Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn winner will secure Canelo Alvarez super-fight

Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh has revealed the winner of Chris Eubank Jr's clash with Conor Benn will face Canelo Alvarez next year.

Eubank Jr and Benn will go head-to-head on April 26 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, but there is now a lot more on the line for both men. The pair were due to fight in October 2022, but the mouthwatering dust-up was cancelled when Benn failed two drug tests.

Benn has recently been cleared to reapply for his British Boxing Board of Control licence after a National Anti-Doping Panel judged that UK Anti-Doping must lift his temporary suspension as they were not "comfortably satisfied" a doping offence had been committed. He was under under investigation after two adverse analytical findings in VADA tests for the prohibited substance clomiphene, a fertility drug which has performance-enhancing benefits. The Brit returned to the ring in September 2023, defeating Rodolfo Orozco in Florida.

The 28-year-old comes into the clash off a win over Peter Dobson in Las Vegas last February. Eubank Jr has been fairly active since the cancellation of the first bout, losing to Liam Smith in January 2023 before levelling the series eight months later with a stunning knockout in the 10th round in Manchester. His last outing came last October when he knocked out Kamil Szeremeta.

Eubank Jr has called for his shot at Alvarez for quite some time, and a win over his British rival could secure him a life-changing fight next year. "Whoever is the winner we are working in the future to have him fight against Canelo," Alalshikh told Sky Sports.

"If Eubank wins, he will have the chance to do Canelo at the beginning of 2026. We have two big conferences, one in Manchester on Tuesday, and one in London on Thursday, it will be huge. And I think it will be a great fight. And also the undercard is strong. The result of this fight and the undercard will impact the future of our cards."

Since confirmation of the bout, the pair have traded barbs online on multiple occasions. There is so much history involved in the upcoming showdown after their fathers famously fought twice in 1990 and 1993. Given the family feud, fans will be chomping at the bit to see Benn and Eubank Jr run it back - something that Alalshikh is also open to.

"Yeah, we have in our contract rematch options. And yes, why not? But we are now focusing on the first fight. Let's see what's happens, and I think it will be something amazing, never happened before," he said. On top of that, the Saudi boxing supremo has confirmed that Eubank Sr and Benn Sr are set to be ringside for the fight, saying: "We discussed it with them, and everyone will be there. And we have a lot of surprises inside the Tottenham stadium and throughout the fight week. There is also will be a big concert for 20-30 minutes with very famous artists inside the stadium."

A chance to fight 'Saul' would be life-changing for either Benn or Eubank Jr. Earlier this month, reports stated that Alvarez had signed a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season - including a September showdown with Terence Crawford. Announcing the news, Alalshikh said: "Don’t mess with the lion ... 4 fights for Canelo with Riyadh Season … The Deal is done … A Lion doesn’t lose sleep over opinion of a sheep… Fear the lion not the jungle."

Alvarez is set to William Scull for the undisputed super-middleweight championship on May 3 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia before facing Crawford in Las Vegas in the autumn. The 34-year-old will then have a further two fights in Saudi Arabia next year - with one of them now likely to be against the winner of Eubank Jr's clash with Benn. 'Saul' replied to Alalshikh's announcement on social media, saying: "Let's go brother."