THE plan, it seems, is for the winner of Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn’s back-to-back dustups to face super-middleweight king Canelo Alvarez.
With a rematch, regardless of the result, to follow later this year, the domestic rivals are first gearing up for their encounter at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, this Saturday.
They were, of course, supposed to square off back in 2022, before Benn, 23-0 (14 KOs), twice tested positive for clomifene, a banned substance, during fight week.
But despite the lack of a public explanation, or indeed sufficient evidence to prove his innocence, the 28-year-old’s ban to box professionally in the UK has since been lifted by the National Anti-Doping Panel.
As a result, both he and Eubank, 34-3 (25 KOs), are set to earn staggering figures in what has been billed a bloodline clash, based entirely on the iconic rivalry of their fathers.
Not only that, but the winner of their two lucrative showdowns this year could quite possibly enter 2026 with a Canelo, 62-2-2 (39 KOs), fight on the table.
The Mexican must first take care of business against IBF titlist William Scull, which most expect him to, on May 3, before regaining his undisputed crown ahead of a blockbuster clash with Terence Crawford in September.
After that, the 34-year-old may explore a potential outing in the UK – something he has long teased – for the third fight of his deal with boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh.
Believing that Eubank, the naturally bigger middleweight, will secure two victories over Benn, Boxxer promoter Ben Shalom is unsurprisingly keen to revisit the Canelo matchup.
Before Benn emerged as an opponent, Eubank and Shalom had engaged in talks with Canelo’s team earlier this year.
But now, with the economic might of Alalshikh, it could be said that negotiations are likely to be far less pedantic.
“It’s something that [Alalshikh] has said publicly – he wants the winner of [Eubank-Benn] to fight Canelo,” Shalom told Boxing News.
“That’s the fight we wanted to make [for Eubank]. The terms weren’t quite right at the time, but ultimately there aren’t many dance partners for Canelo that actually bring something to the table.
“I know Canelo’s dreamt of fighting [in the UK]. I think it’ll happen in February next year – there are going to be two fights with Conor Benn.”
Live on DAZN, April 26 Eubank Jr vs. Benn. Over 30 years of rivalry and hatred all comes down to this! A bloodline born to settle the score, hatred in their blood. Eubank Jr vs. Benn, live on DAZN April 26.
