Boxing

Eddie Hearn Nearly Fought Foe Promoter At Conor Benn vs. Chris Eubank Jr. Egg Brawl

Matchroom boxing promoter Eddie Hearn almost threw hands with BOXXER promoter Ben Shalom after Tuesday's egg slap heard around the world.
Grant Young|
Eddie Hearn during a boxing convention on November 12, 2024.
Eddie Hearn during a boxing convention on November 12, 2024. | IMAGO / Torsten Helmke

Any boxing fan who knows the storied history between Conor Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) and Chris Eubank Jr. (34-3, 25 KOs) — dating back to when their respective fathers fought in 1990 and again in 1993 — will not be surprised that there's very bad blood between the two fighters entering this blockbuster bout, which is slated to take place on April 26 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The story of the boxing world on Tuesday stemmed from a Eubank Jr. vs. Benn press conference when Eubank Jr. slapped Benn in the face with an egg, which was a cheeky reference to Benn blaming excessive egg consumption for his failed drug tests before their fight scheduled fight in 2022 fell through.

This prompted a brawl to break out on the stage. And if there was anybody as upset as Benn, it was his Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.

During a February 25 episode of Ariel and Ade, DAZN Boxing lead presenter Ade Oladipo (who was present at the press conference) relayed that Hearn seemed to be looking for a fight after this egg fiasco.

"That wound up Conor Benn, that would up Eddie Hearn, who seemed to make a beeline for [BOXXER founder and CEO and Eubank Jr.'s promoter] Ben Shalom," Oladipo said. "It looked like Eddie made a beeline for Ben Shalom. It was like Eddie thought 'This is my moment. I've been waiting to crack you for about 18 months, this is my moment.'

"And Eddie went for him, and then security had to pull Eddie away. And for a second — I'm not joking, I'm laughing, but I'm not joking — I thought Eddie and Ben could throw hands. There was about a split second where I thought Eddie and Ben could throw hands, and my money is on Eddie," he added.

Perhaps Hearn vs. Shalom can be the co-main event when their respective fighters take off in April.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.