Chris Eubank Jr., Conor Benn fight confirmed for April
The highly anticipated fight between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn will take place in London in April, Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia‘s General Entertainment Authority, confirmed on Wednesday.
ESPN reported on Monday that the long-awaited clash was in the process of being finalised for April 26.
The fight will be contested at the middleweight limit of 160 pounds — where Eubank Jr. (34-3, 25 KOs) is rated No. 4 by ESPN — with a rehydration clause set at 170 pounds for the same-day weigh-in, sources told ESPN on Monday.
Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) competes at 147 pounds. He is ESPN’s No. 5 welterweight.
The two British rivals, whose fathers Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr. fought in two classic bouts in the 1990s, were set to face off in 2022 before Conor Benn tested positive for the female fertility drug clomifene, which is banned inside and outside competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Two years of appeals and legal battles followed for Benn, before his suspension was lifted by the U.K. National Anti-Doping Panel (NAPD) last November. That paved the way for negotiations to re-start, with a deal between the two camps struck this week.
Benn fought twice in the United States while he was unable to box in the UK, beating Rodolfo Orozco and Peter Dobson on points.
In October, Eubank Jr. scored a Round 7 knockout over Kamil Szeremeta in Ryiadh, Saudi Arabia.
Information from ESPN’s Mike Coppinger contributed to this report.
Source: espn.com