Eddie Hearn and Ben Shalom engaged in another war of words (Image: IFLTV)
is so confident Conor Benn will beat Chris Eubank Jr that he’s prepared to put £1million on the line.
Benn and Eubank Jr will go head-to-head later this year, with the pair having embarked on a press conference tour this week in the build-up to the bout.
It’s been a week of hostilities, both from the respective fighters and the promoters themselves.
The pair’s latest war of words saw the heat turned up a notch, with Hearn challenging Eubank Jr’s promoter, Ban Shalom, to a hefty wager.
Approaching Shalom while he was mid-interview with IFLTV, Hearn was asked if he’d shake the hand of his opposing man. He replied: “Yeah, of course.”
Shalom added: “We’re very good friends now,” with Hearn – sporting a stone cold look on his face – said: “Great friends.”
This was when the interviewer decided to add a bit of fuel to the fire, posing the question: “£100 grand?” an invitation for the pair to put their money where their mouths are.
Hearn was first to pipe up: “Whatever you want, more if you want?”
Shalom responded: “I know that Eddie knows, he’s just given me £100,000.”
Hearn wasn’t one for backing down, adding: “Not at all. We can have a bigger bet. We can have £1million, in escrow tomorrow morning… on the fight.”
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Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn faced off earlier this week (Image: Getty)
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Slightly taken back by this offer, Shalom continued: “You’re going to bet £1m on Connor Benn? Listen, he’s [Hearn] got billions, he’s inherited a lot of money.”
Sensing an opportunity to land a dig of his own on his opposite number, Hearn wrapped up the head-to-head by saying: “Listen, that’s the first true thing you’ve said all day.”
It comes after a tense week of press conferences, with Shalom previously accusing the Benn camp of only agreeing to the fight as a cash grab.
Speaking in the press conference, he said: “130,000 people in the waiting room [for tickets]. I’ve never seen it, on a presale. The biggest event this year.
“I do have to question when Eddie says they didn’t do it for money, it’s clearly for money, it’s clearly a cashout, it’s clearly two fights. Probably the last two fights of Conor’s career.
“But this will be the biggest fight in the past two decades in British boxing.”
Benn and Eubank Jr will enter the ring at the Stadium on April 26.