Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn meet in a succession battle later this year – but one man believes the clash could be even bigger.
Two boxers will go head-to-head in an exciting showdown at the O2 Arena in London, Live exclusively on DAZN worldwide and DAZN PPV in the UK and Ireland.
Pre-sale tickets for O2 Priority Members went on sale on Thursday and sold out in seconds, confirming the huge demand for the fight.
Eubank Jr. (32-2.23 KOs) hit the box high to super-middle, having held the IBO belt in the weight division, while Benn (21-0.14 KOs) was the keeper of the WBA Continental belt.
It was initially thought that ‘The Terminator’ would face the second generation at 156lbs, but Dan Rafael, the popular boxing writer, tweeted that there would be an extra pound allowed on the scale, with one a hefty fine of $100,000 per pound per fish if they exceed that weight.
It was in 1990 and again in 1993 that Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn fought in two brutal matches for the world championship.
Eubank Sr took the first win through the ninth inning, claiming the WBO middleweight title in the process, but the second match, which took place at the super-middleweight, ended in a draw.
Now, 29 years have passed, except for one day, their sons will clash.
And Frank Smith, CEO of Matchroom Boxing, said it could be even bigger than he thought:
Smith, whose girlfriend is Eubank Jr’s sister and Benn promoter along with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom, when speaking with Driving show on talkSPORT speak:
“We know it’s huge.
“Perhaps it sold out a stadium and it’s a pity that the weather is only a little late in the year, but maybe we could have gone somewhere bigger.”
Smith has been part of the Matchroom organization since his teenage years, working his way up and is now considered Eddie Hearn’s right-hand man. The latter will be on his part at the opening press conference for the fight on Friday.
Smith added:
“We’ve been lucky enough to drive some of the biggest wars of the last 10 or 15 years and even further back as a business.
“You can feel the hype around this fight.
“It was a fight that generated interest from 15- to 60-year-olds. It resonates with all age groups because of their fathers and only on social media that we have seen [when we announced the fight]numbers around there, numbers around people who claim tickets and want early access.
“Maybe in the future, there will be a few more of these down the line. Maybe we can do two or three. “
