Not long ago, the idea of Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn stepping into the ring together felt more like a fantasy than a genuine possibility. However, the English rivals are now set to face off in front of 62,000 fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this Saturday, marking the UK`s biggest non-heavyweight boxing event since Carl Froch met George Groves at Wembley Stadium back in May 2014.
Just six months prior, Eubank Jr. (34-3, 25 KOs), 35, and Benn (23-0, 14 KOs), 28, appeared to be on completely different career paths. Benn was still under a ban from boxing on British soil due to a positive test for a prohibited substance, having fought only twice since April 2022, both times stateside against less challenging opposition.
Their fathers were integral figures in one of boxing`s most intense rivalries during the 1990s. Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn clashed twice. Eubank secured a ninth-round stoppage win over Benn in November 1990 to claim the vacant WBO middleweight title, followed by a split draw in their super middleweight unification bout in October 1993. Despite this deep family history, the continuation of this legendary rivalry wasn`t always guaranteed for the sons.
The initial fight between Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn was dramatically cancelled just days before it was scheduled to take place in October 2022, after Benn tested positive for a banned substance. Benn was subsequently prohibited from boxing in the UK, and Eubank`s career also faced a setback when he suffered a fourth-round TKO defeat to Liam Smith in January 2023.
Nevertheless, the demand for Eubank vs. Benn never faded, and they are now preparing to share a reported purse of £18 million (approximately $23.9 million) in a middleweight contest without a title on the line. Here is a timeline of how this highly anticipated rematch finally materialized.
August 20, 2022: Despite a two-weight class difference, Eubank and Benn are scheduled to fight on October 8. The fight is planned for London`s O2 Arena, anticipated to draw 20,000 fans.
Conor Benn discussed the pressure of his heritage in 2022, telling ESPN, “It`s not an easy thing to deal with, but you learn to. It makes you stronger, coping with the pressure, and you get used to it. It`s my job.” He added that his father initially didn`t want him to box and clarified, “I don`t feel like I had to take this path whatsoever… I just love to fight and I`m not letting anyone take that away from me.”
Chris Eubank Jr., who was a young child during his father`s second fight with Nigel Benn, stated that both he and Conor grew up fully aware of the rivalry`s significance. “Our fathers tried to kill each other in the ring, so 100% there is a rivalry between us,” Eubank Jr. told ESPN in 2022. “It was bloodlust in every sense of the word. Growing up, we were both always hearing about and people saying, `Imagine if they ever fought each other.`”
He reflected on the physical and mental toll the rivalry took on his father. “I remember seeing the injuries and mental hardships my father had to go through during that period of time… it was brutal. I have to respect what he went through and I can`t muddy what he went through back then during that rivalry, those fights with Benn.”
However, Eubank Jr. clarified that his rivalry with Conor Benn, while real, is distinct from the animosity between their fathers. “You don`t have to hate each other to be rivals,” he said. “This is just sport, that`s the rivalry. I don`t know about him, how he feels about it, but I don`t hate Conor Benn like Nigel Benn hated my father. I don`t even dislike Conor; he`s just a guy I need to beat. It will put me on a platform to challenge the bigger guys.”
October 5, 2022: Benn`s voluntary urine sample reveals trace amounts of Clomiphene, a banned fertility drug known to increase testosterone and aid fat burning. Benn later attributes the finding to consuming a large quantity of eggs.
October 6, 2022: With significant anticipation surrounding the event, the fight is called off just two days before the scheduled ring walk due to Benn`s positive test result.
Despite efforts by promoters to proceed, the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) issued a statement on Wednesday of fight week declaring the event would not occur as “it is not in the interests of boxing.” Promoters Matchroom and Wasserman Boxing confirmed the cancellation on Thursday.
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn commented at a London news conference, “This is a sport that is very, very dear to us… and whilst we were desperate for this fight to take place… we took the decision we felt we had to at this time, especially given the interests of the sport and the British public.”
Eubank Jr. shared his reaction on social media: “Conor got caught using an illegal substance, so the fight is off. Can`t believe it. I really apologize to the fans & everyone that bought tickets, traveled & booked hotels, this should not [have] happened. He has escaped his schooling … for now.”
October 26, 2022: The BBBofC announces that Benn voluntarily surrendered his British boxing license during a hearing on October 21, effectively banning him from fighting in the UK, where he resides and has his primary fanbase.
January 18, 2023: Eubank states that any future fight with Benn would require Benn to move up two weight classes to middleweight.
“Can the fight still happen? Absolutely, anything can happen, this is boxing,” Eubank told ESPN ahead of his planned fight with Liam Smith. “I`m sure it will happen. When? I couldn`t tell you that, but now it`s a fight the whole nation wants to see, the entire boxing world wants to see. When he gets his stuff sorted out, we can look at making the fight happen. But it will not be at that crazy catchweight. He has lost all his privilege about me cutting weight.”
Eubank added, “We have our own narrative now, our own beef. It`s not just about who our fathers are. We have our own thing going on, and he has to answer for what he has done.” He also expressed frustration at not being informed of Benn`s positive test result until approximately 10 days before the fight, stating, “It was too late… that`s why I didn`t say anything to anybody… the public found out and the promoter [Eddie Hearn of Matchroom] was forced to stop it.”
