Former super-middleweight world champion George Groves believes Chris Eubank Jr is 'winning the mental battle' in the build-up to his blockbuster meeting with nemesis Conor Benn on Saturday 26th April.
Groves is a former opponent of Eubank Jr, beating him via unanimous decision in the World Boxing Super Series semi-final at the Manchester Arena in February 2018.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Eubank Jr v Benn, Groves said:
The way the build-up has gone, I feel it's now not just a physical fight, it's a mental and emotional fight, and so far Eubank's won every battle. He's absolutely winning the mental battle, there's no disputing that.
Only one year older than Eubank Jr, Groves has revealed the pair have shared several rounds of sparring, an experience he believes can only have benefited his former rival.
"He [Eubank Jr] became a much better fighter through sparring high quality fighters," Groves said.
"You have to spar the better guys to improve and that's where he made all his improvements, in the gym, sparring me, sparring Froch, James DeGale and others."
Contesting 37 professional fights in his career, 14 more than Benn, it is this added experience which Groves believes could give Eubank Jr a vital edge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Groves told Sky Sports: "It's a massive fight, a lot of pressure and it's all new for Conor Benn.
"Essentially he hasn't had the experience of where's at. He hasn't had the big world title fights, he hasn't had the big grudge matches. He hasn't got an amateur pedigree."
Billed as Fatal Fury and organised by Saudi fight broker Turki Alalshikh in partnership with The Ring Magazine, Chris Eubank Jr v Conor Benn will take place in front of a sold out 62,000 capacity crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Saturday 26th April 2025.
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