Chris Eubank Jnr last night struck Conor Benn with an egg as the two faced off in Manchester, England, at the public media conference ahead of their middleweight showdown on April 26. BoxingScene understands there is a strong possibility he will face a fine from the British Boxing Board of Control after the commission today confirmed to both boxers there will be a hearing into what occurred.
There are numerous options to the Board: They can advise that the fight is cancelled - as they did in October 2022 following news breaking that Benn had failed two tests due to clomiphene being discovered in his system; they can take licences away; or, the most common consequence of cases like this, they can issue a fine.
"It was irresponsible," the Board's Robert Smith told BoxingScene. "I'm not really bothered by the egg, it's the fact that Eubank struck Benn. That an egg was in his hand at the time is irrelevant, it's the striking that we have an issue with."
Smith confirmed that Eubank's punishment will be decided at the hearing.
The two fighters are set to be within striking distance of each other again tomorrow evening at another press conference, this time in London. Promoter Eddie Hearn today said they will pose for photographs, alongside both each other and ample security, but they will not be facing off.
The motive for Eubank breaking an egg on his opponent's face, aside to sell the fight to a public that lap up this kind of nonsense, was to stir up reminders of those failed tests. When looking into Benn's case, and focusing just on the first failed test, the WBC concluded that one reason why Benn had clomiphene in his system might have been due to excessive egg consumption.
The charges levelled at Benn were eventually dropped following a ruling by the National Anti-Doping Panel last year.