Gareth A Davies has issued the clearest indication yet that the fight between Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. is going to happen and announced the breaking news that Eubank Jr has switched broadcaster.
The fight, between the two sons of legends Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank, has been mooted for a while and now seems to be closer than ever.
Eddie Hearn, the promoter of Benn, said this week that his man will be back between the ropes on October 8 at the O2 Arena in London, while Benn recently issued a timeline for the fight and former WBA interim middleweight champion Eubank Jr. took to social media to confirm that he was fighting “later this year”.
And Davies, a reporter for the Daily Telegraph, told talkSPORT that it’s only a matter of time before the pair sign on the dotted line:
“They’re going to come to an agreement at around 156-157lbs, so Eubank is going to have to lose three or four pounds more than he normally does.
“How he loses it, I don’t know. I would imagine there’s a clause [and] there will be a fine — and it’s normally very severe, £100,000 per pound – if he goes over that and he may do, sometimes boxers do.”
It was thought, from something Davies said around about a week ago, that the fight was signed and ready to be announced, but that has not yet been the case. He added:
“They’re arguing the toss on the last couple of things and I hear they’re very, very close from very good sources.”
Nigel Benn’s son plies his trade at welterweight, which is 147lbs, while Eubank Jr. – the offspring of former two-time world champion Eubank Sr. – has boxed as high as super-middleweight and is currently campaigning at around 160lbs.
Benn is giving up a sizeable weight advantage to take the fight against the second-generation Eubank (32-2, 23 KOs) and that has led to his team being keen to insert a rehydration clause into the contest deal which will see them having to weigh in again on the morning of the fight.
Eubank Jr. was last in the ring in an impressive 12-round demolition job of Liam Williams back in February, while Benn headlined Manchester Arena in a defence of his WBA Continental welterweight crown back in April against durable South African veteran Chris van Heerden who was stopped inside two.
Many thought a potential sticking point was Eubank Jr supposedly being exclusive to Sky Sports, whereas Benn has a deal with DAZN, however Davies has just announced a broadcaster switch:
“Chris Eubank’s left Sky, he was with Sky and he’s now gone with DAZN.
“It’s a real coup for them after them failing to sign the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua fight
“There’s a tussle going on for big fights at the moment and there’s no doubt this is a big fight, it’s one that crosses into the mainstream.”
The fight, which Benn’s promoter Eddie Hearn denied for a period of time was even under discussion, is now almost certain to be exclusive to DAZN and be their first pay-per-view event in the UK.
Kalle Sauerland, the head of global boxing at Wasserman Boxing, was asked about the progress of talks regarding the fight. “We’re talking,” he told reporters during fight week of Josh Kelly’s win over Lucas Brian Bastida at the Vertu Motors Arena last Saturday in Newcastle. “We have other options, they have other options, but we’re talking.”