The wheels are in motion for British rivals Conor ‘The Destroyer’ Benn 22-0 (14) and Chris Eubank Jr 33-3 (24) to fight each other before the year’s end.
Welterweight Benn and middleweight Eubank were set to face each other in a 157-pound catchweight bout one year ago before Benn was forced to withdraw after failing two voluntary doping tests.
Benn was provisionally suspended by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) but the independent National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP) lifted the ban in July. UKAD and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC) are appealing that decision with the 27-year-old Benn remaining unlicenced pending a result.
That hasn’t stopped Benn’s promoter Eddie Hearn from pushing ahead with plans to make the fight against Eubank, 34, with a working date if December 23.
“We have every intention to make it happen,” the Matchroom Boxing boss told BBC Radio 5 live.
“Our side with Conor Benn and the side of Kalle Sauerland and Chris Eubank want to move forward and make that fight.
“We feel that because of the situation with Conor Benn’s suspension being lifted and winning that case that he should be allowed and able to fight in the UK.
“We’re speaking to the British Boxing Board of Control. We think legally there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be allowed to fight in the UK but obviously it’s their decision.”
Benn travelled to the US last month where he was a late addition to the card headlined by Richardson Hitchins vs Jose Zepeda in Orlando, Florida where he outpointed Rodolfo Orozco over 10 on September 23.
Three weeks earlier Eubank earned a revenge win over Liam Smith who he stopped in the 10th round of their rematch in Manchester.
After the win Eubank said he was still interested in facing Benn providing he could get his licence back.
Hearn wants the fight to take place at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, but is happy to find an international host for the bout if the Benn’s licencing issue cannot be sorted out i the UK in time.
“If we are not allowed to do that, we will hold the fight internationally but our preference of course is to bring that big fight to Britain,” Hearn said.
“We also have a rather large heavyweight called Anthony Joshua who’s saying: ‘Look, if I’m not fighting Deontay Wilder in January, I would quite like to fight in December as well.’ So we’re trying to work it all out but quite frankly I think it’s very unlikely that we don’t have a show on 23 December.
“Is it going to feature all of them, is it going to feature one of them? I don’t know, but there’s a huge desire from both camps of Benn/Eubank to make that fight for 23 December.”
