Chris Eubank Jr is expected to return to the ring as a super-middleweight this summer after overcoming the mystery medical problems that ruined his hopes of beating Conor Benn in November.

Eubank Jr was widely outpointed by Benn in their rematch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and did well to last the distance after periods of extended punishment at the hands of his bitter rival.

The performance was in stark contrast to their first fight, when Eubank Jr (35-4, 25 KOs) had battled hard to earn a 116-112 score in the eyes of all three judges. But seven months on, he looked a shell of a man as Benn ran riot.

In the immediate aftermath, Eubank Jr declared he had been to 'hell and back’ during fight camp but refused to divulge any details of his struggles.

Then, a fortnight later, he uploaded a video of himself lying on a hospital bed, seemingly unconscious, as doctors performed a medical procedure. At that point he insisted he would not return to the ring until he is 'back to 100 per cent' but vowed to return eventually.

Now his promoter Ben Shalom has revealed that Eubank's recovery is ongoing but did confirm when the 36-year-old is expected to get back to business - and that a move north from middleweight is now likely.

"He's had a lot of stuff to do medically, to really try and flush, get rid of what he's been dealing with. So once that's done, he will be back, probably at 168 pounds," Shalom told The Ring.

"But there was an underlying issue that he had to get rid of. I think we all knew that, but hopefully looking forward to him being back middle of the year.

"It has to be resolved in some sense, otherwise you couldn't allow him to get in the ring again and that's why he's taking the time out. There wasn't enough time between the first fight in April and what ended up being November. It was something that required proper medical attention. He didn't get that, but now he is.

"He lives the life and then can come back in a healthy and safe way. Until that's completely resolved, then he won't be getting in the ring. But from the procedures and everything he's had so far, it's looking like he'll make a full recovery."

Eubank Jr had boiled himself down to make the middleweight limit for both fights and missed it marginally ahead of their first encounter. Although he came in comfortably under the limit for the rematch, he was still obliged to adhere to the contract's rehydration clause, preventing him from weighing in any heavier than 170 pounds on the morning of the fight.

And, when asked whether his current health problems had anything to do with two aggressive weight cuts in the space of seven months, Shalom said: "Actually, no. Could it have been exacerbated by it? Possibly.

"Should rehydration clauses be banned by the board? