Chris Eubank Jr.[33-3] is adamant that any prospective bout between himself and rival Conor Benn [21-0] will see him calling the shots and affirming his position as the apparent ‘A’ side.
Famously, the ‘Born Rivals’ were due to face each other in October last year, following in the footsteps of their fighting fathers, who shared a rivalry in the 90’s. However, the October 5th encounter ultimately collapsed due to anti-doping issues on behalf of Benn.
Benn was cleared to resume his career following clearance from the Independent Anti-Doping Panel in July following an investigation into doping issues for the substance Clomiphene. This is still subject to appeal following United Kingdom Ant-Doping and the British Boxing Board of Control applying to appeal against Benn’s clearance. Currently, Benn remains free to box and is not subject to any suspension.
Eubank Jr. was last in action on September 2nd and secured redemption by overturning his January defeat to Liam Smith and securing a victory courtesy of a tenth-round stoppage.
Eubank Jr-Benn remains a lucrative prospect for both fighters due to genuine public appeal and natural rivalry between the pair.
However, Eubank Jr. is adamant that he is calling the shots and that Benn has lost his privilege to negotiate due to their collapsed encounter last year.
“Absolutely. He lost all his privileges when he failed those drug tests a year ago. I’m the A side. I’m the shot-caller in that fight. It will happen. The fight will happen. I can’t tell you when it will happen. He still has a lot of issues to smooth out, and I have a lot of options to weigh up,” Eubank explained to Sky Sports.
“That fight [with Benn] doesn’t need to be rushed in any way, in my opinion. Conor Benn isn’t going anywhere. The timing has to be right, and he does need to be fully acquitted of the situation he’s in. He can’t have any appeals going on with the Board. He can’t have any drug agencies having him on a banned list or whatever the case may be.
“He has to be 100 per cent clear for that fight to go ahead. As far as I’m concerned, at this moment in time, he isn’t. So that’s why I can’t say when that fight will happen. But it will happen.”
