The face-off between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn was cancelled at the last minute following a chaotic scene where Eubank Jr. slapped Benn with an egg.
The two rivals exchanged words in Manchester on Tuesday to promote their April 26 middleweight fight.
Eubank Jr. caused an uproar when he smashed an egg into Benn’s face, leading to a brawl on stage.
Both teams, including Benn’s father Nigel and promoter Eddie Hearn, were visibly angry as security tried to separate the fighters.
The sons of boxing legends are scheduled to meet again tomorrow at Tottenham for another press conference ahead of their pay-per-view fight.
However, the face-to-face promotion planned for today has been cancelled due to security concerns.
Eubank is expected to face a hearing with the British Boxing Board of Control and likely receive a fine as punishment.
The rivalry between their fathers, Chris Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn, is well-known. Eubank Sr. won their first fight in 1990, and their rematch in 1993 ended in a controversial draw.
Now, over thirty years later, their sons were initially set to fight in October 2022.
However, their fight was previously cancelled after Benn failed two drug tests. He tested positive for clomifene, a banned substance that increases testosterone.
Benn’s boxing license was suspended during the investigation, but has since been provisionally reinstated by UK Anti-Doping.
A theory suggested by the World Boxing Council linked his positive test to high egg consumption.
Eubank Jr. referenced this by breaking an egg on Benn’s face.
Hearn, Benn’s promoter, was furious about the incident and expressed doubt about the next press conference taking place.
He stated that he was unsure if Thursday’s press conference could proceed due to the heightened tensions and potential for further physical confrontations.
Hearn emphasized the need to keep the two boxers and their fathers apart to prevent any more escalations.
Eubank Jr., aged 35, shared the egg-slapping video online, commenting on the “egg contamination” theory related to Benn’s failed drug tests.
Benn, 28, responded aggressively, claiming he would finish Eubank Jr. within two rounds.
