Ben Shalom admits the negotiations for Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn’s grudge match were ‘tough’ and ‘drawn out’.
Eubank Jr and Benn are set to square off on April 26 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a fight that has been two years in the making.
Eubank Jr and Benn will box at middleweight with a 10lb rehydration clause to settle their feudMark Robinson/MatchroomThe bitter rivals were initially scheduled to lock horns back in October 2023.
However, the show got cancelled 48 hours before the opening bell after Benn tested positive for the banned substance clomifene in two pre-fight drug tests.
‘The Destroyer’ was subsequently slapped with a provisional suspension by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC).
Yet he fought twice under a US license against Rodolfo Orozco and Peter Dobson in a pair of non-title bouts after the National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP) briefly lifted his suspension in July 2023.
The suspension was reinstated in May 2024 when the BBBofC won an appeal, but the NADP cleared Benn again last November.
The 28-year-old is now free to continue his career on British shores after having his BBBofC license reissued and will finally get his hands on Eubank Jr this weekend after a lengthy negotiation period.
“It took a fair bit of time,” Shalom told talkSPORT.com in an exclusive interview.
“It took about six months, but we had to wait for Conor Benn to get his license; that was the biggest stumbling block.
“After that, it was probably a few months. It was drawn out, and it was tough to get it over the line; there were disagreements, particularly over the rehydration clause.
“But ultimately, we got everything agreed in the end.”
Shalom admits negotiations were long and ‘drawn out’Getty A deal was finally made and he and rival promoter Eddie Hearn have been on hand to see their fighters get to the ringGetty Benn has had to deal with Eubank throwing insults about his ban but is now ready to settle the scoreGettyThe rehydration clause was a serious point of contention in negotiations.
A 10lb rehydration clause was added to their original agreement, but Eubank Jr made it clear to talkSPORT.com in January that he didn’t want one for their rescheduled fight.
“It’s on my terms now,” he said while preliminary discussions continued behind the scenes.
“The fight is at 160lbs at the middleweight limit, there will be no rehydration clauses.”
However, Benn’s team got their wish, and another 10lbs rehydration clause was installed to level the playing field for their client, who is set to move up from welterweight to middleweight.
Another sticking point in discussions was the rematch clause.
The build up has been fiery and the two have been kept apart after this altercation at a press conferenceGettyBenn claims Eubank Jr’s side pushed for it to be added to the deal, while Shalom insists the opposite is true.
“Conor wanted the rematch clause,” added Shalom. “He demanded it, they wanted us to push it
“He needs it more than us. Eubank Jr has other big paydays, this is Conor’s only payday.”
While Eubank Jr and Benn’s bitter rivalry has enough history attached to it to stand on its own, it ultimately remains a continuation of what their fathers started.
In 1990, Chris Eubank Sr stopped Nigel Benn in the ninth round at Birmingham’s Resorts World Arena in a ferocious domestic dust-up that was watched by 18 million households on ITV.
The pair then boxed to a controversial split draw at Old Trafford three years later, which Eubank Sr has since admitted should have been awarded to Benn.
A third fight was pushed for by Benn’s side, but it never came to fruition.
Now, their sons are set to settle the family feud once and for all.
Eubank Jr v Benn Live on talkSPORT
More than 30 years after their dads fought each other, Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn finally meet in the ring.
The fight will be LIVE on talkSPORT on Saturday 26 April from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Steve Collins, who beat both Chris Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn, is part of talkSPORT’s team and will join Adam Catterall, Gareth A Davies, Spencer Oliver and John Rawling for commentary on fight night.
You can also catch the action on talkBOXING’s YouTube Watchalong.
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