Turki Alalshikh is making sure his bucket list of fights for 2025 is getting ticked off one by one. In collaboration with the boxing magazine, ‘The Ring’, Alalshikh has just confirmed a boxing match between Chris Eubank Jr. and Connor Ben in April.
Alalshikh further announced that he would soon be confirming the day and the location of the fight in his attempt to ‘make boxing great again’.
“Eubank Jr vs Benn done in April, London, by the name of (Fatal Fury City of the Wolves)… it will be The Ring’s first card in collaboration with the video game and SNK, and I will push to make PPV price 19.99 GBP for the fans, with tough undercard.”
Eubank Jr vs Benn done in April, London, by the name of (Fatal Fury City of the Wolves) Soon I will announce the day and the location, it will be The Ring’s first card in collaboration with the video game and SNK, and I will push to make PPV price 19.99 GBP for the fans, with…
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) January 15, 2025
Since Saudia Arabia’s interest in the sport began to peak, Alalshikh has been on a mission to create a new golden era for boxing, turning the country into a modern-day “Mecca” for boxing.
In 2024, Saudi Arabia hosted big fights like Oleksander Usyk vs Tyson Fur and Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol; fights that wouldn’t have otherwise seen the light of day. The way things are proceeding at the moment, 2025 could see some even bigger fights like Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua, Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford, Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia II, and Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois II.
But Alalshikh’s interest is not limited to in-ring action. One of the most exciting ‘non-fighting’ moves came on November 11, when Alalshikh, alongside promoter Oscar De La Hoya, announced the purchase of ‘The Ring’ magazine. Known as boxing’s most iconic publication, this acquisition aims to breathe new life into its legacy.
As part of the relaunch, the new management unveiled some big plans, including bringing back the print edition of the magazine after two years of being digital-only. The Eubank Jr. vs Benn fight will also be this renewed edition’s debut card!
A closer look at Eubank Jr. vs Benn
Benn and Eubank Jr. were originally set to face off back in October 2022, but the fight was scrapped when the former tested positive twice for the banned substance clomifene. Consequently, he ended up giving up his license with the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC), putting the highly anticipated matchup on ice.
Since then, Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) has been busy rebuilding his career. The unbeaten 28-year-old returned to the ring in September 2023 in Orlando, Florida, earning a unanimous decision win over Rodolfo Orozco. Earlier in February, he also scored a solid victory over Peter Dobson in Las Vegas.
Benn will reportedly have to move up from welterweight to fight the 34-3-0 Eubank Jr.
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Chris Eubank Jr. (34-3, 25 KOs), now 35, has also continued to stay active. While he is not in his prime anymore, Eubank Jr. has used his wealth of experience to come back from big losses.
He bounced back from a January TKO loss to Liam Smith by TKO’ing Smith in the 10th round of their September 2023 rematch. The Sussex fighter also stopped Kamil Szeremeta in the seventh round last October.
Interestingly, both Benn and Eubank Jr. are boxing legacies, and their fathers Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr. also had a fierce rivalry and had fought twice in the early 90s.
