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Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing Insider
The long-awaited grudge match between Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. is set for April 26 in London, sources told ESPN on Monday.
The fight will be contested at the middleweight limit of 160 pounds — where Eubank is rated No. 4 by ESPN — with a rehydration clause set at 170 for the same-day weigh-in, sources added.
Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) competes at 147 pounds. He is ESPN’s No. 5 welterweight.
The British rivals were set to meet in October 2022, before Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) tested positive for the female fertility drug clomifene, which is banned inside and outside competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
The suspension for that adverse test was lifted by the United Kingdom’s National Anti-Doping Panel (NAPD) in November.
Robert Smith, who oversees the British Boxing Board of Control, said of Benn in December, “He’s obviously had his suspension lifted, so I can’t see any reason why he can’t box once he’s been granted a license … We haven’t received any [application] from him yet. … I can’t see any reason why he wouldn’t be [approved].”
During his suspension in the U.K., Benn fought twice in the United States against domestic-level competition. Most recently, Benn outpointed Peter Dobson in February. Benn, 28, will move up two weight classes for the biggest fight of his career.
Eubank (37-3, 13 KOs) defeated Kamil Szeremeta in Saudi Arabia in October.
The Benn-Eubank fight is an extension of their fathers’ famous 1990s rivalry. The two men fought in 1990 and again in 1993, with the elder Eubank emerging victorious over Nigel Benn in the first bout and the second being ruled a draw.