Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn: Why it's happening now, what weight it will be at, who's on the undercard and more
Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn was originally called off in 2022 after Benn's drug test results; that fight has now been made for this year; Eubank will box Benn at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 26; why it's happening now, the weight it's been made at and more explained
Saturday 22 February 2025 23:58, UK
Chris Eubank Jr's bitter feud with Conor Benn has led them to an April 26 clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Why is this fight finally happening now?
Eubank and Benn were originally meant to face each other in October 2022 at London's O2 Arena only for the bout to be cancelled in fight week after the latter failed two drug tests.
Benn's battle to clear his name has spanned the intervening two years, with the lifting of his suspension coming in November after the National Anti-Doping Panel stated it was "not comfortably satisfied" the 28-year-old had committed a doping offence.
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With the door to renegotiations open, the British rivals finally agreed terms for their long-awaited showdown at the end of January with Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, revealing the bout would headline a stacked Riyadh Season card at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London.
Is this rivalry more bitter than their fathers' feud?
Quite simply, they were born into it.
Eubank and Benn are the sons of great rivals, Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn, whose careers will forever be inextricably linked after their fights in the 1990s saw them dominate the super-middleweight division.
Despite every effort from their fathers to steer their sons away from boxing, the fighters have grown up with innate pressure to avenge the names of their fathers.
This isn't your everyday fight, it's personal, and the fallout from Benn's two failed drug tests and the first cancelled fight has only fanned the flames of this rivalry.
Eubank lambasted Benn after the drug test controversies in 2022, with the latter responding furiously, confronting Eubank before and after his last fight in October.
At what weight will Eubank Jr and Benn box?
The weight the pair would fight at had been a sticking point, with Benn boxing at welterweight and Eubank operating two divisions higher at middleweight.
Eubank had been determined to have this rescheduled fight in his division, 160lbs, rather than at a catchweight. On that front Eubank, has got his way.
What impact could the rehydration clause have?
But it has also emerged that a rehydration clause is part of the deal. It means that both men can't weigh over 170lbs, i.e. put on more than 10lbs the day after the weigh-in.
In this case it is designed to offset some of Eubank's advantage from bringing Benn up two divisions to his weight class to make this fight.
It could have an impact on Eubank. He has been a middleweight for a long time and making weight won't be getting any easier. If he doesn't make the weight well for this fight, this clause would deny him the opportunity to replenish as much as he usually would.
Why is Benn so confident about victory?
Liam Smith exposed a previously unseen vulnerability when he knocked out Eubank in their first fight. Eubank did reverse that result in the rematch but he has only boxed once since then, when he gradually overwhelmed Kamil Szeremeta.
Benn, in contrast, has never lost a professional fight and has scored impressive knockouts along the way. He will hope he can carry his punch power up to middleweight. But in his two most recent fights he has laboured and gone the distance. In fact Benn, hasn't won by stoppage since 2022.
What could be next for the winner and the loser?
Neither man has fought for a world title before. Winning this contest could put them on a path to boxing for higher honours.
Benn has a world ranking with the WBC and their welterweight champion Mario Barrios will be an option for him.
Eubank has the clout to snare a world title fight, with Erislandy Lara, the WBA belt-holder at middleweight, already a potential target.
Given the interest around the contest, a rematch too might become a post-fight talking point.
Who is on the undercard?
British light-heavyweights feature on the undercard as Anthony Yarde and Lyndon Arthur continue their own rivalry with a trilogy fight. Arthur won his first bout with Yarde but the Londoner avenged that with a knockout victory in their second.
Liam Smith returns to the ring for the first time since his knockout defeat to Eubank in September 2023, facing 19-0 undefeated Aaron McKenna in what promises to be an all-action clash.
Dethroned former cruiserweight world champion Chris Billam-Smith faces Brandon Glanton in his first fight since losing his WBO belt to Gilberto Ramirez.
Viddal Riley, in the stadium of the football club he supports, looks to extend his unbeaten start as a professional to 13 fights against Cheavon Clarke in the light-heavyweight division.
Full fight card
Saturday April 26 - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
- Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn
- Anthony Yarde vs Lyndon Arthur
- Liam Smith vs Aaron McKenna
- Chris Billam-Smith vs Brandon Glanton
- Viddal Riley vs Cheavon Clarke
