win after Bengaluru’s 205-5, Rajasthan looked comfortable before Dhruv Jurel was dismissed by Hazlewood in the 19th over of the chase.
Jurel scored a 34-ball 47 and was removed with 17 needed off 9 balls for the win.
Hazlewood removed England’s Jofra Archer on the next ball, leaving Royals reeling with 17 needed off the final over.
Earlier, Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli hit a 42-ball 70 to steer Bengaluru to a par score on a batting friendly Bengaluru wicket.
Openers Kohli and Phil Salt raced to 59-0 in the powerplay before Salt was removed on 26 in the seventh over with the team on 61-1.
Kohli then built an important 95 run partnership with Devdutt Padikkal before finally falling in the 16th over to Archer.
Padikkal, who was batting very well, fell soon after a 27-ball 50, with Bengaluru on 161-3.
Quick wickets toward the end took away the momentum before key cameos by Tim David (23) and Jitesh Sharma, who remained unbeaten on 20.
Archer was Rajasthan’s standout bowler and finished with 33-1. Sandeep Sharma took 2-45 and Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga finished with 1-30.
Rajasthan’s young top-order batters started really well and stayed ahead of the required run rate for the first half of the chase.
Indian Test opener Yashasvi Jaiswal hit 19-ball 49 before he was removed by Hazlewood.
His opening partner, Vaibhav Suryavanshi fell early on 16 to India veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who finished with 1-50 in his four-over spell.
Spinner Krunal Pandya bowled an important spell and removed both Nitish Rana (28) and Rajasthan skipper Riyan Parag (22) who looked dangerous after the fall of initial wickets.
Rajasthan were cruising before Rana’s wicket in the 14th over but its batters failed to convert starts into a score to help their team cross the finish line.
“I think we did really well with the ball... We held them back really well,” Parag said after the game.
“With the batting, I thought at the halfway mark we were in the driving seat,” he added.
But “we have ourselves to blame... (The team was) in the driving seat and we let it slip.”
Player-of-the-match Hazlewood said that he “was just sticking to my strengths.”
“I knew hard lengths were hard to hit so I was mixing that up with yorkers, change of pace,” he added.