As Conor Benn voiced his intentions to move on from Chris Eubank Jnr, stating plans to return to welterweight and seek out the Mario Barrios-Manny Pacquiao winner, Eubank’s manager insisted that a deal for the rematch can still be struck.
“Trying to fix it all today,” Napper Amoakoh told BoxingScene via text message on Thursday. “Chris wants the fight. He has not ducked Conor. Wants to fight him this year.”
It’s been chaos galore since the rivalry between Eubank Jnr and Benn was conceptualised in the summer of 2022 with the twists and turns along the way scarcely believable at times. Controversy and skulduggery became the norm for three long years before the mood was lightened in April this year, albeit comparatively briefly, by the fight itself.
It was announced by The Ring on the afternoon of Sunday June 29, after being confirmed by Ring owner and Saudi paymaster Turki Alalshikh, that the rematch was set for September 20. Only problem was, Eubank had not agreed to his side of the deal.
Though Eubank, promoted by Boxxer, confirmed his desire for the rematch in the weeks following his 12-round points victory over Benn, he has not spoken or posted publicly on the matter since news broke that the sequel was ‘on’. BoxingScene understands that although terms for the rematch were part and parcel of the contract for their opening contest, won on points after 12 ferocious rounds by Eubank, certain finer details – like date and venue, for example – were not.
On Wednesday, after Benn had accused Eubank of running scared, BoxingScene’s Tom Ivers reported that Eubank’s team were “trying to sort out some small logistics” before putting pen to paper on a second fight.
A separate source told BoxingScene that Eubank, though eager for fight two to be finalized, was not keen to return to the ring as early as September. The first contest was gruelling and the aftermath more so, with BoxingScene learning that the main reason for 35-year-old Eubank’s two-day stay in hospital immediately after the bout was severe dehydration. The first contest was set at 160lbs with a rehydration clause in place that meant neither could gain more than 10lbs by the morning of the contest.
Overnight on Wednesday, The Ring reported that neither Riyadh Season nor Sela is involved in the rematch, effectively distancing themselves from negotiations.
It could prove a defining development when one considers that, prior to the first contest, Benn’s promoter Eddie Hearn stated it was thanks to the funding from Riyadh Season, and the goodwill of Alalshikh, that the April showdown occurred at all.
Presuming the latest information is correct and not a tactic to hasten an agreement, it’s natural to wonder if the rematch can be staged, and the fighters can be paid what they’re expecting, without investment from the Middle East. “It certainly makes it more difficult,” another source close to the negotiations told BoxingScene.
Those difficulties are intensified by another development. As well as relinquishing ownership of the Eubank-Benn rivalry, Alalshikh has also declared plans to rid the boxing world of pay-per-view. “Great meeting with my brother Shay [Segev], CEO of DAZN,” Alalshikh posted on social media. “We have big vision to grow boxing and decide: No more Pay-Per-View. Starting with our Ring Magazine show in November, all Riyadh Season and The Ring events will be free to DAZN subscribers. The PPV model has damaged boxing, and we will no longer support it. We are with the fight fans.” What that model looks like – also on social media, Segev referenced a transition from PPV to a monthly “Ring Pass” for boxing coverage on DAZN – remains to be seen.
It was reported that Eubank Jnr-Benn shifted 620,000 buys after being broadcast by DAZN and Sky Sports. Take away both the revenue from that and Alalshikh’s money, and the long and winding Eubank Jnr-Benn story might be about to meet an abrupt end.
“We’ve said to Eubank that is the date [September 20],” Hearn today told IFL. “And if you don’t take the fight on that date, the fight doesn’t work…
“There are no stadiums available. Commercially you guys are on a fortune. So if Eubank is not prepared to take the fight on September 20, I don’t think there will be a fight, That’s not my decision, that’s a decision of [Alalshikh]…
“Eubank probably can’t be bothered to go back into camp. I’m not sure if he’ll ever fight again.”
And with that, the narrative has seemingly shifted again. Eubank, the winner of the fight, is “not prepared” to fight again.
It’s backed by Benn’s own statement, provided to The Ring. “The rematch is falling apart had nothing to do with me. I was ready to go on the scheduled September 20 date. I’m not sure what happened to Chris Eubank Jnr.”
Why Benn was the only one of the two fighters suggesting the rematch was on in the first place is unknown. So too whether Eubank Jnr takes the bait.
