Fans have of course read or heard about ‘egg-gate,’ the incident that took place yesterday at the first press conference to hype the upcoming April fight between bad blood rivals Chris Eubank Junior and Conor Benn. Eubank took it upon himself to slap an egg into the face of his rival.
Benn was absolutely furious and all hell broke loose in Manchester. A second presser is scheduled to take place in London tomorrow. However, security is certain to be tighter than tight, and a planned face-off between the two fighters, to have taken place today, has been called off for obvious reasons.
Now, The British Boxing Board of Control’s official statement makes it clear Eubank could face a penalty for doing what he did.
“The British Boxing Board of Control is aware of the incident at yesterday’s press conference in Manchester for the Chris Eubank Jnr. v Conor Benn contest on 26th of April 2025 and are dealing with the matter in accordance with its regulations.”
Should Eubank be punished, perhaps quite severely, for his egg stunt, or should the incident be brushed off as fun and games and a very real attempt at gaining an edge through some creative psychological warfare, with Eubank having taken things slightly too far? We have seen far worse behaviour from fighters at press conferenced and during face-offs, with tables turned over and with the two fighters coming to blows. How does the throwing of an egg rank alongside some of the nastier events that have taken place between two fighters when they are pumped up and ready to fight?
Eubank may be hit with a fine, but nothing else seems likely. But from now on until April 26th, both Eubank and Benn had better make sure they are on their best behaviour. Promoter Eddie Hearn is all too aware of the possibility of more temper flare-ups, as he made clear when speaking with Sky Sports.
“I don’t know if we can do Thursday’s press conference, I’ve got to be honest with you, because it will be attack on sight,” Hearn said. “It won’t be ‘have a sleep and calm down.’ It’s one-upmanship. ‘You’ve [Eubank] slapped me [Benn] and I couldn’t get to you.’ From my point of view, it’s unacceptable but the game is the game.”
Hearn finished by stating how Benn and Eubank “cannot be anywhere near each other.”
So, will tomorrow’s presser take place or not?
