Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn have been denied a second head-to-head, following their brawl on Tuesday.
After a tense first press conference in Manchester, Eubank Jr slammed an egg in Benn’s face, as the pair faced off in front of fans and media to promote their April 26 showdown at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Security quickly intervened as Benn attempted to retaliate, causing chaotic scenes on stage at the Manchester Central Convention Complex.
The feuding pair are set to conclude their two-city press tour at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday, but according to Sky Sports they will not be permitted to come face-to-face again.
Benn’s promoter, Eddie Hearn said added security measures would be taken for Thursday’s press conference following the incident.
“We’ll have to see,” Hearn told The Stomping Ground.
“The game’s changed now.
“He’s been whacked around the face with an object in his eye and he ain’t very happy about it.
“So we’ve just got to make sure that if we go ahead with the presser on Thursday that there are precautions in place, because if Conor and Nigel [Benn] see Eubank, it’s on.”
The melee was preceded by a 40-minute press conference which saw the British rivals trade insults back-and-forth, ahead of their middleweight clash.
The pair, who’s fathers fought twice in the 1990’s, were supposed to have fought in October 2022, but the clash was shelved on fight week after Benn tested positive for the banned substance Clomiphene.
Eubank’s decision to slap the Essex man with an egg was in reference to the WBC returning Benn to their rankings in February 2023 after ruling that a “highly-elevated consumption of eggs” was a “reasonable explanation for the adverse finding.”
‘The Destroyer’ was suspended by the National Anti-Doping Panel [NADP], but was cleared to resume his career following the NADP’s decision to lift his suspension in November.
Eubank Jr, who has agreed to a 10lb rehydration clause, made reference to the WBC’s ruling during the conference.
“I read a tweet that made me chuckle last week and it kind of sums up what this fight is.
“The guy said, ‘Chris Eubank Jr is an arrogant f***ing p**** and I can’t wait until he smashes the eggs out of Conor Benn.’
“Conor, I’ve been meaning to ask you for a long time, how many eggs did you have to eat to fail those two drug tests?”
Benn replied: “The reality is I’ve been cleared three times by the NADP, by the WBC, by UKAD, by people who are a lot smarter than you.”
