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28th Mar 2017

Eddie Hearn couldn’t help but laugh at the latest message from Chris Eubank

Never going to happen

Darragh Murphy

We’re all for super-fights but there’s a very good reason that weight classes exist in boxing.

In one of the stranger beefs seen in quite a while, IBO super-middleweight champion Chris Eubank Jr. called out WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew after a heated Twitter exchange.

The tension began when Bellew claimed that he had “seen better belts sold in Matalan,” when referencing the strap held by Eubank Jr.

The pair went back and forth, with Eubank Jr. holding his own in the war of words by mocking Bellew’s recent victory over David Haye.

But the trash talk seemed like it would never result in a meeting between the ropes given the huge weight difference between the two men.

Eubank Jr. most recently weighed in at 11st 13lbs for his TKO victory over Renold Quinlan while Bellew came in at 15st 3lbs for his heavyweight debut against Haye.

That’s a lot of size to give up but ‘Next Gen’ has a novel idea for how Bellew could drop down for the all-British showdown.

Bellew seemed to be treating it as no more than a bit of banter but it sounds like the Eubank camp is serious about the fight as Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn has since revealed that the father of Eubank Jr. had been in touch.

Hearn couldn’t help but laugh off the enquiry (which you can see at the 7.50 mark of the below IFL TV video) as he noted the ridiculous nature of even entertaining the idea that the fight could come together.

“Senior messaged me and asked if there were legs in this,” Hearn said.

“He’s 15st 5lbs is Tony Bellew. I don’t know what to say.

“You’ve got a middleweight calling out a heavyweight. It was bizarre.

“And they’re actually saying ‘What do you think? Do you want to have a chat about this?’ I was like ‘No!'”