Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn catchweight fight reportedly coming in October

Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn are reportedly close to a deal for a fight on Oct. 8, according to Chisanga Malata, who says the fight would be held at London’s O2 Arena and be a DAZN pay-per-view bout in the United Kingdom.

If you’re wondering about weight, the catchweight would reportedly be “around 156 lbs,” with Benn (21-0, 14 KO) coming up from 147 and Eubank (32-2, 23 KO) coming down from 160, having also fought at world level as a 168 lber.

The selling point here is obvious, of course. Conor’s father Nigel Benn and Chris’ father Chris Sr were great rivals in the 90s, meeting in both 1990 and 1993, with Eubank winning via TKO the first time and the pair going to a draw in their rematch.

Though their rivalry was heated then, the two have become much friendlier in the current day. That could end — at least for promotional purposes — if their sons do fight.

The 32-year-old Chris Jr has spent years bouncing around with various promoters and trainers and what have you, last fighting on Feb. 5 in Cardiff, where he beat home favorite Liam Williams.

Benn, 25, has been very well-managed and promoted by Matchroom, and this would be a major risk for him, but the fighter himself has said many times that he doesn’t expect nor necessarily aim to retire undefeated, as he wants to take risks in his career and have tough fights.

Those have been hard to come by. We’re at a point where Benn is clearly just leagues beyond the sort of opposition he’s been facing — Sebastian Formella, Samuel Vargas, Adrian Granados, Chirs Algieri, and Chris van Heerden in his last fight — and Matchroom just do not have much reach in the welterweight division, which is still largely dominated by Premier Boxing Champions.

And it seems like a no-brainer to sell well on PPV in the United Kingdom. It would, of course, air on normal DAZN in most territories, including the United States, but this is unquestionably a “UK-first” fight, and a potentially really big one.

Do you like the matchup? Who wins if we get it?