Latest news with #BBBofC
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Rivals set to clash as Lewis Edmondson ordered to defend Commonwealth title against Ezra Taylor
Lewis Edmondson, 11-0 (3), and Ezra Taylor, 12-0 (8), will swap trading barbs for exchanging blows, with BBBofC ordering the two light heavyweights to meet for the British and Commonwealth titles. Southampton-based Edmondson currently holds both titles, with Taylor named his mandatory challenger after the latter's victory over Troy Jones on the undercard of Cacace-Wood last weekend. In the build-up to Taylor's bout with Jones, Edmondson attended a press conference to exchange words with his light heavyweight rival. Watch over 150 boxing events a year live on DAZN - subscribe now 29-year-old Edmondson earned both belts with a majority decision win over Dan Azeez in October 2024, despite being deducted a point in the eighth round for punching on the break. It will be Edmondson's second defence of his Commonwealth title, having beaten Oluwatosin Kejawa of Nigeria in March, with Taylor watching on from ringside. However, Edmondson is yet to defend his British title, which will also be on the line against Taylor. A statement from the BBBofC outlined the next steps for both fighters, reading: 'The Stewards decided to put out the above mandatory defence contest to Purse bids to be submitted in accordance with the Terms and Conditions to the Board's Head Office by 12:00pm on Wednesday, 11th June 2025, the contest to take place by the end of October 2025.' The BBBofC also confirmed that Edmondson's fellow Southampton fighter, super featherweight Ryan Garner, will be competing for the British title when he faces belt holder Reece Bellotti in Bournemouth, on Saturday, July 26. A statement from the board read: 'The Stewards decided to approve a request from Promoter Frank Warren for the above voluntary defence contest, which will take place on Saturday, 26th July 2025 in Bournemouth.' Alongside Garner, both Edmondson and Taylor are signed to Frank Warren's Queensbury Promotions.
United News of India
26-04-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
Eubank accuses Benn and team of derailing weight cut
London, Apr 26 (UNI) Chris Eubank Jr has accused Conor Benn and his team of "derailing" his weight cut, which led to him being fined £375,000. Eubank, 35, was over the middleweight limit on Friday morning by 0.05lb. The Englishman is the favourite against the smaller Benn as a regular middleweight, but says he underwent a difficult weight cut. "It stings that I was 0.05lbs away from the limit and now I'll have to pay half a million to someone. These are the people you are dealing with. They closed the scales off early," said Eubank. "I asked to go and urinate but they said no. These are tactics people use to try and get under your skin, to try and derail you from the task at hand, which is to go out there and win. "They had an agenda - they wanted that money," he added. The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) set the rules for the weight cut and oversaw the official weigh-in on Friday morning, which was also attended by representatives from Matchroom, Eubank's promoters Boxxer and Benn's trainer Tony Simms. "He was expecting some sympathy, but he isn't getting any sympathy from around here," said Benn. Eubank will have to weigh in one final time at about 08:00 BST on Saturday in line with the rehydration clause. Neither Benn nor Eubank are allowed to put on more then 10lbs from the 11st 6lb limit. Benn, 28, weighed 11st 2lb and is not expected to have any issues with the rehydration limit. For Eubank, he says he is still unsure how he will approach the next 24 hours. He will be fined again if he misses weight. "This is the peculiar situation that I find myself in," said Eubank. "I have to watch what I eat and drink, or I can eat and drink whatever I want but then I have to get in the sauna tomorrow morning and sweat off 4lb - I still don't know which one I'm going to do." Benn is coming up two weight classes to fight Eubank and the fine will go directly to the unbeaten welterweight. The pair will fight three decades after their fathers' rivalry in the 1990s and two and a half years since Benn's failed drug tests led to the cancellation of their 2022 bout. Benn has always denied intentionally doping and had his suspension lifted in November 2024. Despite Friday's hefty fine and mental drain for Eubank, he said the only victory to celebrate will be when his "arm is raised". "If they want to look at this as their victory then that's great for them," he added. "All that matters for me is who performs on the night, who puts in on the line and who represents their family name to the best of their ability." UNI BM
BBC News
25-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Eubank accuses Benn and team of 'derailing' weight cut
