Latest news with #EubankBenn
BBC News
04-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
No weight change for Eubank-Benn rematch
Eddie Hearn says he has received no request from Chris Eubank Jr's team to renegotiate the weight terms for September's rematch with Conor Benn, adding he would be reluctant to entertain one if it Matchroom promoter confirmed the rematch will be fought under the exact same conditions as their April bout - at the middleweight limit of 160lb with a rehydration clause - as stipulated in a two-fight contract agreed outpointed Benn at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in their much-hyped grudge match, the latest chapter in a rivalry dating back to when their legendary fathers first rematch is set for 20 September in London, with the venue still to be confirmed."Firstly, [Team Eubank] wouldn't approach me because the contract is with Saudi Arabia but the issue they have is we have a contract that stipulates the terms are identical to the first fight," Hearn told BBC Sport. "That's what we've signed and that's what we've agreed to." Asked if different terms would be considered, Hearn said Benn would not want to go above the 160lb middleweight weight was a contentious issue in the build-up to their first fight. He missed weight during fight week and was fined £375,000 but was within the 10lb rehydration limit on fight British Boxing Board of Control will hold a hearing this month over reports Eubank used a sauna to cut weight - against its rules - but Hearn believes the debate has been overstated."People don't realise for the rehydration Chris Eubank weighed in in all his clothes and a big jacket. And he was half a pound under, he was probably three pounds under. It wasn't a problem at all," Hearn added."At 160lb he was tight and you could tell it was hard work. But it's hard work for 99% of fighters making weight. I don't think the hydration is the issue, it's how long he's going to make 160lb limit for." Why is Eubank-Benn rematch happening? Despite losing by unanimous decision in April, Benn was quick to push for the rematch, which Hearn feels is a sign of his growing confidence."I think he took this fight because he believes he can win it this time," Hearn said. "He was too small last time, physically, but he still made it a 50/50 with his tenacity and ability."The long-term [goal] for Conor Benn is to win a welterweight world title but that can wait."The first fight was high on drama - from Benn's failed doping tests to egg-slaps, last-minute fines and a surprise appearance from Chris Eubank Sr on fight believes the sequel could be even bigger if the fighters' legendary fathers, Nigel Benn and Eubank Sr, are involved from the start."This time the difference may be Eubank Sr is part of the promotion," Hearn said. "That hour before the first fight will never be matched. The fight itself will be matched. I think it will be the 13th round back again."The rematch announcement came as a surprise after Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, confirmed the bout on social media."The announcement caught everyone by surprise, including Eubank. Turki announced the fight without telling anyone. Team Eubank reached out to me right after the announcement [a bit confused]," Hearn has yet to publicly comment on the bout and he and his team have not responded to a request for comment from BBC Sport, but Hearn is confident the fight will go ahead."The only reason fights don't happen is because of the money," Hearn said. "The money is set and the money is massive. No-one loves money more than Eubank. It will happen."
The Independent
03-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Eddie Hearn makes surprise admission over Benn-Eubank announcement
Promoter Eddie Hearn has confessed that he was surprised by the announcement this week of the rematch between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn. Speaking to The Ring at the launch yesterday of Matchroom's new branding, Hearn said that while he and everyone involved in the promotion had been taken by surprise due to the quickness of the announcement. The date for the rematch has been set for 20 September in London, although no venue has yet been named. Hearn said: 'It took everyone by surprise, because that's what Alalshikh does. I didn't know the announcement was coming. We're all onboard, we have a contract, and we always knew it was going to be the 20th or 27th once the venue became available. And he wanted the 20th, so he just doubled down. And the next thing, it was announced.' Catch all the latest boxing action on DAZN The promoter, son of the legendary Barry Hearn, also reflected on the controversial rehydration clause that has been carried over from the first fight. That clause stipulates that Eubank must weigh in for the fight at 160lbs or under, while also not weighing more than 170lbs on the night of the bout. On 26 April, Eubank and Benn fought twelve rounds at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London in a fight that saw Eubank win by scores of three scores of 116-112. Looking both at the first fight between the pair and the upcoming rematch, Hearn said that the rehydration clause the first time around was not as onerous as previously thought. This was despite allegations from Chris Eubank Sr that his son's medical condition had been 'touch and go' after the first fight due to the dehydration. He said: '[ Eubank ] was half a pound under with his jacket on and all his clothes. But I think 160lbs was a big problem for him, and I think he's very tight at middleweight. But he's made that weight the last five times. That's a question for him and his team.' Hearn added: 'For Conor, we're all good. You saw, in the first fight, the physical disadvantage that Conor Benn has in terms of size. So you're going to see round thirteen, really, of Benn-Eubank I, and that's exactly how the fight will go. This time, I think we'll do him.' DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
The Independent
02-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
CARVILL'S NOTES: On Fathers and Sons
