Chris Eubank Jr has revealed he turned down an offer worth "millions" to face bitter rival Conor Benn.
Eubank Jr looked set to face long-term rival Benn last year in a catchweight contest, but the fight was shelved after his rival failed two drug tests with the results released on fight week. He then went on to take on fellow domestic rival Liam Smith who stopped him in a demolition job in Liverpool to derail his world title ambitions.
The 33-year-old had access to a rematch clause but was heavily linked with a rescheduled showdown against Benn in the Middle East, given his rival is currently unable to box in the UK after ripping up his licence. However after weeks of negotiations, it was announced he would activate his clause to a second meeting with Smith, which saw the fight announced for this summer.
However he has revealed that circumstances surrounding a potential Saudi Arabia meeting complicated his decision and saw him instead pursue redemption on home soil. "I definitely considered fighting Conor Benn next," Eubank told Sky Sports when revealing how he made his decision to abandon plans to fight Benn.
"Because when somebody puts millions and millions and millions of pounds in front of you and offers you a fight, you consider it. You don't just turn it down. I was offered a substantial amount to fight Conor Benn overseas and I came to the conclusion that it wasn't the right time, it wasn't the right place. The circumstances weren't right.
"It doesn't matter how much money you're going to throw at me, things have to be right. If things are not right with Conor at this moment in time, and things are not right with me. I want to get this guy [Smith] back for what he did and then I can move on."
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Benn has yet to seal his first fight back after being reinstated in the WBC rankings following the submission of a 270-page document to protest his innocence. However he is yet to discover the fate of his career on British soil, but has now opened dialogue with the British Boxing Board of Control over his future.
'The Destroyer' has maintained his innocence throughout and is confident that he will reinstated to fight in the UK soon. And Eubank Jr has insisted that his rival must first clear his name if the pair are to reschedule their showdown before the end of their respective careers.
“Clear as day," he said. "Get his British Boxing Licence back so that he can fight in the UK, so that we can do it where the fight makes the most sense, where we can, where it’s supposed to happen. Not in the Middle East or you know, when there’s all these things going on about, he has to clear his name."