January 21, 2023: Liam Smith, a former WBO welterweight champion, knocks Eubank down twice en route to a four-round victory, marking the most significant defeat of Eubank`s career. This loss dashed hopes of a fight against unified champion Gennadiy `GGG` Golovkin, and Eubank and Smith agreed to a rematch.
February 22, 2023: The WBC sanctioning body clears Benn of intentional doping, concluding that his extensive consumption of eggs provided a “reasonable explanation” for the failed test.
The WBC`s ruling stated: “Mr. Benn`s documented and highly elevated consumption of eggs during the times relevant to the sample collection raised a reasonable explanation for the adverse finding.” It added that there was “no conclusive evidence that Mr. Benn engaged in intentional or knowing ingestion of Clomiphene.”
However, the BBBofC maintained Benn`s ban. General Secretary Robert Smith issued a statement: “The BBBofC has not been party to the review conducted by the WBC and has not been provided with sight of any evidence submitted on Mr. Benn`s behalf… whilst the BBBofC wishes to make clear that it respects the WBC, the WBC is a sanctioning body and not a governing body… The BBBofC was the governing body with whom Mr. Benn was licensed at the material time, and as such, any alleged anti-doping violation shall be dealt with in accordance with its rules and regulations.”
March 6, 2023: Benn reveals he contemplated suicide following the positive drug test result.
Speaking on `Piers Morgan Uncensored,` he said, “It`s hurt me… I didn`t think I was going to make it through this period… I was shamed for something I hadn`t even done… I felt like I was on death row for something I haven`t even done.”
When asked directly about suicidal thoughts, Benn responded, “Yeah, yeah, I`d say so, and it upsets me now because I don`t know how I got so bad… I got in a really bad way about it. You`ve got to remember, if you think I`m innocent or if you don`t think I`m innocent: I am innocent.”
September 2, 2023: Eubank delivers a strong performance to revitalize his career, gaining revenge on Smith with a 10th-round stoppage victory in Manchester, England. Eubank dropped Smith in rounds four and ten. Following the win, Eubank listed Benn among potential future opponents, alongside retired Kell Brook and Gennadiy Golovkin.
September 23, 2023: Benn secured a unanimous decision victory over Rodolfo Orozco in a 10-round bout in Orlando, Florida. The fight garnered minimal attention.
December 5, 2023: Eubank suggests Benn`s ongoing ban is preventing their fight from happening.
February 3, 2024: Benn went the distance against fellow Englishman Peter Dobson in Las Vegas, securing a unanimous decision win (119-109, 118-110, 118-110) in a welterweight contest. This was Benn`s second fight since April 2022 due to his suspension, and his second consecutive fight in the United States, again receiving limited attention in the UK.
April 28, 2024: Eubank parts ways with promoter Wasserman Boxing and signs with BOXXER.
October 12, 2024: Eubank achieves a predictable seventh-round knockout win over Kamil Szeremeta in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. More significantly, Conor Benn was ringside. After the fight, Benn entered the ring and squared off with Eubank. Although Benn was still banned from fighting in the UK, this encounter represented a significant step towards their potential fight.
Eubank posted on X (formerly Twitter) alongside a photo of their face-off: “I guess I got my next scrap lined up.”
Benn responded on X: “I promise you I will chin this idiot inside 3 rounds.”
November 16, 2024: With the Eubank vs. Benn fight still unconfirmed, Benn insisted his focus was on challenging WBC champion Mario Barrios, not Eubank. “I want Barrios next,” he wrote on X.
November 28, 2024: After two years of legal challenges, Benn is cleared to compete in the UK following UK Anti-Doping`s announcement that it would not appeal the National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP) decision to lift Benn`s ban.
The BBBofC also confirmed they would not appeal the NADP decision, paving the way for Benn to box in the UK for the first time since April 2022. Benn had failed two tests conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) before the planned 2022 fight against Eubank. The NADP, the independent tribunal for UK anti-doping disputes, and the BBBofC had initially banned Benn after his positive results.
January 15, 2025: Benn shares images of himself signing a contract, stating on X: “Your Fate has been sealed!”
Eubank retaliates with his own message: “Conor Benn just signed his own death sentence.”
January 23, 2025: Eubank vs. Benn is officially confirmed for April 26 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London.
February 25, 2025: During a news conference in Manchester, England, Eubank reaches into his pocket, pulls out a raw egg, and smashes it against the right side of Benn`s face. Benn, covered in egg, has to be held back by security. Nigel Benn, Conor`s father, also reacted strongly, grabbing Eubank around the neck before later apologizing and explaining he mistook the egg for glass.
Eubank commented on social media, “Apparently egg contamination was the reason for his two failed drugs tests. So I contaminated him with an egg.”
Later that day, Benn posted on X: “That`s the only shot you`ll land on me you f—ing p—k.”
February 27, 2025: Matchroom`s Eddie Hearn confirms Benn will receive a British boxing license, allowing the fight to proceed in England. Eubank also pledges £50,000 ($65,000) from his purse to the fighters who were scheduled to compete on the undercard of the cancelled October 2022 event.
March 11, 2025: Eubank is fined £100,000 ($130,000) by the BBBofC for the egg incident, found to be “in breach of Regulation 25 (misconduct).” Eubank states paying the fine was “worth every penny.”