Eddie Hearn teases Chris Eubank Jr over his ‘excuse’ ahead of Conor Benn fight

‘Maybe he’s getting the excuses ready,’ Hearn said ahead of the British grudge match

Eddie Hearn has teased Chris Eubank Jr in the final weeks ahead of the long-awaited Conor Benn fight night on 26 April.

Hearn’s comment follows Eubank taking to Instagram to share the grisly image of his blistered foot, captioning the post: ”Boxing is as easy as it looks I promise. 6am run tomorrow is going to be so much fun… can’t wait.”

Hearn told Boxing Social: “It’s the David Haye toe, I don’t know, but maybe he’s getting the excuses ready, you wouldn’t pull the blister excuse, would you, really?”

Both fighters have been undergoing intensive training camps in the approach to their fight, but Hearn is convinced Eubank is pre-emptively lining up his excuses in case he loses against Benn.

Eubank Jr and Benn were initially scheduled to fight back in October 2022, but the bout was called off after Benn tested positive for the banned substance clomifene.

Hearn’s fighter Benn has since been cleared of wrongdoing, while the WBC said in 2023 that an “elevated consumption of eggs” was a reasonable explanation for the presence of the banned substance. That spurred an explosive incident in February at a press conference in Manchester, as Eubank slapped Benn with an egg.

Chris Eubank Jr slaps Conor Benn with an egg during face-off at the Manchester press conference (Richard Sellers/PA Wire)

After protesting his innocence, Benn’s provisional UK Anti-Doping ban was lifted – allowing him to fight on home soil again. The lifting of the ban enabled the rescheduling of his bout with Eubank, with the inclusion of a rematch clause.

The bitter rivals look to settle their ongoing feud at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.