In the midst of all the fallout stemming from the late cancellation of Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn — or ‘postponement’ as Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn will tell you — Hearn speaks to DAZN to clear up the current status of everything that’s going on while also confirming the entire card will be scrapped for Saturday. Check out some of what Hearn had to say about Eubank Jr vs Benn below.
“It’s a brutal day, a brutal day yesterday,” Hearn said. “We made the decision to postpone the fight. I want to make it clear that Conor Benn is not suspended by the British Boxing Board of Control. We do feel that he hasn’t received due process in this situation like others before him.
“But at the same time, I’ve been involved with the sport since I was eight years old, it’s a sport we love, you see the feedback and we understand that some things have to be explored and some answers have to be found. And ultimately we have many options here to get this fight on. I’ve read a lot of stuff in the press — we were in court today for an injunction — not true. We were considering other commissions — not true. But we could’ve.
“At the same time we understand we have an obligation to make sure that everything is right. And whilst everybody was aware and Team Eubank was prepared to take this fight, I think the correct decision was made.”
On his decision to postpone the fight rather than canceling it altogether
“Everybody needs peace of mind. For me, this fight is postponed. This has been the most tremendous build-up…I want to make this fight, but at the same time people want answer, people need to sit in front of others and go through the process here. But right now the fight is postponed, the tickets are refunded…the show is off.
“It’s bad for the undercard as the same time but when you have a ticket price that’s reflected on the main event and not the undercard, it’s one or the other…all those fighters on the undercard will be rescheduled over the next few days.”
On what’s coming next for Benn in this process
“That’s a good question, and that’s an answer for the British Boxing Board of Control. He’s not suspended…ultimately he’s clear to fight. But rather than jump through a loophole to try to make this fight happen through the courts, we want to make sure everybody is comfortatable: the board, the fighters, the public, people in the sport. Because at the end of the day our reputation is on the line as well. And financially, of course it’s a kick in the nuts, but it’s bigger than that.”