LONDON — Chris Eubank Jr., a prominent British boxer, faces a fine of 100,000 pounds, equivalent to $130,000, for a contentious incident involving his rival, Conor Benn, at a recent media event. The penalty was imposed by the British Boxing Board of Control, which announced on Tuesday that Eubank breached Regulation 25 regarding misconduct, specifically for his behavior at a press conference in Manchester.
This altercation occurred during the promotional activities for their upcoming middleweight fight, scheduled for April 26 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. During the face-off, the 35-year-old Eubank unexpectedly extracted an egg from his pocket and smashed it into Benn’s face. Security personnel quickly intervened to separate the two fighters.
The two athletes were initially set to face each other at London’s O2 Arena back in October 2022. However, that match was abruptly canceled following a drug test of Benn, who is 28, which revealed trace amounts of a banned fertility drug, Clomiphene. This substance is known to increase testosterone levels while aiding in fat loss.
In subsequent deliberations, Benn successfully contested the drug test’s findings, attributing the elevated testosterone levels to his high intake of eggs. The World Boxing Council (WBC) later cleared Benn of deliberate doping in February 2023, acknowledging that his substantial consumption of eggs provided a plausible justification for the test results.
The WBC’s decision highlighted that Benn’s significant egg consumption during the relevant period constituted a reasonable explanation for the unusual findings. They acknowledged a lack of definitive evidence pointing to Benn’s intentional or knowing ingestion of Clomiphene.
This recent clash between Eubank Jr. and Benn revives memories of an iconic boxing rivalry from over three decades ago, when their fathers—Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank—clashed twice in the ring, marking a historic chapter in British boxing history.
