Tony Sims admits Conor Benn has a major decision to make as he deliberates Chris Eubank Jr rematch

Conor Benn's trainer Tony Sims admits his fighter has a huge decision to make as he weighs up whether to undertake a money-spinning rematch with Chris Eubank Jr later this year or press ahead with his own welterweight world title ambitions.

The 28-year-old fell agonisingly short in his pursuit of avenging his father's defeat to Chris Eubank Sr three decades earlier, succumbing to a unanimous decision defeat against Eubank Jr in a showdown that lived up to all of its hype.

The pre-fight underdog, who stepped up two weight divisions to meet his long-term adversary at middleweight, caused his opponent no end of problems at Wembley Stadium, even threatening to claim a remarkable victory before Junior upped the ante to edge to victory in the championship rounds.

"I want my revenge," Benn quipped in the immediate aftermath of the blockbuster bout in London, and whilst it appears as though the wheels are already in motion for a September sequel, Sims has called for his man to take his time in making a concrete decision.

"Inactivity played a real part and I know for a fact that Conor has an enormous amount more than we saw on Saturday night inside of him," he told Boxing News.

"We now have to decide whether we do the rematch or drop back down to his natural weight class, at 147lbs, and fight for the world title.

It will be difficult for him to walk away from a rematch, but in the same breath he turned down a shot at the world title, against WBC title holder Mario Barrios, for this fight.

"He truly believed he would win this fight, and I truly believed he would too, but that wasn't the case.

"It is what it is, it was a fantastic fight but now we have to make the right decision for Conor in terms of which path he takes next - it's a big decision for him, and for us as a team."

That long spoken about clash with Barrios remains a realistic proposition for Benn if he does opt against inking an agreement for a late-summer rematch with Eubank Jr.

That said, Sims is aware of the fact that Benn's fellow welterweight contenders, including WBC champion Barrios, will all have taken note of his eye-catching and gutsy performance against a world-level middleweight star.

"He showed that he has massive balls, and proved that he can take a shot at 160lbs and also pack a punch at 160lbs too, which is ominous for fighters back down at welterweight," he added.

"This is only the beginning for him, he's had a torrid two years, so for Conor to come through that and undertake a fight of this magnitude, with the spotlight on him, I am just incredibly proud of what he has done.

"Whichever fight Conor takes next, he will be an even better fighter on the back of Saturday night, I have no doubts about that."

Mark Mothershaw

• Matchroom
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