If you missed their first fight earlier this year, you missed a solid, competitive bout between two men, both of whom would have inflicted lasting, permanent damage upon the other. It was for two fighters unproven at world level and naturally a few divisions apart an event that overachieved in its public profile. Much of that was down to the surnames of those involved: Eubank and Benn. Not the fighters in the ring, but the fathers who decades before had faced each other in Birmingham in 1990 and in Manchester in 1993. Catch all the latest boxing action on DAZN That night in London was an evening in which past and present flowed into and around one another, enmeshing indelibly. There was a tremendous nostalgia about the event, so many people who had heard whispers of the legends, bouts that exist now as ghosts on videotape. It was a sensation that punched hard above its weight. There was also love. When Chris Eubank Sr emerged from the car carrying his son, the crowd erupted. The eruption of the crowd was neither jeers nor boos. The elder Eubank was now treasured – public enmity at his antics turned to respect for his achievements, and possibly even a form of love. The people recognised his honesty and his integrity, and they cherished him for it even if they did not agree with him. Nostalgia has a way of doing that. And then there was Benn, his back to the camera, stood watching the entrance of his old rival. It all made for perfect cinema. When I watched the fight on YouTube a few days later, I was struck by a different feeling, one that always comes when I see the children of fighters go into the ring to follow their fathers: sadness. I understand why many sons follow their fathers into the ring; it is both a way to prove yourself as a man and a challenge to the person who sired you. There are elements of hero worship, too, and possibly inevitability. A father's trade passes down. But my father was not a boxer and no child of mine will ever climb into the ring. I am that middle ground: the fragile boy who found manhood in his boxing gloves. And I have seen the costs in doing so, especially in recent years with all my friends who have been damaged in the ring and in the aches in my own bones. So I view things differently. An aversion to having children box. As an old fighter once said: 'I fight so that my children do not have to.' I was recently rereading part of The Hate Game by Ben Dirs. That book was about the original two fights between the senior Benn and Eubank. At one point, Dirs spoke to promoter Barry Hearn, who said: 'Nigel had the last laugh because he put all his money into sensible things like property and Chris spunked all his on things like giant trucks.' It would be improper to comment on a man's fortunes or parenting, but it does not seem right that the son of an elite boxer, one who has seemingly held on to his fortune, should have followed his dad into the ring. Most boxers go into the ring from a lack of opportunity, but these men as children were blessed with a wealth of options. As David Remnick once wrote in King of the World over 25 years ago, 'Boxing has come to represent an utter lack of opportunity, not opportunity itself.' If I was one of those fathers in that position, my child would not be a boxer. A lawyer, doctor, or accountant would be the path I would push them on. Something better, much better, than being hit in the head for a living. And on that note: Last week, I wrote a brief piece about the largest weight differences in boxing. The inclusion on that list of the fight between Nikolai Valuev and David Haye in 2009 reminded me of a conversation at the time between myself and my friend Anny. Anny and her husband Pete were actors with whom I lodged when I first moved down to London. At the time, she asked me about the fight and, not knowing much about boxing, said of David Haye, 'I can't believe that small man is going to up against someone so big.' She seemed mildly relieved when I pointed out to her that 'that small man' was 6'3' and weighed the best part of 16 stone. Also last week, I was writing about the first fight between 'Sugar' Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns and went down something of a rabbit hole when it came to Wilfred Benitez. Benitez, at 17, became the youngest world champion in history (a record he still holds) when he outpointed the Colombian Antonio 'Kid Pambele' Cervantes at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in 1976. 48 years on, Benitez's life has taken a tragic, sobering turn. Now living in Chicago, he requires around-the-clock medical care from his sister as the long-term impacts of his career manifest. This piece in Chicago Magazine, from October 2023, outlines his predicament. It should be read by any parent who looks to have their child start boxing. Now that Jake Paul is ranked by the WBA at #14, it seems the 'Problem Child' is going to be gunning for a shot at champion Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez. Already, the war of words has seemingly started with Paul throwing the first bomb and saying, 'I want tougher fighters – I want to be world champion. Zurdo looked slow as shit. That'd be easy work too.' It is a little hard to track who has said what to whom, and when, but it seems that Paul and Ramirez agreed verbally (rather than through the medium of dance) to face each other, only for the pair of them to seemingly back away from that. Ramirez indicated that he would want to face other titleholders Jai Opetaia and Badou Jack, while Paul said that he is 'coming to take it all'. How we get there is one thing, but the most-interesting aspect of this is that if Jack, Opetaia, and Paul want to fight Ramirez, this may be the most in-demand that he has been in… well, ever. Watch the very best boxing with a DAZN subscription DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
The Independent
01-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
The key change Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn must make to win rematch
