Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. will collide in a huge British fight that has reignited the rivalry of two fighting families.
Chris Eubank Jr. is seeking to double down on the Benn name as he hopes to replicate his father’s success against Nigel Benn in his match with Conor Benn.
The fight has been touted as one of the biggest in British boxing, and will take place in front of a whopping 65,000 people in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
But in a recent promotional interview, Benn has revealed that the gargantuan fight began with just an offhand joke.
Conor Benn jokingly asked to fight Chris Eubank Jr. after four names turned him down
In a promotional video with BOXXER, Benn spoke of the four names he wanted to fight in the welterweight division before naming Eubank Jr., and how none materialized:
“There were three names mentioned in the welterweight division – Jose Ramirez, Josh Taylor and Kell Brook were the names mentioned, oh and Abel Ramos, four names.”
Jose Ramirez is now scheduled to face Devin Haney in his comeback fight, whilst Josh Taylor makes his return to the ring soon against Ekow Essuman following back-to-back losses to Jack Catterall and Teofimo Lopez.
Kell Brook, who snatched the Golovkin fight from Eubank Jr., retired after his fight with Amir Khan, and Abel Ramos fought to a draw with WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios late last year.
With none of these fights coming through, Benn, who requested an 18-ft ring for the fight, reveals the offhand comment that made this fight happen:
“None of them fights materialized, so out of banter I’ve gone ‘Alright then, give me Eubank Jr.‘ That’s how it started. Out of banter. It was a joke. It weren’t a thing.”
“They’re trashing it”… Chris Eubank Sr. launches into tirade over Chris Eubank Jr. vs Conor Benn fight
In an appearance on The Sun’s No Glove Lost show, Eubank Sr. said of the fight:
“He must have his licence revoked […] 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?”
Eubank is referring to Eubank Jr. smashing an egg on Benn in their press conference, though his criticisms are not limited only to his son:
“This is not legacy. That is bringing the game of boxing into disrepute. That would’ve had a disqualifying effect back in my day. [It’s] no different to the language of Conor – the man speaks like he’s a possessed drunk.”
“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.”