The long-awaited grudge match between Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr is set to finally take place in London in April after a delay of several years, it was announced yesterday.

What should have been an initial bout between the two British boxers in October 2022 was called off when Benn failed a voluntary drug test in fight week.

Benn’s two-year battle to clear his name saw his suspension lifted in November.

The 28-year-old took to Instagram yesterday to share photos of himself signing a contract with promoter Eddie Hearn and Saudi official Turki Alalshikh, along with the words: “Your Fate has been sealed! @chriseubankjr”.

Eubank Jr (35) responded by posting the picture on his Instagram feed, with the message: “@conorbennofficial just signed his own death sentence.”

Benn will reportedly have to move up from welterweight to fight Eubank Jr, who has a professional record of 34 wins and three defeats, in what was previously billed as a “catchweight” fight.

Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s general entertainment authority, posted on X: “Eubank Jr vs Benn done in April, London, by the name of (Fatal Fury City of the Wolves). Soon, I will announce the day and the location.”

The bout has been promoted as a ‘second-generation’ contest that saw the rivals’ fathers, Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr, battle it out in two ferocious contests in the early 1990s.

-Nampa/AFP