There will be a movie quality to the rematch between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn on 20 September. The inevitable, blockbuster sequel. Nobody really knows how many Rocky films have been mentioned and then not made. And nobody cares, we just want the action from the ones that did happen. The fierce family rivalry between the Benns and the Eubanks – our modern feudal knights – is the same. Benn and Eubank Jr stepped free of any shadows cast by their iconic fathers when they met for the first time in April. The fight between the sons was so shockingly good, it just had to happen again. The narrative, to use the movie word, is just too spectacular. So far, the dads have met twice, the sons have met once, and they have just agreed to fight again. This time, it's personal. In addition to the fights that have taken place, dozens of other dates, weights and venues have collapsed and vanished. This rematch was made quickly and that is a good thing; it feels like part two of a trilogy. The dads both wanted that, trust me. The sons will get what the dads wanted and that is perfect. This fight will be about the sons, the two men in the ring. The weight issue will not be a factor, the turbulent history of the dads will not be the story and, as we found out in the first brutal affair, they both have the heart and stamina to deliver a classic. As I said, this time it really is personal. There will be no fairy tale arrival on the night by one of the absent dads; the arrival, two hours before the first bell, of Eubank Sr led to a deafening roar from the crowd of 66,000. This fight will be strictly business, no hype – none needed. Back in April, there were so many storylines it was hard to stay on top of the main story, and that was the fight. The on and off backdrop was lost behind the will he be there or not story. Then there were the drug tests, the claims, the clears and the anger. Enjoy 185+ fights a year on DAZN, the Global Home of Boxing Never miss a fight from top promoters. Watch on your devices anywhere, anytime. See Schedule ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. There was the weight issue, saunas were mentioned, agony was imagined. By the time the lights had dimmed and 66,000 had stopped howling long enough for the bell to be heard, nobody was prepared for the fight that unfolded. By the end of about round six, the so-called experts were burying their heads. In fairness, nobody had seen Benn fight like that, and nobody was sure Eubank Jr would want to fight like that. It was a revelation; it was also magnificent and brave. At the end, all three judges went for Eubank Jr with identical scores of 116-112 – that means eight rounds to four. There were no complaints, very little celebrating and not even a long period of mourning; it's possible that the fight's brutality was a shock to both of the boxers. A rematch was talked about in the ring on the night, that dialogue continued and on Sunday night the fight was made official for 20 September. They have both claimed they will be better fighters going forward and they are probably right. It was the type of fight that makes both the winner and the loser better boxers. It was also the type of fight to make both men smarter and that could be the decisive factor when the first bell sounds in September. Who has learned the most? It is unlikely that heart and guts and desire will be enough this time. The man with the sharpest plan will win; both claim they can be better, and both will have to be better. It is possible that Benn, who is seven years younger, will start as a tiny favourite; he is convinced that he now knows enough to win a difficult fight against his ancient nemesis. Eubank, remember, had fought 37 times before he met Benn. In boxing, youth is an advantage only when the older and more experienced man is coming to an end; youth and inexperience against a quality and seasoned boxer are hazards. In the first fight, Benn was naive at times – there will be no mistakes this time, no reliance on his engine, his tank, his power. Eubank Jr will enter the ring knowing just how strong and brave Benn is; he found out in the first fight that he was not boxing a kid with just a famous name. It was the mutual discoveries in the classic 12 rounder in April that made it so thrilling and savage. The last round, which was like a scene from several fights in the Rocky franchise, was exceptional. In most rematches, one of the boxers is convinced that he had a bad first fight, convinced that he can do so much more. Even a fighter in victory can be convinced that the next time it will be easy. Well, both Eubank and Benn know they pushed each other to their own limits – a repeat of that in September might not be wise. The rematch will be smarter, and it could even be better.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn rematch date and venue confirmed by Eddie Hearn
Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn are set to reignite their family feud with a rematch in September at an undisclosed London venue. Eubank Jr emerged victorious by unanimous decision following their intense battle at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April. Advertisement Their initial clash evoked the legendary rivalry of their fathers, Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn, who first traded blows 35 years ago. READ MORE: Aston Villa one step closer to cleaning up the transfer mess which contributed to PSR issue READ MORE: Birmingham City 'launch ambitious 11th hour transfer swoop' for Jose Mourinho's defender The sons' April showdown met all expectations, echoing the fiery encounters between their fathers three decades prior. While Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is a contender for hosting the rematch, Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn has hinted that Wembley could be in the running due to the fight's escalated profile. Advertisement Speaking to Ring magazine, Hearn said: "Spurs is contracted – it's a fantastic stadium and it worked extremely well the first time." He added: "Obviously, it was sold out and this fight's even bigger, so you could possibly look at Wembley to increase the capacity." Details regarding the weight limit for the rematch remain unconfirmed, amidst criticism from Eubank Sr towards the British Boxing Board of Control and Matchroom for sanctioning the first fight at the middleweight limit of 160lbs. Eubank Sr has expressed concern over his son's health, stating he was dangerously dehydrated fighting at a weight class below his usual 175lbs. Conversely, Benn had not previously fought above the super-welterweight limit of 154lbs before their initial encounter. Advertisement Chris Eubank Sr lambasted the authorities on his YouTube channel, saying: "If the Boxing Board of Control do not do what they are supposed to do, which is to block fights from happening which do not abide by the weights and the rules. You are baboons!". The bout was initially due to take place in October 2022 but was delayed after Benn tested positive for the banned substance comifene, leading to his suspension. However, Benn denied intentionally doping, and his suspension was lifted after being cleared by the National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP). An independent report attributed Benn's failed test to a possible "highly elevated consumption" of eggs, which led to Eubank hitting Benn with an egg during a heated press conference.
