Chris Eubank Sr expects his son’s highly anticipated clash with Conor Benn to collapse and cousin Harlem called in as a late replacement.
The bitter rivals will finally settle their feud on April 26 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, two-and-a-half years after they were originally scheduled to fight, following Benn’s two failed voluntary drugs tests.
Pride and family honour will be at stake given the duo’s fathers, Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn, shared a famous rivalry in the 1990s.
Benn is having to jump weight divisions for the bout and Eubank Sr cited this fact in his reason for believing the fight will never materalise.
‘Conor used to fight at 147lbs (the same weight as Harlem Eubank) and I think that this will be the next fight,’ he told The Sun.
‘I believe the fight with Jr will fall through and a fight with his cousin will happen next.’
Chris Eubank Sr had tipped his nephew Harlem to step in for his son, whose fight with Conor Benn he expects to collapse
Bitter rivals Eubank Jr and Benn are set to finally settle their feud on April 26 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Eubank Jr’s cousin Harlem, 31, improved to 21-0 with victory over Tyrone McKenna and called out Benn afterwards.
He said: ‘I want Conor Benn next. I fight at 147lbs and his real weight class is at 147lbs. Chris is going to wipe him out and I want him next. I’m coming for the world champions.’
Last month, Benn took aim at the Eubanks, referencing and reports that Eubank Sr sought financial compensation for his role in managing his son’s career.
Benn and his father have a strong bond, with the former two-division world champion maintaining an unwavering level of support throughout his son’s career.
The same cannot be said of the Eubanks, whose relationship has experienced tensions over time, particularly as Eubank Jr sought more independence in his career decisions.
The undefeated welterweight wrote on X: ‘My father doesn’t need paying to be in my corner,’ followed by heart and crown emojis.
For years, Eubank Sr, the former two-weight world champion and father of four, was a central figure in his son’s career – a constant presence in the gym, in the ring, and at press conferences.
However, Eubank Sr has not appeared in his son’s corner since 2019 and sparked controversy by agreeing with those who called his son a ‘charlatan’ after his knockout defeat by Liam Smith in 2023.
Conor Benn has the tough challenge of stepping up two divisions for the London fight
Last November, Eubank Jr made an emotional plea to his father, calling for him to return to his corner ahead of his fight with Benn. He explained that his dad struggles to separate their relationship as father and son, and the business side of boxing.
Eubank Jr told iFL TV: ‘Him [Eubank Sr] not being part of my boxing career didn’t go down well.
‘For so many years as you know, he was always right next to me or he was in front of me. That was just who he was. That was just a part of his thing.
‘So, you take that away – which I did and which I had to do – and I guess he couldn’t accept it. He couldn’t handle it. Or he didn’t want to accept it. So, that affected our relationship on a personal level. On a father and son level. Which it shouldn’t.’
Back in 2022, a fight was scheduled for October 8 at The O2 Arena in London, billed as ‘Born Rivals’ and was set at a catchweight of 157 pounds.
However, the bout was called off 48 hours before the event was set to take place after the former tested positive for the banned substance clomifene.
Benn initially suggested back in 2022 that his positive tests could have been due to his consumption of too many eggs.
And, when tensions hit a boiling point last month when they met at a press conference, Eubank Jr slapped his rival with an egg.
