"We'll Never Experience Anything Like This Again": Eddie Hearn on Eubank Jr vs Benn

(Credit: Sky Sports Boxing)

April 26th will bring us a blockbuster British showdown as Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn will finally meet in the ring to settle their feud which also carries the burden of their fathers rivalry.

Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn is arguably the biggest fight in the 21st century in British boxing, based on their father’s name. But, the two have their own history and a score to settle.

Does Chris Eubank Jr Have Fans on His Side Against Conor Benn?

The 35-year-old Eubank Jr, hailing from Brighton and Hove, has primarily been viewed as the villain throughout his career because of his flashy behavior and perceived arrogance in and out of the ring. However, he may head into this fight being deemed as the ‘good guy’, perhaps for the first time in his professional career.

This all stems from when Benn failed a VADA test for Clomiphene back in 2022, which resulted in the initial fight being called off. The 28-year-old was ultimately banned from boxing in the United Kingdom before his ban was eventually lifted.

His ban was lifted when Benn and his legal team claimed that the failed VADA tests were due to contaminated eggs. In 2023, the WBC agreed and stated that “elevated consumption of eggs” was a “reasonable excuse” for Benn’s adverse drug-test findings.

What Has Happened Since the First Fight Got Cancelled

A lot has happened since this point. Firstly, the Londoner has fought twice since his failed drug tests, against subpar opposition in Rodolfo Orozco at light-middleweight, and then Peter Dobson in a catch-weight at 151-pounds.

While Benn won both fights, he struggled to hurt his opponents, eventually settling for two unanimous decision victories. This has piqued the interest of everyone in British boxing because he has seemingly lost his punching power since failing those VADA tests. Of course, it could also be because he’s fought up in weight. If that’s the case then it could be a familiar story on Saturday night, considering this bout is scheduled at middleweight.

Moving onto Eubank Jr since the original bout against Benn was cancelled, he has had a domestic dust-up with former light-middleweight world champion Liam Smith, where he initially got stopped in the first fight before exercising a rematch clause and getting revenge over “Beefy” with a stoppage win. Then, Eubank Jr put on an incredible performance as he brutally beat Kamil Szeremeta to claim the IBO middleweight world title.

This fight has been brewing for a while now, and things got a lot more heated after Eubank Jr slapped an egg in Benn’s face at a press conference back in February.

“The history, the narrative, the controversy” – Eddie Hearn on What Makes Eubank Jr vs Benn Unmissable

Speaking to Sky Sports, Eddie Hearn, the promoter of Benn, had this to say during media duty:

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“When are we ever going to get anything like this again? Every age group, every demographic knows (the rivalry) Benn vs Eubank. The older generation were there to witness those two epic fights. My generation knows the fathers and the sons. The younger generation knows Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn.

“But the narrative of this fight, you’re talking about the two biggest icons in the history of British boxing – the greatest rivalry in British boxing history. And, now their sons, who by the way, don’t just play computer games with boxing on it, they’re two world ranked world class fighters.

“The history, the narrative, the controversy. Everything that’s unfolded will lead us to the fight of the year, will lead us to a moment – we’ll never experience anything like this again, away from heavyweights: AJ and Fury, this is the biggest.

“This is Froch vs Groves style all over again, and you’re going to get a similar kind of fight, and a similar kind of knockout, actually, in the favour of our man.”

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