EARLIER this year, Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn produced a Fight of the Year contender, and the pair have seemed destined to run it back since. However, despite an announcement a few weeks ago, it now appears as though the rematch will not take place.
Eubank, 35-3 (25 KOs) and Benn, 23-1 (14 KOs), continued the legendary rivalry of their fathers and collided in a cross-generational trilogy match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where an instant classic ensued.
After a gruelling battle, all three judges agreed that Eubank had done enough, scoring 116-112 across the board. In the context of the fight, the 35-year-old claimed a historic win. Immediately, both Benn and the fans called for a second meeting between the British duo.
Three weeks ago, Turki Alalshikh confirmed that the rematch would take place in London on Saturday, September 20, but did not reveal the venue for the event.
However, speaking with ‘Tha Boxing Voice’ in an interview last night, the Saudi powerhouse spoke out on the radio silence from Team Eubank. Turki even threatened to give someone else the opportunity to fight Benn.
“We closed [finalised] the date. We know that in [our] schedule the fight must happen [on that date]. If someone [doesn’t] comment on this, this is not our job, we’re not a charity.
“If they don’t comment and they don’t understand the chance that we give them, that is on the table, then this is their mistake, not our mistake.
“We have a lot of people on the line, waiting for an opportunity. We will go with people that think [about] and understand what we are doing for them.”
Speculators assume that Eubank is unhappy with the decision to stage this second fight with Benn at 160lbs again, due to his difficulties making the weight earlier this year.
On The Ariel Helwani Show, Benn offered little sympathy and simply declared that his foe is ‘bottling it’.
“He has had 15, 16, 17 fights at 160lbs, the majority of his career was at 160lbs. Obviously he had pre-planned all of this with the weight cut and it was a good narrative to push and a lot of people believed it.
“But the reality is that I have come up two weights to [fight at] his weight division. He doesn’t want to do the fight, and he is bottling it, he is scared.
“[From] what I am gathering, he doesn’t want to do the fight and he wants to get out of it or move the weight.”
It remains to be seen whether Eubank’s decision to swerve the fight is simply a negotiation tactic in an attempt to bump up the weight limit or whether his refusal to go ahead with the contest is a genuine one.
