Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn are set to go head-to-head in one of the greatest British boxing matches of the year, and more than just reputation is at stake between the pair of pugilists
Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn will walk away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium having bolstered their bank balance by millions of pounds on Saturday night.
In what is being billed as one of the greatest British boxing fights of a generation, the tension is palpable as the pair of pugilists prepare for their middleweight main event at 'Fatal Fury'. A multi-weight world champion, Eubank Jr holds a record of 34-3 at middleweight and super-middleweight headed into the fight, and an advantage in size and experience may give him the edge as he does battle with his long-time rival.
Welterweight Benn, meanwhile, heads into the bout with a flawless record of 23-0, and will hope to put himself in line for his first shot at a world championship with a statement victory over Eubank Jr. The fight will take place at 160lbs, and a 10lb hydration clause will prevent either man from adding weight between the weigh-ins and fight night in the essence of fairness - given that Benn traditionally fights two weight classes below his opponent.
More than just reputation and records at stake, it is thought that both men will walk away from the bout on Saturday night having benefited financially. It is believed that the total purse for the fight sits at £18million, with a 60/40 split in Eubank Jr's favour.
This means that the son of Chris Eubank Sr will gain £10m for his efforts, win or lose, while Benn will walk away with a cool £8m to his name. It has been a tense state of affairs between the two fighters, who were initially set to face one another back in October 2022 until Benn tested positive for banned substance, clomifene.
As the 28-year-old received a two-year provisional ban, the fight was shelved completely despite Benn insisting that he was not involved in any foul play, and that the substance may have spiked up on account of him eating eggs. Benn was cleared of any wrongdoing last year, and as a result, the fight was re-booked and announced in January.
Face-offs the following month saw tensions boil over completely, as Eubank Jr slapped Benn with an egg before they had to be separated by security - an action that Eubank Jr's father soon after slammed as a "disgrace". Eubank Sr has also been incredibly outspoken on his distaste for the competition taking place at all, given the 13lb difference between his son and a smaller Benn.
 |
| Chris Eubank Jr hit Conor Benn with an egg at their face-offs(Image: PA) |
He said: "It's against the rules what is happening, 147lbs fighting 160lbs is against the rules. When Kell Brook was made to fight GGG [Gennady Golovkin] it's against the rules. That boy [Brook] had his eye socket smashed. For promoters, it is just a game, but to the warriors, it is a way of life.
"We have to call them what they are, they are trash, they are trashing us. We are not trash, we are the standard bearers... If you are not clever and you are not noble, this [boxing] will kill you, this vocation, what they call sport. If you don't play it right already, Conor, you don't have a career to enjoy."
The Eubanks have a long-standing rivalry with the Benn family given that Eubank Sr met with Benn's father Nigel in the squared-circle twice. Eubank Sr clinched the WBO middleweight title by handing Nigel a ninth-round TKO back in 1990, before the two met once more in a draw in 1993.
But Eubank Sr has also disagreed with media building the bout as a "legacy fight", telling The Sun's No Glove Lost show: "They have built it as a legacy fight. This started in 1990 with me and Nigel. So my son, he smashes an egg on the face of Conor. You want me to be associated with this?
"This is not legacy. That is bringing the game of boxing into disrepute. That would’ve had a disqualifying effect back in my day." He continued: "These two young men are trashing what me and Mr Benn did! They’re trashing it – and the public are following it because ‘Oh, it’s just entertainment’. It’s not just entertainment. Boxing is a standard bearing vocation."
- Aaron Morris
