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Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn are set to try to do the impossible.
The two rivals will attempt to better their first contest, which is the frontrunner for 2025's Fight of the Year, when they rematch Sept. 20 at a venue to be determined in London, Turki Alalshikh confirmed Sunday afternoon.
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The rematch was originally touted for Sept. 27, but Premier League fixtures that were released earlier this month ruled out Tottenham Hotspur Stadium's availability to host the fight. Wembley Stadium is also booked on Sept. 27, but both venues are free on September 20.
Eubank (35-3, 25 KOs) edged Benn (23-1, 14 KOs) in a 12-round middleweight thriller in front of a 67,484 sell-out crowd at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this past April. It was a fight for the ages, with the sons of British boxing legends Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr. going toe-to-toe for 36 minutes. Although Eubank was a deserved winner, some felt the 116-112 scores handed in by all three judges were an unfair representation of Benn's efforts.
The buildup, which dates back to the pair's first scheduled fight three years ago, was sensational. From failed drug tests to the notorious egg-slap at the launch press conference to Eubank Sr.'s shock arrival at the venue hours before the fight — despite his insistence that he wouldn't partake in the circus — the hype was built to the maximum, and the fight ultimately delivered on all its promises. It was the perfect storm.
Eubank Jr. missed the 160-pound middleweight limit for the first bout by 0.05 pounds and was thus fined $500,000 for the infraction. Some voiced disapproval of the fight being agreed at 160 pounds with a 10-pound rehydration clause, citing concerns over Eubank's health. The rematch, however, will be contested with the same weight stipulations as the first fight.
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Eubank released a series of videos on his social media on the day before the fight, alluding to the use of a sauna to cut weight. The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) does not allow fighters to use a sauna to dehydrate, and so Eubank will also need to appear before the BBBofC in July to explain his alleged use of a sauna.
Brian Norman Jr. vs. Devin Haney set for November
In other boxing news, Brian Norman Jr. will defend his WBO welterweight title against two-division world champion Devin Haney on a date to be confirmed in November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Alalshikh also confirmed on Sunday.
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Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) won the WBO interim championship with a 10th-round upset KO win over Giovani Santillan in May 2024. Following Terence Crawford's move to super welterweight, Norman was upgraded to full champion and has since made two successful defenses of his belt.
Earlier this month, Norman scored a brutal fifth-round KO of Japan's Jin Sasaki. Sasaki reportedly couldn't remember anything that happened in the fight or up to six weeks before the bout after his savage loss at the hands of the 24-year-old champion.
Haney (32-0, 15 KOs) previously held the undisputed lightweight title between 2022 and 2023 in a run that included wins over Vasiliy Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr. In December 2023, Haney moved up to super lightweight and dominated Regis Prograis to capture the WBC title.
Haney was floored three times in a stunning loss to Ryan Garcia in April 2024, but Garcia's positive test for the banned substance ostarine was revealed after the fight, which ultimately resulted in Haney's loss being overturned to a no contest. "The Dream" ended a 12-month layoff this past May with a unanimous decision victory over Jose Ramirez in an uninspiring performance.
Garcia and Haney were supposed to rematch in October, but on the same night Haney defeated Ramirez, Garcia was upset by Rolando "Rolly" Romero. Haney then attempted to make a fight with the WBO super lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez, however negotiations failed between the pair. So now, he will look to become a three-division champion against Norman Jr. later this year.
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