The bout between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn, which was canceled last year due to the latter testing positive for a banned substance, was expected to take place later this year or early next year. However, both fighters’ promoters have now stated that the fight is no longer in the works.
Although this doesn’t necessarily mean the fight won’t be arranged in the future, ongoing talks have broken down, according to Matchroom Boxing―the promoter of Conor Benn (22-0, 14 KO’s)―CEO Frank Smith.
“Everyone always wants more money, is the reality, and it’s not done until it’s not signed, and it’s not signed,” said Smith in response to a question from Boxing King Media.
“Look, he’s within his right to ask for whatever he wants. He can ask for a billion dollars; it doesn’t mean he’s going to get it, but if that’s what he believes it’s worth, that’s in his mind, and you’re not going to change that.
“It is what it is. We move on; we have to build now, work on other big fights for Conor Benn. Our focus is Conor Benn will always be Conor Benn. Obviously, we wanted to make the [Chris] Eubank fight, and no fight comes anywhere close to that for either of the guys.“
Supposedly, talks between Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. (33-3, 24 KO’s) were halted when Eubank started demanding more money. Though the sum Eubank was set to earn has not been revealed, Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn hinted it was a considerable amount.
“Conor Benn said to me, ‘I don’t think he’ll [Chris Eubank Jr] take the fight’, and I didn’t share his opinion because I’ve seen the offer, and it’s so much money,” Hearn told IFL TV.
“It’s three times more money than Eubank has ever made, probably more, and three times more money than he’ll get for any other fight, so I [just] expected him to do it, but he didn’t.“
Hearn’s words are a stark contrast to a few months earlier when he had stated with absolute belief that the Eubank-Benn fight would occur next year.
Kalle Sauerland, promoter of Chris Eubank Jr, also confirmed the negotiations had broken off between them and Conor Benn’s team.
“Yeah, we didn’t make it. Simple as that,” Sauerland confirmed during an interview with IFL TV.
“We couldn’t make it work commercially, and there’s not really much else to say. We’ve moved on, and the IBO ordered him to face the champ, so yeah, tough fight.“
Sauerland’s assertion that they could not “make it work commercially” seems to support Hearn’s and Smith’s notion that money was a factor in the talks breaking off. While Sauerland did not specify what Eubank asked for, the negotiations appear to be definitively off.
Chris Eubank Jr. is now expected to face Italian IBO middleweight champion Etinosa Oliha (19-0, 8 KO’s), though the IBO is not a major sanctioning body like the WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF, raising questions about Eubank’s own ambitions, given he had declined the opportunity to face a legitimate world champion in Janibek Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 KO’s) in order to make way for negotiations to fight Benn.
