Eubank defeated Benn on points by unanimous decision in a dramatic middleweight fight at the same arena in April. Although no title was at stake, the fight between the arch-enemies, which came 35 years on from their fathers’ first encounters in the ring, between Chris Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn, attracted massive publicity.
And when Eubank was declared the winner 116-112 on each of three judges’ scorecards, fans demanded a rematch and promoters promised it. A rematch had been scheduled for 20 September, but it was cancelled amid fears that Eubank would not be prepared.
Organisers Ring Magazine, owned by Turki Alalshikh, have now announced that the rematch is to be held on 15 November. Promoter and Matchroom Boxing chairman Eddie Hearn, meanwhile, posted the same date on Instagram, outside.
Towards the end of June, Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr were set to reignite their feud on 20 September. But by 17 July, Team Benn were worrying that Eubank didn’t wish to box. Three days later, Benn promoter Eddie Hearn was calling the rematch “dead”.
And now, less than a month later, the battle is on again – and this time it’s for 15 November. The force behind a new date being set was Turki Alalshikh, who surprised both teams when he first made the September fight.
Eubank had not publicly commented on the announcement and has yet to comment on this one. In June, perhaps an indication he did not want that date or perhaps wanted to look again at the terms of the first bout, which included a fight-day rehydration clause. Their first fight was like bottling lightning. A well-controlled affair that had no right to occur but did. And it was entertaining to watch.
Can the organisers repeat the trick? We are confident that Eubank can make the weight. We have experienced the fantastic WWE-style entrance of Chris Eubank Sr on fight night. We witnessed a weight-exhausted Eubank doing just enough to hold off the smaller Benn for a comfortable points victory. Will the rematch be as interesting? We will find out, hopefully in November.
