Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has warned that the sport 'changed tonight' after Chris Eubank Jr slapped rival Conor Benn with an egg during a press conference ahead of their middleweight clash on 26 April at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Hearn, who represents Benn, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he was 'not overly happy' with the incident, adding: 'I never feel like you should lay a hand on a fighter at a press conference, especially not with an object.'
The altercation occurred on Tuesday night in Manchester after Eubank referenced two failed drugs tests by Benn in 2022, which the World Boxing Council attributed to a 'highly elevated consumption of eggs'. Benn has since been cleared to fight in the UK. As the fighters faced off, Eubank pulled an egg from his pocket and smashed it against Benn's face, sparking a brawl involving Hearn and Benn's father Nigel.
Eubank had earlier taunted Benn over the failed tests, saying: 'Conor, I have been meaning to ask you how many eggs you had to eat to fail those drugs tests. All you and Eddie say is: 'We are cleared,' but you don't say how. I am not an academic, but I know one thing – you are a drug cheat.' Benn originally tested positive for clomifene, a female fertility drug.
Benn, 28, with a 23-0 record, was cleared to fight in the UK in November 2023 after UK Anti-Doping and the British Boxing Board of Control declined to appeal a decision to lift his ban. Ahead of the press conference, he threatened a journalist who asked about his licence, saying: 'If somebody starts asking me trick questions, I'll throw you out of the room. I'll drag you by the neck outside and put you outside.'
The fight, originally scheduled for October 2022, will take place at 160lbs, Eubank's division. Benn vowed to end Eubank's career, stating: 'I just can't take him seriously... I am going to render you unconscious, just like Liam Smith did, had you dancing all funny. You can retire off into the sunset with this retirement fund. Because you are done.' Eubank, 35, with a 34-3 record, described the contest as a fight between 'two bad guys', adding: 'For the first time in boxing history, in a mega-fight, there are two bad guys.'
