LONDON – Tucked away in a suite overlooking Tottenham Hotspur Stadium pitch are a dozen members of Chris Eubank Jr.’s extended team, waiting for their man to finish his media obligations after another emotional press conference.

Among them is the highly rated trainer with whom he reunited, Brian “BoMac” McIntyre, and the 55-year-old’s crew.

Eubank’s promoter and BOXXER chief Ben Shalom appears on high alert for potential issues, but eventually eases to discuss future plans with The Ring after a busy few months packed with uncertainty.

“It’s been a transition period, changing from Sky to BBC is a big deal – massive opportunity – but when you’re changing between two monsters like we are, it’s a big job,” he sighs after being asked about the specifics of their first show on terrestrial television. “Not just for the production teams and the talent, but everything needs to be lined up and make sense. We’ll announce our schedule very soon.”

Adam Azim’s new contract was unveiled last week, but details were kept under wraps.

“Azim will be in a major career-defining fight before the year ends,” Shalom said. ‘We’ve started with him and been through it [his career] since the start. He’s a phenomenal fighter and I’m delighted to see his career’s next chapter.”

Jack Catterall-Ekow Essuman and Cameron Vuong-Gavin Gwynne 2 have been named as two potential undercard bouts on the Eubank-Conor Benn 2 bill November 15, but Shalom wants a strong BOXXER contingent, as he had for their April 26 meeting.

World-level middleweight contender Aaron McKenna (20-0, 10 KOs) and new British cruiserweight titleholder Viddal Riley (13-0, 7 KOs) are free agents, but both produced career-best performances after Chris Billam-Smith’s gritty 12-round points win over Brandon Glanton.

“We’re pushing for Richard Riakporhe to be on this card,” Shalom said. “A fight against Joe Joyce is a great British heavyweight fight. Tommy Welch is another option.”

Joyce (16-4, 15 KOs), a former WBO interim heavyweight titleholder, turned 40 on Friday and has lost four of his last five fights, two by stoppage since early 2023. A two-fight series with Zhilei Zhang ended with consecutive damaging knockout defeats, before 10-round losses against Derek Chisora and Filip Hrgovic on Queensberry's first DAZN show on April 5.

Joyce’s promoter, Frank Warren, told The Ring that weekend he was purposely reticent upon hearing the Olympic silver medalist planned another return to action and accepted it was “very tough” for the eight-year pro to return to the sport’s elite level now.

When someone is describing you as a “great servant” for a nation’s sporting achievement, it’s hardly a glowing assessment of your future prospects.

“He's got so much courage but needs to have a real sit down,” Warren said at the time. “I’ll tell him what I think and he’ll make a decision as to what he wants to do. One thing about boxing, you get to a certain age and this stuff can catch up to you.”

Riakporhe (18-1, 14 KOs), a former world title challenger, has been inactive and often boxed low-level opposition since winning the British cruiserweight crown in December 2019. So, when his world title opportunity came on home soil against then-WBO beltholder Billam-Smith at Selhurst Park last summer, the 35-year-old's lack of variety and a plan B was glaring in a rematch of a fight he had edged five years earlier.

Shalom wasn’t happy, but under a new coach in Billy Nelson, armed with a world-level divisional sparring partner away from home comforts in Scotland, he is optimistic about Riakporhe 2.0.

“I always felt that Richard was a heavyweight,” Shalom said. “It frustrated me that he couldn’t perform at cruiserweight anymore – much like Okolie – the injury withdrawal made that [staying motivated] difficult. We got him back and he looked brilliant out in Riyadh. I’m excited for him to get into the heavyweight mix. He can do some serious damage now and sparring Martin Bakole is only a good thing.”

Shalom added that Tommy Welch (16-0, 9 KOs) was another option they could pursue instead. The 30-year-old Welch is a longtime family friend of welterweight contender Harlem Eubank, Chris’ cousin.