Conor Benn’s fight with Chris Eubank Jr. could be pushed back, according to Eddie Hearn.
There had been hopes that Benn and his bitter rival would get the chance to meet in February at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, finally putting together a match-up that had been hoped for in late 2021.
Eubank spent the intervening period with a two-fight series against Liam Smith, ultimately coming out on top and putting himself back in the frame for more high profile fights.
Benn made a comeback earlier this year when he fought Rodolfo Orozca, winning to keep his unbeaten record intact.
Speaking to Boxing Social, Hearn made it clear that they would not wait indefinitely.
“In terms of a delay, perhaps this fight can happen in the future, but Conor Benn is fighting end of January, early February,” he said. “We’re not waiting around. He’s in camp, ready to go, he’s fighting. It’s going to be a proper fight. If he wins the fight, maybe at the end of the summer or whatever we can look at the Eubank fight, I don’t know.
“The Eubank fight is there, ready to go for February, at [Tottenham Hotspur Stadium], 70,000, but we can’t get it over the line yet with Eubank. He’s been very difficult in negotiations but I understand, you’ve got your number that you think this fight is worth and we’re not there.”
“Will we get there within the next 24, 36 hours?” Hearn said. “Maybe. The first fight took eight or nine weeks to sign. I’ve seen the offer. I just don’t know any other fight that gets within a third of the number. But Chris is Chris. You know? He’s a stubborn guy and he’s going to do what he thinks is right, and I can’t knock that. But hopefully he'll get the right advice and we’ll get it done.”
“As long as we can get it announced and up, we can do that press conference the first week of January. I don’t mind, the buildup to that press conference is going to be unbelievable. But we are running out of time, there’s no two ways about it, and we’re probably two days past our intended deadline. But we do wanna make the fight. British boxing needs the fight.”