Chris Eubank Jr. (34-3, 25 KO’s) has upped the attention towards his upcoming fight against Conor Benn (23-0, 14 KO’s) tremendously after slapping his upcoming opponent with an actual egg. Eubank and Benn, sons of respectively Chris Eubank Sr. and Nigel Benn who cultivated a legendary rivalry during their prominent fighting careers, are set to meet in the ring on April 26th where they will headline a mostly-British fight card set to be staged at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, UK.
Both fighters faced off against each other during a launch press conference held yesterday in [February 25th] in Manchester that formally announced their upcoming fight, but the exchange turned into drama as Chris Eubank Jr. slapped Conor Benn with an egg in a move with clear premeditated intentions.
The egg serves as reference towards Benn’s failed drug tests in October of 2022 when the two fighters were scheduled to face each other. As Benn’s transgressions came to light, this eventually spun in a two-year saga where Benn sought to exonerate himself for testing positive for Clomiphene, a banned substance. Judging by his actions, Eubank’s intent was not only to draw attention to his upcoming fight but likely to spark discussion through the use of his egg.
Notably, the use of eggs was initially denied by Conor Benn when the WBC cleared him of intentional doping by claiming he had ingested too many eggs ― leading to him testing positive for Clomiphene. However, despite Benn and his promoter’s initial denials of him never having consumed eggs, this exact instance would later be used as a defense to explain the presence of Clomiphene in his system.
Despite these incidents, Benn would be cleared last year after the National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP) cleared him of intentional doping for the second time. Not long after, the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) and UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) ― both of whom had religiously sought to persecute Benn for his offenses ― seemed to rescind any plans to further see Benn punished.
With no suspension or ban hanging over his head, a fight between Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. was finally able to be arranged again this year with the help of Riyadh Season head Turki Alalshikh.
Eubank’s marketing strategy continues upon a muddled precedent of modern-day fighters where trashtalk and other unprofessional forms of drawing attention is becoming more accepted in a bid to garner attention towards fights, though it also serves to showcase the fragility of boxing where it needs to rely on such incidents to highlight certain fights.
In the case of the upcoming Eubank vs. Benn fight, the former’s slap could draw more attention and allow both fighters to recoup a large amount of publicity, and therefore earnings, which is the primary foundation upon which their fight is built. Before the slap, the fight has already generated interest with British parliament itself having lauded the upcoming bout as the “greatest British fight” of this year.
Combined with the legacy their fathers before them created, it has allowed for a generational bout where neither fighter is expected to become make waves in the sport ― with Benn having yet to come close to challenging for a world title while Eubank Jr. has failed twice in becoming a legitimate world champion throughout his 13 year career.
With a storyline in place, a legacy to follow and more attention, however, Eubank vs. Benn is spinning out to be one of the most watchable fights this year and given the last press conference, is sure to draw the amount of attention that both British fighters will be able to profit substantially from.
And, with a second press conference to follow today in London, there is sure to be more exposure towards a fight that will not involve any world title or the winner gaining any sort of opportunity to fight for one.
