Sky Sports reported just hours ago that Liam Smith will rematch Chris Eubank Jr. on September 2nd. This comes at a time when Matchroom and Conor Benn seemingly refuse to give up on a date with Eubank.
However, ProBox TV caught up with promoter Kalle Sauerland to discuss the ongoing rematch saga that has dragged on most of this year.
“It’s a tweet.” Sauerland said with a mischievous grin. “But, it is not any different to what I said yesterday. That is the only fight on the table right now, it is the fight we are negotiating, it is a fight we are close to finalising. That hasn’t changed since yesterday. Someone said to me ‘will you be announcing in the next few weeks?’ I said ‘no, we will not be announcing in the next few weeks because September the 2nd requires an imminent announcement, next week would work. That part hasn’t changed, but Junior is vocal and he speaks his mind. He is also fed up with people poking questions about other negotiations going on and things like that. But, the truth of the matter is right now as we speak, there is only one option on the table. People say ‘the Benn fight is off.’ I say ‘it has never been on’ he hasn’t even got a licence right now. It is part of a build up, you know.”
I asked Sauerland, have we given up on waiting around for Conor Benn?
“We were never waiting around for Conor Benn.” Sauerland said with some frustrated amusement. “Those are words being put in my mouth. I don’t think people read into it too much, we were supposed to fight in June. That fight in June was pushed back to July the 1st, then August something, it all never materialised, three times. That’s it, the contract is done and dusted. So you sit down and figure if you still want to do this. If all is okay, then they have to convince us that they are willing, ready and able. Which, after three pullouts, I think it is quite justified. So that is where it is at.”
Smith’s injuries have scuppered, until now, Eubank’s chance at redemption. While in the meantime team Benn have been doing their very best to lure him toward a bigger payday with no date also.
“Liam also wants the fight, I’m sure.” Sauerland said. “ We just need to be certain also that something is going to happen on September 2nd also. We need action and some sort of a guarantee. I see Ben Shalom being quoted as saying ‘he’s 100 percent fit to fight,’ well in my 23 years in boxing I can tell you something, unfortunately in boxing nothing is guaranteed, certainly fitness isn’t. My life would have been made much easier over the last 23 years, if it was.”
British boxing has seen Shalom’s Boxxer and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom bump heads over various fights since the UK’s newest promoter aligned with Sky Sports.
“Everyone can clash heads and knock each other out.” Sauerland added in jest. “I’m just going to focus on our road with Junior. And like I said, I got one real decision to make right now, Junior has been very clear! We are close but we are not quite there yet.”
