Conor Benn has shut down the possibility of fighting Canelo Alvarez after his upcoming clash with Chris Eubank Jr.
On Tuesday, Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh declared that the winner of Benn and Eubank Jr‘s long-awaited grudge match on April 26 will be in line to box Canelo.
He told Sky Sports: “Whoever is the winner, we are working in the future to have him fight against Canelo.
“If Eubank wins, he will have the chance to do Canelo at the beginning of 2026…
“The result of this fight and the undercard will impact the future of our cards.”
Canelo recently signed a four-fight deal with Alalshikh and is set to face IBF super middleweight champion William Scull in an undisputed unification clash in May.
Provided he comes through that contest unscathed, a super fight with Terence Crawford is pencilled in for September.
The Mexican superstar will then compete twice more in 2026 with the winner of Eubank Jr vs Benn in contention for fight number three.
However, Benn, a natural welterweight, has pulled himself out of the running as he doesn’t anticipate himself ever moving up to super middleweight.
Benn and Eubank Jr are set to square off at middleweight (160lbs), with a 170lbs rehydration clause inserted into their contracts to level the playing field.
Eubank Jr predominantly competes at middleweight but has also boxed at super middleweight (168lbs) while Benn has never gone beyond the welterweight (147lbs) limit.
Speaking to Ring Magazine, Benn said: “I’m going to beat him [Eubank Jr] at middleweight then I will move back down to 147lbs (welterweight).”
GettyBenn and Eubank Jr will finally meet in April[/caption]
Asked about the possibility of boxing Canelo thereafter, he added: “Nah I am good, I will have to pass.”
Benn might not be keen on the idea of boxing Canelo but Eubank Jr certainly will be.
The Brighton boxer has called out Canelo several times and was in negotiations to face him last year before he pulled the plug on discussions after PBC were unable to get to a number that he felt was acceptable for a fight of its size.
It seems highly unlikely that money will get in the way of them duking it out next time around now that the Saudis are involved.
However, Eubank Jr will have to beat Benn twice to punch his ticket for a dream fight with Canelo.
The bitter rivals have agreed to have a rematch regardless of the result of their inaugural encounter, with their sequel being targeted for December.
Trash-talking started in spectacular fashion during a face-off on Tuesday as Eubank Jr smashed an egg onto Benn’s face.
Benn had to be held back by three security guards during explosive scenes on stage.
“That’s the only shot you’ll land on me you f****** p****,” a furious Benn posted on X moments after the incident.
“2 rounds you are finished @ChrisEubankJr.”
Eubank Jr also reacted to the incident with a post on X, claiming he used an egg in response to the reason why the pair’s original fight was postponed.
Benn cited an ‘overconsumption of eggs’ as the reason for testing positive for the female fertility drug clomifene in 2022.
“Apparently egg contamination was the reason for his two failed drugs tests. So I contaminated him with an egg,” Eubank Jr wrote
