Conor Benn 'to face Chris Eubank Jr on June 3 in Abu Dhabi' as rivals close in on rearranged bout

Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr are on the verge of rearranging their cancelled grudge match for June 3 in Abu Dhabi, according to reports.

Benn and Eubank were set to continue their families’ iconic rivalry in October of last year, only for the bout to be scrapped at the 11th hour when the former failed a drugs test late on.

Sportsmail revealed days before the eagerly-anticipated showdown that Benn had tested positive for testosterone-boosting substance clomifene, forcing promoter Eddie Hearn to pull the plug. It later emerged that he had also failed a separate test for the same substance earlier in 2022.

While he remains under a UK Anti-Doping investigation, meaning he is unable to compete on these shores with the threat of a two-year ban still looming, the 26-year-old is free to box on foreign soil having been cleared of intentional doping by the WBC. 

Hearn revealed to Sportsmail last week that his preference was to rearrange Benn’s mega-fight against Eubank, despite Kell Brook and Manny Pacquiao both angling for a clash with the welterweight star.

Chris Eubank Jr (L) and Conor Benn (R) are set to rearrange their clash for June 3 in Abu Dhabi

Benn was due to face Eubank in October before failing two drugs tests in lead-up to the bout 

Eddie Hearn told Sportsmail last week that his preference was to rearrange the contest

And according to The Sun, the second-generation scrap is now set to go ahead in the Middle East this summer.

Though after agreeing to come down to a catchweight of 157lbs the first time around, it is believed Eubank has insisted on the rearranged contest being at his natural 160lbs middleweight limit following his rival’s drug controversy. 

Unlike in October, Eubank is heading into his revised date with Benn on the back of defeat – and the most brutal of his career at that.

The 33-year-old was dropped and knocked out for the very first time by Liam Smith in January, succumbing to a fourth-round stoppage loss against his fellow Brit.

Shortly after the fight Eubank took to social media to reveal he had activated his rematch clause, yet he now looks set to renege on that agreement and set his sights back on Benn.

It is believed Sky Sports and Boxxer, who promote Smith, never received official confirmation from Eubank or his Sauerland promotional team.

The riches of an Abu Dhabi battle with his arch-nemesis is likely to dwarf any financial penalty for breaching rematch obligations with Smith, making their rearranged clash the more enticing option.

Eubank hit out at Benn on social media after his recent interview with Piers Morgan, claiming he is ‘100 per cent’ sure that he knowingly took performance-enhancing drugs while accusing him of ‘playing the victim’.

Now Eubank and Benn are poised to get their rivalry back underway in the Middle East

Eubank heads into the bout this time around on the back of defeat against Liam Smith

He posted on Twitter: ‘I was 99% sure @ConorNigel was a cheat but after watching that interview with @piersmorgan now I’m 100% sure.

‘Imagine failing TWO drugs tests & then trying to play the victim!? The balls on this kid!! Or should I say… the eggs on him’.

Benn responded quickly by writing: ‘You’re Sat there trying to play the victim but tried blackmailing me for 1m pound. You s**t house.’ 

Hearn told Sportsmail last week that the pair are still exchanging insults on a daily basis, which he feared would provide an obstacle in getting the fight over the line. 

‘The fight that I like, still, is the Chris Eubank fight, because those two are privately DM’ing each other every day with obscenities at the moment, and that leads to a great promotion,’ the Matchroom chief said.

‘Obviously part of me wants to see that fight after it falling through the last time. So we’ve had a couple of offers for Conor Benn to fight internationally, for me I would prefer Chris Eubank Jr, but we’ll have to see what plays out over the next couple of days.’