Eddie Hearn meets Chris Eubank Jnr and floats Benn trilogy at 168lbs

Eddie Hearn has held talks with Chris Eubank Jnr about a possible alliance for a third fight against Conor Benn, although the Matchroom chairman insisted that no agreement was imminent.

Hearn, who promoted Benn for both of his fights with Eubank, said the former rivals recently met for lunch and discussed clearing the air. He is interested in working with Eubank for a trilogy bout at the super-middleweight limit of 168lbs.

“I will confirm that I had a very pleasant lunch meeting with Mr Eubank,” Hearn said during the broadcast of Pat Brown’s stoppage victory over John Hedges in Manchester. “It was nice to clear the air.”

Eubank and Benn are tied at one victory apiece after two fights at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2025. Eubank won the first by unanimous decision in April after a gruelling contest named The Ring’s Fight of the Year, but Benn dominated the rematch later that year. He dropped a depleted Eubank twice in the final round and won a wide decision.

Both bouts took place at 160lbs with a 10lb rehydration restriction, meaning neither boxer could weigh more than 170lbs on the morning of the fight. The condition was considered more onerous for Eubank, the naturally bigger man who had previously boxed at 168lbs, while Benn had moved up from welterweight.

Hearn acknowledged that, as Benn’s promoter, his job had been to secure every available advantage. He said he would take a different approach if he represented Eubank in a third fight.

“If I’m on Team Eubank, I’ll make sure everything’s fair this time,” Hearn said. “I think Chris understands and appreciates that my job last time was to get the edge. I did that beautifully, because I spun the other team around my little finger and I enabled Conor Benn to get the advantage going into the fight. That’s the game. This time around, it won’t work like that.”

Hearn wants 168lb trilogy fight

Hearn believes a third meeting should be staged at the full super-middleweight limit. He had previously indicated that he would not seek a rehydration clause.

“It’ll be a fair fight, and it’ll be up at 168,” he said. “This is just me thinking in my head. There’s nothing imminent with Chris Eubank Jr.”

Benn had already discussed moving to middleweight or super middleweight after struggling to make 147lbs for his WBC title fight against Ryan Garcia. Garcia stopped him in the second round in Las Vegas on September 12, ending Benn’s two-fight run under the Zuffa Boxing banner after a unanimous-decision victory over Regis Prograis in a 150lb catchweight contest on April 11.

The 29-year-old’s move to Zuffa in February ended his career-long association with Hearn and would add another promotional element to negotiations for a third Eubank fight. Hearn believes placing himself and Matchroom alongside Eubank, opposite Benn, Dana White and Zuffa, would make the rivalry more compelling.

“Me on Team Eubank against Dana White and Conor Benn makes the fight twice as big,” he said. “The trilogy will be interesting.”

Benn’s manager, Keith Connolly, also regards a third fight as a strong possibility. He has outlined spring 2027 as a potential date in an interview with TalkSport, with the following autumn another option, and believes a fight at 168lbs could sell out a stadium without either boxer being able to blame the weight conditions.

Connolly has said he would welcome the promotional contest with Hearn despite their public disagreement over Benn’s departure from Matchroom. He has credited the company for its work during Benn’s career but argued that Hearn reacted badly to Zuffa’s offer rather than exploring a joint arrangement. Connolly also maintains that Benn was entitled to accept a life-changing financial deal and expects him to continue fighting after the loss to Garcia.

Matchroom history and legal dispute

A deal would reunite Eubank with a promoter he first joined in September 2015. He stopped Tony Jeter and Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan under the Matchroom banner before leaving after the company lost the purse bid for his mandatory British middleweight title defence against Nick Blackwell.

Eubank returned under another promotional agreement in May 2016 and defended the British title against Tom Doran the following month. That relationship later broke down during failed negotiations for a fight with Gennady Golovkin. Hearn blamed demands from Chris Eubank Sr over control and the staging of the event, while Eubank Jnr maintained that the contract was never presented to him personally.

Relations deteriorated further around the two Benn fights. Comments made by Eubank between the contests led Matchroom and the British Boxing Board of Control to begin legal proceedings against him, giving the recent lunch with Hearn added relevance.

The families also have a long history. Barry Hearn managed and promoted Eubank Sr during his world-title reigns and rivalry with Nigel Benn, while Eddie Hearn has said his father was best man at one of Eubank Sr’s weddings.

Eubank has not fought since losing the Benn rematch and has not signed with Matchroom. Any third fight would require an agreement with Benn’s Zuffa team, with the weight and rehydration terms among the central issues for a possible 2027 stadium date.

“Certainly the announcement with Matchroom would break the boxing internet and probably break the sporting internet as well,” Hearn said. “Nothing imminent; stranger things have happened – I think in my head and Chris Eubank Jr.’s head, we understand the size of it. Never say never.”