SHELL SHOCKED
Chris Eubank Jr slaps Conor Benn with an EGG as bitter rivals pulled apart in explosive Battle of Britain face-off
The jibe was a reference to Benn's 2022 drugs ban
CHRIS EUBANK JR smashed an egg across Conor Benn’s face and labelled him a "dirty little omelette" as their drug-test duel finally cracked.
The born rivals went face-to-face for the first time since their grudge match got rescheduled for 26 April at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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And fists were almost flying early at the media launch as Eubank smashed an EGG into Benn's face - a reference to his failed drug test three years ago.
It sparked a mass brawl on stage with Benn, promoter Eddie Hearn and his dad Nigel grappling to get a piece of Eubank.
Eventually, the teams were dragged off stage with the bad blood brewing ahead of the 160lb middleweight fight on April 26.
Eubank, 35, made reference to Benn's failed drug tests which KO'd their initial 157lb catchweight clash in 2022.
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The WBC infamously suggested 28-year-old Benn's failed test for clomiphene could have been related to an intake in eggs.
He wrote on X soon after the brawl in front of fans, media and TV cameras: "Apparently egg contamination was the reason for his two failed drugs tests.
"So I contaminated him with an egg."
Benn hit back with a brutal tweet of his own though, writing: "That's the only shot you'll land on me you f***ing p***k. 2 rounds you are finished."
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In the run-up to the press conference, Hearn accused Eubank of being "on the beach".
And Eubank rounded on the Matchroom kingpin in a tense war of words in North London.
The former IBO middleweight champ snarled: "Eddie, you know I don't like you right?"
'I don't want to hear you' - Eddie Hearn in tense exchange with Chris Eubank Jr during Conor Benn press conference
"So what makes you think on God's green Earth I'm going to sit here and listen to any of the b***ocks you're going to say?"
Hearn immediately shot back: "Well you're going to have to."
Eubank had landed all the early blows - verbally and physically - by battering his nemesis with yolk and shelling him with insults.
Referencing the two urine tests Benn failed, Eubank snarled: “You had the public behind you, to be the next big star of British boxing, you had it and p***ed it all away.
“Literally p***ed it all away.
“I have been meaning to ask; you how many eggs did you have to eat to fail those drug tests?
“All you and Eddie (promoter, Hearn) say is ‘we are cleared’ but you don’t say how or why or what the evidence is.
“I am not an academic but I know one thing, you are a drug cheat. You dirty little omelette.”
I'll drag you by the neck and put you outside
Conor Benn
Moments earlier, Benn was in a ferociously defensive mood when asked by a respected newspaper reporter whether he was indeed fighting on a foreign licence.
Benn made two threats against the writer, in front of a room full of people who could not handle the situation, but wisely calmed the red-hot scene with a cuddle that the tabloid man begrudgingly accepted.
The undefeated slugger snarled: “If somebody starts asking me trick questions, I'll throw you out the room.
“Do you hear me? I'll drag you by the neck outside and put you outside.
“What you're doing is prodding and poking. You're prodding and poking. You're prodding and poking.”
Eubank then accused Benn of being deep in debt to Essex promoter Hearn.
Benn - who is yet to fight for an English or British title - proudly boasts of having spent around £500,000 on his case.
But Eubank asked: “How much do you owe Eddie?
“I heard Eddie owns your house and your cars and that’s why Eddie was so desperate to make the fight, he needs to recoup some of that money.”
But Benn snapped back: “He needs the money because he is s*** at poker.
“He owes Neymar £4m, that’s why he has taken the fight.”
Benn is moving up two weights for April's grudge match.
But the unbeaten star is reportedly in tip-top shape early in camp.
Hearn told talkSPORT: "We live in an age where [fighters] like to document their work.
"Conor Benn is training like a man possessed.
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"I think Chris Eubank's on the beach at the minute. He hits pads for about 30 seconds and then puts it out on Instagram.
"In my opinion, Conor Benn is on another level to Chris Eubank Jr.
"But in stepping up two divisions, physically he's at a huge disadvantage.
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"When the bell goes at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, this young man will come out and set about Chris Eubank like he's never been set about before.
"He will not know what is happening, where the punches are coming from and what kind of speed this is. This fight could be over in six rounds."
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