Chris Eubank Jr has accused Conor Benn and his team of "derailing" his weight cut, which led to him being fined £375, 35, was over the middleweight limit on Friday morning by Englishman is the favourite against the smaller Benn as a regular middleweight, but says he underwent a difficult weight cut and was not allowed to urinate."It stings that I was 0.05lbs away from the limit and now I'll have to pay half a million to someone. These are the people [Matchroom and Benn] you are dealing with. They closed the scales off early," said Eubank."I asked to go and urinate but they said no. These are tactics people use to try and get under your skin, to try and derail you from the task at hand, which is to go out there and win."They had an agenda - they wanted that money," he British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) set the rules for the weight cut and oversaw the official weigh-in on Friday morning, which was also attended by representatives from Matchroom, Eubank's promoters Boxxer and Benn's trainer Tony turned down the opportunity to comment on Eubank's allegations against them."He was expecting some sympathy, but he isn't getting any sympathy from around here," said Benn. I'm not sure what I will do - Eubank on rehydration clause Eubank will have to weigh in one final time at about 08:00 BST on Saturday in line with the rehydration Benn nor Eubank are allowed to put on more then 10lbs from the 11st 6lb 28, weighed 11st 2lb and is not expected to have any issues with the rehydration Eubank, he says he is still unsure how he will approach the next 24 hours. He will be fined again if he misses weight."This is the peculiar situation that I find myself in," said Eubank."I have to watch what I eat and drink, or I can eat and drink whatever I want but then I have to get in the sauna tomorrow morning and sweat off 4lb - I still don't know which one I'm going to do."Benn is coming up two weight classes to fight Eubank and the fine will go directly to the unbeaten pair will fight three decades after their fathers' rivalry in the 1990s and two and a half years since Benn's failed drug tests led to the cancellation of their 2022 has always denied intentionally doping and had his suspension lifted in November Friday's hefty fine and mental drain for Eubank, he said the only victory to celebrate will be when his "arm is raised"."If they want to look at this as their victory then that's great for them," he added."All that matters for me is who performs on the night, who puts in on the line and who represents their family name to the best of their ability."
BBC News
22-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Inside 934 days of Eubank-Benn bitterness and chaos
Reporters gathered in a London hotel on 6 October 2022 for a pre-fight news conference, only to be told the contest between Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr - which was scheduled to take place two days later - had been was the moment 934 days of chaos began, and transformed what was an intense rivalry between two families into a bitter fight had been cancelled because Benn had failed a drugs test, which sent shockwaves through the sport. It meant a delay to the start of the second generation of Benn-Eubank rivalry, following their fathers' iconic fights in the early than two years on, the pair will finally face off in the ring at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on has told BBC Sport he wants "revenge" and to "make Benn pay".Benn, who has always protested his innocence, predicts "a one-sided beat-down".From Benn's two-year doping battle to the infamous Eubank slap with an egg that left every tabloid headline writer scrambling for the best pun, it is hard to recall a fight already steeped in so much history, hatred and hostility before the chime of the first bell. From cordial rivalry to a black eye for boxing Former super-middleweight world champions Chris Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn fought twice during a fabled era for the weight division in Britain. Eubank Sr won the first fight in 1990 and the second ended in a split-decision draw in decades later, their sons began their own boxing journeys. They competed in different divisions, though, so there was no clear collision path until a lucrative fight - courtesy of the public's nostalgia-fuelled demands - was agreed for October some low-level trash talk, neither boxer overstepped the line during media events. They even shared a cordial handshake in one face-off interview."I could even say I liked him because there's no other person on the planet that's experiencing this journey and can relate to what I've gone through. There was 100% respect there," Eubank that respect disappeared when news that Benn had returned an adverse finding for women's fertility drug clomifene was leaked on the Wednesday of fight British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) decided not to sanction the fight, and the cancellation was confirmed a day later. Benn was smuggled out of the hotel before the assembled media was was a black eye for boxing without a punch being thrown and it dragged Benn into one of British boxing's biggest doping stories. Benn's failed tests - the backstory Benn admitted to two failed tests but insisted he was innocent of intentional doping and suggested it may have been because of was provisionally suspended from fighting in March 2023. After a lengthy saga, during which the ban was lifted then reintroduced following appeals by UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) and the BBBofC, Benn was finally cleared to fight in the UK in November that, he twice competed in the United States, earning unspectacular points wins over Rodolfo Orozco in September 2023 and Peter Dobson in February his reputation - back home, in particular - took a sent a 270-page dossier to the WBC that he believed proved no wrongdoing. He was mocked by boxing followers when the WBC concluded the failed tests might have been caused by a "highly elevated consumption" of eggs.A well-known restaurant even posted an image of a regular pizza topped with boiled eggs, alongside the caption 'Conor Benn special'.Benn limited his media interviews, but came close to tears while talking about a "vendetta" against him when speaking to Piers reason for the failed tests remain inconclusive and we may never find out why or how clomifene entered Benn's body. Benn - who says he has spent £1m in legal costs - feels vindicated and does not see the need to release the dossier or the findings of his legal his promoter Eddie Hearn says he expects his fighter to be jeered during his ringwalk, with some of the boxing public remaining unconvinced. Eubank's Smith rivalry, Benn's shadow & Neymar While Benn dealt with failed doping tests, Eubank turned his attention was one half of one of the most compelling rivalries of recent years, suffering a shock loss to Liverpudlian Liam Smith two months after his cancelled fight with avenged that defeat with a dominant win inside the distance eight months had been in the running for a lucrative shot at undisputed super-middleweight champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, but the shadow of Benn was never far away - sometimes travelled to Saudi Arabia in October, pushing Eubank at a media event as his rival prepared to fight Kamil Eubank secured a routine stoppage win, Benn stormed the Brazil footballer Neymar looked bemused, caught in the middle of a face-off as the pair hurled abuse at each months of arguing over purse splits, it took wealthy Saudi Arabia to get the fighters to agree says he is simply giving the public what they want."Why not exact my revenge on this man for the things he said about me, for the things he put me through over the last few years?" he says there was "no other fight" for him, claiming he turned down a world title opportunity. 'Eggcellent' promotion as fight hits mainstream The magnitude of the fight has gradually increased over the past two and a half doubts it would not sell out the 62,000-capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium were quickly put to bed during the first media boxers squabbled like petulant schoolchildren at a news conference in February, with Eubank holding court, taking aim at everyone in his eyeline, including Benn and came the viral their first face-off, Eubank took one of 16 eggs nestled in his pocket and slapped it across Benn's cheek, a nod to the aforementioned WBC coughed up a hefty £100,000 fine. Critics say it was a poor look for the sport, others feel it was a stroke of promotional side you sit on, and for all the fighters and their fathers have gone through, the egg slap has become the unexpected defining image of a rivalry that will finally make it into the ring for a much-anticipated fight on Saturday.
The Independent
20-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Eddie Hearn offers counter after Chris Eubank Jr accepts £1m bet to ‘trick public'
Eddie Hearn has offered a counter to Chris Eubank Jr, after the boxer accepted the promoter's £1m bet over April's fight with Conor Benn. Ahead of Eubank Jr vs Benn, which is scheduled for 26 April at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Benn's promoter Hearn bet his counterpart Ben Shalom £1m over the result of the bout. Shalom dismissed the bet, before his fighter Eubank Jr accepted it this week. 'Come on, Eddie,' Eubank Jr said in a video on social media. '£1m, eh? Okay, let's find out if you're a man of your word or just a lying hype job. 'I formally accept your £1m bet, and the £1m will be our own personal money – not company money or purse money, just a straight-up bet between me and you. The money will go into escrow, and the winner takes all. And now I look forward to watching you try to weasel your way out of this bet, like the rodent I know you are. Good day.' Now, however, Hearn has responded, saying he is not allowed to bet on the fight – while offering a charity-related alternative. 'Very clever, I think it's easy to trick the public,' Hearn told The Ring, referring to Eubank Jr's video. 'I mean, just to kind of make sure the public are aware: following our little laugh and joke with Ben Shalom about the £1m, Ben Shalom stated – I mean, it was a good way to get out of the bet, but it was true – that promoters can't bet. 'So much so, that the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) actually recently sent an email, which I'll show you now. I'll read it out, because I just want to put Eubank to bed, because he's one for the views. This is from the BBBofC, regarding regulation 38.' Hearn proceeded to read the regulation in question, which reportedly forbids licence holders from 'directly or indirectly' betting or enabling bets on the 'result, progress, conduct or any other outcome' of a fight 'in which the member is participating or proposing to participate in any capacity', or 'on which the member has any influence – direct or indirect'. 'That is the reason Eubank's done a video, to get some views and some noise,' Hearn continued, 'because he knows I can't bet on the fight. And he knows that if I did, I would receive a fine like him, of £100,000. Enjoy over 150+ fights on DAZN, the Global Home of Boxing. 'So, maybe we could do something for charity. But it was good. Listen, it did what he's all about: views and clout. He's clout-chasing. I would love to have a bet with him, but I'd also get better odds [elsewhere]; I think Conor is 6/5, so I wouldn't take even money from him.' Eubank Jr, 35, and Benn, 28, are due to clash two-and-a-half years after they were initially due to fight each other. In October 2022, their contest collapsed on short notice, when it was revealed that Benn had failed two drug tests. Benn was subsequently stripped of his British boxing licence and competed in the US twice, before he was cleared to fight on home soil in late 2024. His fight with Eubank Jr will be his first in Britain in three years, and it will take place more than 30 years after their fathers last fought. In 1990, Chris Eubank Sr beat Nigel Benn, before the rivals fought to a draw in 1993.
