Eubank and Benn agree September rematch

Chris Eubank Jr will fight fellow Briton Conor Benn in a rematch in London on 20 September.

Eubank beat Benn by unanimous decision after a thrilling bout at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April, though the venue for their second meeting has yet to be confirmed.

“Spurs is contracted – it’s a fantastic stadium and it worked extremely well the first time,” Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn earn told Ring magazine.

“Obviously, it was sold out and this fight’s even bigger, so you could possibly look at Wembley to increase the capacity.”

The April fight took place 35 years after their legendary fathers – Chris Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn – first fought, and garnered huge attention despite no title being on the line.

All three judges scored it 116-112 in favour of Eubank, who extended his record to 35 wins in 38 fights.

“Experience gained, lessons learned,” said Benn in a post on social media after September’s fight was confirmed.

There had been a controversial and at times chaotic build-up to their first fight, fuelled by the intense rivalry between their fathers.

The pair were scheduled to face each other in 2022 but the fight was cancelled because Benn failed a drugs test.

Benn denied intentional doping and was cleared to fight by anti-doping authorities two years later.

But at an extraordinary media conference in February, Eubank slapped Benn across the face with an egg during a head-to-head, with the pair exchanging foul-mouthed insults throughout.

The stunt was an apparent reference to an independent report that said the failed drugs test could have been caused by a “highly elevated consumption” of eggs. Eubank was fined £100,000 for the slap.

The day before the fight, Eubank was fined £375,000 for missing weight at the first weigh-in.

Eubank is the bigger of the two men and normally fights two weight classes above Benn, who is a natural welterweight.

The 35-year-old is to appear before the British Boxing Board of Control in July over reports he used a sauna to cut weight, which is against its rules.

On the day of the fight, Eubank arrived at the stadium with his father by his side, despite the pair having apparently been estranged for a number of years.

BBC boxing reporter Kal Sajad

With a two-fight deal in place, it felt inevitable that the storied Benn-Eubank family rivalry would continue for another chapter.

The money involved is massive – Eubank Jr reportedly earned £10m for the first fight with Benn pocketing £8m, and similar figures are expected again.

Their first bout was a cracking contest where Benn did better than many expected, but Eubank was the clear winner.

Away from the excitement, there are still serious questions, especially around weight. The image of a drained and gaunt-looking Eubank during fight week sparked real concern. It was a reminder that, in physical terms, these two are built very differently and maybe shouldn’t be meeting in the ring under such tight weight restrictions.

Eubank will be five months older this time, and cutting down in weight will not get any easier. But if they agree to fight at a heavier limit, then you would imagine Benn – the naturally smaller man – would be at a real disadvantage.

The first build-up had egg slaps, chaos and the last-minute appearance of Eubank Sr. Recreating that kind of hype with any real authenticity will be tough.