A shot at pound-for-pound great Canelo Alvarez is on the line when Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium later this spring, says Turki Alalshikh.
Eubank Jr and Benn, the sons of historic rivals Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn, begin their press tour this week after striking an agreement to settle their long-running feud in the ring on April 26.
The pair had originally been due to face off in October 2022 before that fight was cancelled when Benn failed two drug tests.
It now beckons as another defining night in the career of both as they continue their hunt for world title opportunities.
“Whoever is the winner we are working in the future to have him fight against Canelo,” Alalshikh, Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, told Sky Sports.
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Chris Eubank Jr says his clash against Conor Benn will be ‘savage’ and admits the history behind their rivalry means there’s so much on the line
Eubank Jr has openly called out Alvarez in the past, notably criticising Jermell Charlo’s performance in his unanimous decision loss to the 34-year-old in October 2023 while insisting the Mexican needs to face an opponent who wants to win.
Beat Benn, and the chance to prove as much could be his.
“If Eubank wins, he will have the chance to do Canelo at the beginning of 2026,” Alalshikh continued.
“We have two big conferences, one in Manchester on Tuesday, and one in London on Thursday, it will be huge.
“And I think it will be a great fight. And also the undercard is strong. The result of this fight and the undercard will impact the future of our cards.”
Alvarez is the reigning WBA, WBC and WBO super-middleweight champion after beating Edgar Berlanga via unanimous decision last September to lift his glittering professional record to 62-2-2. The Mexican icon was also recently subject to reports pointing towards a mega-fight later this year against Terence Crawford, the first man to be an undisputed champion in two weight classes in the four-belt era.
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Chris Eubank Jr returned to the ring in style as he dropped Kamil Szeremeta four times on the way to a seventh-round stoppage
Benn was absent from the ring for 525 days before making his return in September 2023 with victory over Rodolfo Orozco in Florida before beating Peter Dobson in Las Vegas last February.
Eubank Jr has meanwhile fought three times since the cancellation of the first fight, suffering a knockout defeat to Liam Smith in January 2023 before avenging the loss with a commanding 10th round stoppage win in the rematch later that year and then most recently knocking out Kamil Szeremeta in the seventh round last October.
The two have been embroiled in an unrelenting war of words both face-to-face and on social media, teeing up a fascinating domestic showdown that could yet be seen more than once.
“Yeah, we have in our contract rematch options,” added Alalshikh.
“And yes, why not? But we are now focusing on the first fight. Let’s see what’s happens, and I think it will be something amazing, never happened before.”
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Chris Eubank Jr challenged Conor Benn to face him next when the pair went head to head last October with football superstar Neymar stood between them
Alalshikh confirmed that both Eubank Sr and Benn Sr are set to be in attendance on the night, despite the former having previously disapproved of the fight.
“We discussed it with them, and everyone will be there,” Alalshikh.
“And we have a lot of surprises inside the Tottenham stadium and throughout the fight week. There is also will be a big concert for 20-30 minutes with very famous artists inside the stadium.”
April’s undercard will see Anthony Yarde face Lyndon Arthur in an all-British light-heavyweight clash, while Liam Smith returns to face Aaron McKenna, Chris Billam-Smith takes on Brandon Glanton and Viddal Riley comes up against Cheavon Clarke.
Book repeats of the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol rematch at 8am and 6pm on Sunday February 23 on Sky Sports Box Office. Book now!
