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Despite rumors circulating about a potential fight between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn, Eubank's promoter Kalle Sauerland has stated that Eubank is solely focused on his rematch with Liam Smith. The two middleweights were originally scheduled to fight in a 157-pound catchweight bout in October, but the fight was cancelled after Benn tested positive for clomifene, a banned substance. Eubank went on to face Smith in January, but was stopped in four rounds, resulting in his first loss since 2018.
Eubank has since activated his rematch clause with Smith, but contracts have not yet been signed. This has led to speculation that Eubank may be considering a fight with Benn instead. However, Sauerland has emphasized that Eubank's focus is on his rematch with Smith, not on fighting Benn.
“We’ve activated the rematch clause [with Smith] subject to the contract,” Sauerland said in an interview with talkSPORT. “Is it not signed? It’s not announced, let’s put it that way. That’s business on our side. If the contract’s not right, the contract’s not right."
Sauerland also clarified that while there have been discussions with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing about a potential fight between Eubank and Benn, there have been no formal proposals.
“What I want is for Jr. to put things right to Smith and to fight Benn. How that works, time will tell, and it won’t be long. He wants to fight in June—currently [that’s] Smith. I can categorically say we have not had one formal proposal from Matchroom’s side yet. We have had a discussion, but we are aligned right now to fight Smith at this moment in time.”
Sauerland added that Eubank is a fighter who concentrates on what's actually on the table, and right now that's Liam Smith. As for the possibility of fighting Conor Benn, Sauerland said, "How that works, time will tell."
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