Chris Eubank Jr’s rematch with Conor Benn may be on the brink of collapse after a major player has pulled out of the bout.
Eubank beat Benn back in April by unanimous decision, and a second fight was already agreed in the original contract.
Eubank spent two days in the hospital after the fight due to severe dehydration from making the 160lb middleweight limit.
The pair were also restricted to not rehydrating more than 10Ib on the morning of the fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh announced on social media that the rematch would be taking place on September 20 in London.
Given the gruelling weight cut and recency of the first fight, the rematch date came as a shock to many, including the two fighters, who were not informed beforehand.
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|The pair went the distance in their first fight
It has now been revealed that the Saudi chief, along with financial backers SELA, have pulled out of their involvement in any rematch.
Benn is ready to fight, as he told Ring Magazine: "This rematch falling apart had nothing to do with me. I was ready to go on the scheduled September 20 date. I'm not sure what happened to Chris Eubank."
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Eubank also seemed optimistic of a rematch when he was asked after the first fight.
He said: “Watch this space. Boxing is a very beautiful industry where anything can happen. The possibilities are endless.
"If the rematch is meant to be, it will be. And if not, guess what, there’s plenty of other great fights to be had so I’m happy either way.”
However, both fighters have been exploring other fight opportunities since their fight, and it seems Eubank’s ambitions now lie elsewhere.
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|Chris Eubank Jr ended up in hospital due to severe dehydration
The 35-year-old has been aiming for a fight with undisputed super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, 34.
When asked about the bout Eubank was very enthusiastic to make it happen. He said: “That is another stadium filler. Wembley, Tottenham, any one of the large football stadiums in the UK will be filled for a fight like that.
"He is an opponent that I’ve been looking at for many years now and the fans would love to see that.
"So 100% that’s a name that’s in my line of sight. We will be doing whatever we can to secure that fight in the future.”
However, the bout between the two won’t be so straightforward.
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Canelo faces American Terrance Crawford on September 13, with Hamzah Sheeraz lined up to take on the winner.
Benn, meanwhile, has been looking for fights in the US and the UK, with promoter Eddie Hearn confident that even if the Eubank fight falls through, he will have plenty of options.
He said: “Listen, we ain’t gotta worry about Conor Benn. He’s one of the biggest stars in boxing right now.
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|Conor Benn is exploring fights in the US
“Everyone wants to fight him. Brian Norman Jr, Devin Haney, Teofimo Lopez, Shakur Stevenson, Richardson Hitchins, Ryan Garcia – Conor Benn is the hot stuff in the division right now.
“The fight with Shakur, I love it. That’s a massive stadium fight in the UK. We got plenty of options.”
While it appears the fight may be dead in the water, the fight would attract a large audience and could potentially attract a lot of investors for a highly anticipated rematch.