The wait is almost over as Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn finally clash on Saturday night.
A fight more than two-and-a-half years in the making takes centre stage in front of a huge crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend, with a long-running feud poised to be settled once and for all.
Fireworks seem almost guaranteed from the very outset in a bitter grudge match that has been simmering away for years, having been cancelled back in October 2022 after Benn - who has always denied any wrongdoing - failed two voluntary drugs tests.
There has been no shortage of drama in the build-up this time either, with Eubank Jr slapping his opponent in the face with an egg and fined heavily for narrowly missing weight amid a bubbling row over Benn’s choice of gloves.
The size of the ring has also been a talking point in the run-up to fight night in north London, with Benn’s camp claiming an early victory on that front as they plot the perfect gameplan for an upset.
Why is the ring smaller for Eubank Jr vs Benn fight?
The sizes of boxing rings tend to range between 16x16ft and 24x24ft, though typically are measured at 20x20ft.
This fight though will see a smaller ring of 18x18ft after a request from Team Benn was approved by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC).
"The only thing I asked for in my contract was an 18-foot ring,” Benn told Sky Sports this week. “Coming in there to steamroll him? Of course I am. You think I'm coming in there to muck about?
"If you think you're faster than me, prove it. You think you're stronger than me, prove it.
"You think you're smarter than me, prove it. Come and meet me in the middle."
Benn’s reasons for wanting a smaller ring are tactical and, per promoter Eddie Hearn, are designed to try and ensure that Saturday night’s main event becomes a good old-fashioned “tear-up”.
Despite jumping up two divisions from welterweight to middleweight, the ever-aggressive Benn fancies his chances of victory if he can draw Eubank Jr into a firefight at close range, with a smaller ring allowing him to cut off the space much easier and force his opponent to stand in front of him and trade shots with little room to escape the barrage.
That is provided of course that his power at 147 pounds that saw some vicious knockouts early in his stalled career can successfully translate at the much higher weight, with Hearn admitting that the smaller ring size could also yet benefit Eubank Jr if he is content to stand and exchange punches with the greater power as a natural middleweight who has also fought plenty up at super-middleweight during his career.
In a bigger ring, the speedy and fleet-footed Eubank Jr may well have been content to utilise his significant reach advantage to box smartly at range, constantly staying on his toes and frustrating Benn by keeping him at arm’s length without much chance to get inside and let those venomous punches fly in search of a statement stoppage.
