The highly-anticipated rematch between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn is ‘falling apart’, according to one of the fighters.
The two British rivals finally did battle in one of the most intriguing fights in recent times in April, with Eubank Jr coming out on top at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium via unanimous decision.
It was a bitter build-up, with Benn initially being banned over a doping scandal that he was later cleared of and Eubank Jr taking a number of opportunities to remind his opponent of the incident.
In a pre-fight press conference, Eubank Jr smashed an egg on his rival’s face, and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC) ordered the fighter to pay a £100,000 fine.
There were also issues surrounding the weight limit for the fight, with Eubank Jr normally fighting at 175lbs and dropping down to 160.05lbs without a rehydration clause – being fined £375,000 for missing the cut-off at the official weigh-in.
Now, though, it is Benn who has suggested the second bout is in serious doubt, despite a date being put into place in September 20.
The rematch between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn is ‘falling apart’, according to one star
Eubank Jr won the first bout in April by unanimous decision and a rematch had been planned
Benn, though, said the bout is in serious doubt – but that it is ‘nothing to do with’ him
‘This rematch falling apart had nothing to do with me,’ Benn told Ring Magazine. ‘I was ready to go on the scheduled September date. ‘I’m not sure what happened to Chris Eubank.’
Following the initial fight, Eubank Jr spent 48 hours in hospital due to severe dehydration, and was then expected to get in the ring again five months later.
And, in the biggest indication that the rematch may not happen, The Ring Magazine revealed that Riyadh Season, Sela and the Ring, all led by boxing powerhouse Turki Alalshikh, who announced the second fight, will now have no involvement in any potential bout.
That puts serious doubt over the fight due to official Alalshikh initially announcing the date and a number of financial backers no longer present.
The rematch clause had been placed in the original contract, but Eubank Jr had been keep to step up to fight Canelo Alvarez, who faces Terence Crawford in September.
That will put the futures of both fighters without clear direction, but Benn’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has insisted there is plenty on offer for his man.
‘Listen, we ain’t got to worry about Conor Benn,’ he told Ariel Helwani. ‘He’s one of the biggest stars in boxing right now.
‘Everyone wants to fight him. Brian Norman Jr, Devin Haney, Teofimo Lopez, Shakur Stevenson, Richardson Hitchins, Ryan Garcia – Conor Benn is the hot stuff in the division right now.
The second fight had been expected to take place on September 20, once again in London
It was thrown into doubt when boxing powerhouse Turki Alalshikh pulled out, however
Benn’s promoter Eddie Hearn (left) has told fans to ‘not worry’ about the future of Benn
‘The fight with Shakur, I love it. That’s a massive stadium fight in the UK. We got plenty of options.’
Last month, meanwhile, Eubank Jr discussed his stunning reunion with his estranged father, Chris Eubank, on the night of his fight against Benn.
Speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Eubank Jr explained: ‘On the subject of my father, regardless of what he said about me and about the fight, he was there when it mattered the most.
‘And that means everything. I didn’t know he was going to come. He called me. He texts me the day before the fight, the night before the fight. He said, “call me when you see this”.
‘So, I saw the text and I thought, you know what? We are less than a day away… this is the night before the biggest fight of my life.
‘A couple of hours go by, maybe nine, 10 o’clock, I’m like, “you know what, I’ve been through so much s*** these last two months, what more could possibly be thrown at me?” At the end of the day, he’s my old man. He’s text me, I’m going to hear him out.
‘So, I call him. I was about to go to sleep and I thought I’ll call him. As soon as he picked the phone up, there was a tone in his voice that I hadn’t heard for years. It was a tone of happiness, likeness, joy, “hey, how you doing son? What’s going on? How’re you feeling?”
‘I said “how am I feeling? When have you worried about how I’m feeling? I’m good dad, everything is cool. Just getting ready to go to sleep. Got a big day tomorrow.” He said “yeah, I know you’ve got a big day tomorrow and I want to be there for you”.’
