Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn made their grand arrivals today ahead of The Ring Magazine’s first-ever boxing event on Saturday, April 26 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – shown live worldwide on DAZN PPV.
Headliners Eubank Jr and Benn will finally lock horns 35 years after their legendary fathers Chris Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn fought two iconic battles during the 1990s.
But the next generation are not just picking up where their famous fathers left off, they have their very own bitter rivalry and storied history between them.
The ‘Born Rivals’ were originally scheduled to clash in October 2022, but a series of failed drug tests saw the fight cancelled just days before the event, and Benn was subsequently suspended until he was officially cleared by UKAD over two years later.
When they came together in February to launch the new fight date, Eubank Jr slapped Benn around the face with a raw egg, fuelling the feud even further.
The reigning IBO world middleweight champion, Chris Eubank Jr, commented, “I keep hearing this two weight classes thing. He’s not coming up two weight classes. His last fight was at 156lbs. He’s putting four pounds on, he hasn’t been a Welterweight for three years.
“This fight isn’t about size or weight. It’s about skill, it’s about dedication, it’s about expertise, and all those areas I excel in and have got many many more years of experience over Conor Benn – and that will be the deciding factor on the night.
“Again, this isn’t any one attribute. I’m a complete fighter. I’ve been doing this for so long now I’ve forgotten more things than he knows. That will show on the night – the experience, the dedication and the will. These will all be the deciding factors.
“Shenanigans. I don’t do shenanigans. I do what I believe is right and I do what I want to do. If you guys think they’re shenanigans then fair enough. I’m just being me.
“The procedure will be parliamentary. That’s the only thing I can say about the outcome of this fight. Everything will go the way I want it to go. I will be like a matador in that ring and Conor Benn will be the bull.”
Conor Benn also started by addressing the weight concerns, “Yeah listen, I mean it don’t concern me in the slightest. I’ve prepared hard. I’ve done everything I possibly can in the gym. I’ve left no stone unturned. So for me, I look at him and I ain’t really too concerned. I’ll beat him at any weight.
“Yeah it’s always personal. Every opponent I fight it’s personal. People want to say it’s strictly business – it ain’t business. It’s never business. If you’re trying to put your hands on me and render me unconscious it’s never business. It’s always personal, every single one of my opponents – but this one has a little bit more history to it shall we say.
“I wish I was fighting tonight. Unfortunately we’ve got to wait a few more days but ultimately all of the hard work is done and I’m excited to go in there and do a number on him. As soon as I get my hands on him he’ll know what’s up.”
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn added, “This is the biggest fight in British boxing outside of the Heavyweight division since Froch and Groves. But this has something very different. This has an appeal to all kinds of demographics, all kinds of age groups. Everyone knew their fathers and everyone knows who they are.
“This is the greatest rivalry in the history of British boxing. Eubank-Benn 3, really, if you want to call it. Just a massive event sold-out at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and a real important moment for British boxing and these two fighters.
“Probably the experience side will benefit Chris Eubank, I think he’s been around a long time, he’s been part of a lot of big fights.
“Conor Benn is the one jumping up fighting the much bigger man. I think he’ll be giving away around 10lbs in the ring.
“I don’t think it will matter – the way that he has been performing in training camp, the way that he has been sparring, the size of the opposition he’s been sparring against – he’s ready for those guys. Let’s not forget – his last two fights have been at 154lbs, when he’s had those interim fights. There’s no doubt he’s at a disadvantage in terms on the size. I honestly don’t think it’s going to matter.”
Eubank Jr vs Benn tops a huge night of boxing in the English capital, where two-time world title challenger Anthony Yarde (26-3, 24 KOs) completes the trilogy with Manchester’s Lyndon Arthur (24-2, 16 KOs), with the WBA Intercontinental Heavyweight Title on the line.
Liverpool’s former WBO Super-Welterweight World Champion Liam Smith (33-4-1, 20 KOs) takes on Ireland’s unbeaten Aaron McKenna (19-0, 10 KO) for the WBA International Middleweight Title, and Kent’s Cheavon Clarke defends his British Cruiserweight Title against Tottenham’s Viddal Riley.
Bournemouth’s former WBO Cruiserweight World Champion Chris Billam-Smith (20-2, 13 KOs) meets America’s Brandon Glanton (20-2, 17 KOs) over 12 rounds.
