Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn: Everything you need to know about the fight

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Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn will be battling it out in an eagerly-awaited middleweight bout this weekend.

The British boxers are not just settling their own dispute – they are continuing a family rivalry going back decades.

But what exactly is the story between Eubank Jr and Benn and who’s on the undercard? Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the fight.

When is Eubank Jr vs Benn?

Eubank Jr and Benn will finally take to the ring as the main event on Saturday 26 April.

Their fight will be the third at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, after Oleksandr Usyk’s victory over Anthony Joshua in September 2021 and Tyson Fury’s win against Derek Chisora in December 2022.

The two fighters are expected to make their ring walks from 9.45pm UK time, but coverage on Sky Sports Box Office will start from 5pm.

What to know about the fight

Eubank Jr, 35, is the more experienced of the pair, going into the fight with a record of 34-3 (25 KOs).

Benn, 28, has won all 23 of his professional fights, 14 by KO.

They will fight at a middleweight limit of 11st 6lbs, with the inclusion of a hydration clause meaning neither are able to add more than 10lbs in weight between Friday’s weigh-in and Saturday’s fight night.

Eubank Jr fought at 11st 5lb when he beat Kamil Szeremeta in October, while Benn is jumping up two weights from welterweight having come in at 10st 10lbs for his win over Peter Dobson in February 2024.

The stakes are high

While there are no titles up for grabs, Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, told Sky Sports that a shot at pound-for-pound great and super-middleweight king Canelo Alvarez would be on the line in Saturday’s fight.

And the World Boxing Council (WBC) has said it would back the winner on Saturday to take Alvarez on.

“It is a major event that has all the elements a fan can expect,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said of Eubank vs Benn.

“The rivalry between the parents which became a rivalry between the kids. Heated press conferences, social media… When the bell rings, it is going to be something for the memory of everyone and hopefully the fight comes up to the expectations.”

The ongoing Eubank and Benn feud

The fighters’ fathers fought twice in 1990 and 1993, with Eubank Sr clinching a ninth-round TKO victory against Nigel Benn in the pair’s first bout before the two fought to a draw three years later.

But the sons have built a rivalry of their own over the past few years, despite not being able to bring it to the ring until now.

They were meant to fight on 8 October 2022 at the O2 Arena, but Benn failed two voluntary drug tests that resulted in the contest being cancelled just 48 hours before it was scheduled to take place.

Benn tested positive for the banned substance clomifene in two Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) tests, before having his licence removed by the British Boxing Board of Control.

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Benn’s suspension was lifted in a ruling by the National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP) in July 2023, with the 28-year-old making his return to the ring that September in a unanimous decision win over Rodolfo Orozco in Orlando.

He went on to beat Peter Dobson by unanimous decision in Nevada in February 2024, before his suspension was reintroduced in May following an appeal from UKAD and the BBBoC.

His provisional suspension was eventually lifted in November 2024 after the NADP said it was “not comfortably satisfied” he had committed a doping offence.

Since the fight was delayed, the pair have had frequent spats in the media, the most high-profile of which came in February during a face-off at a press conference in Manchester.

Eubank Jr slapped Benn with an egg, leading the two fighters to be held back by security while Nigel Benn, the father of Conor, appeared to grab Eubank Jr by the throat.

The stunt was seemingly in relation to the WBC’s claim in early 2023 that a “highly-elevated consumption of eggs” was a “reasonable explanation” for Benn’s failed test.

Eubank Jr subsequently posted on X: “Apparently egg contamination was the reason for his two failed drugs tests. So I contaminated him with an egg.”

Who is on the undercard?

Former WBO cruiserweight champion Chris Billam-Smith will take on Brandon Glanton in a bid to reignite another world title charge after losing out to Gilberto Ramirez in their unification clash last November.

British light-heavyweight rivals Anthony Yarde and Lyndon Arthur will meet for a third time after boasting one victory apiece, Liam Smith takes on Aaron McKenna in his first fight since being stopped by Eubank Jr in their September 2023 rematch, and Viddal Riley and Cheavon Clarke face off on a defining night for their respective careers as rising cruiserweight contenders.

Here’s the full card:

Main event: Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn – middleweight

Anthony Yarde vs Lyndon Arthur 3 – light-heavyweight

Liam Smith vs Aaron McKenna – middleweight

Chris Billam-Smith vs Brandon Glanton – cruiserweight

Viddal Riley vs Cheavon Clarke – cruiserweight

What have the fighters said?

Benn didn’t hold back earlier this week as he told Sky Sports: “I hate what he [Eubank Jr] stands for. I hate who he is as a man, what he’s chasing.

“Just him as a man personally for reasons that aren’t public, personal reasons, between me and Chris that he’s fully aware of as to why I really dislike him.

“A fight’s a fight. Obviously there is interest with the history of our dads, us being our fathers’ sons, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

“But I think there’s a big personality clash, the controversy, the adversity, it sells. It doesn’t change the outcome of April 26 and what I’m going to do to him.”

He said his goal was to retire the 35-year-old.

Speaking during a face-off in London on Wednesday, his competitor was more focused on what would happen in the ring.

“I don’t do shenanigans. I do what I believe is right and I do what I want to do,” Eubank Jr noted. “I’m just being me.

“This fight isn’t about size or weight. It’s about skill. It’s about dedication. It’s about expertise. All those areas I excel in,” Eubank said.

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“I’m a complete fighter, I’ve been doing this for so long now I’ve forgotten more things than he knows and that will show on the night.

“Everything will go how I want it to go.

“I will be like a matador in the ring and Conor Benn will be the bull.”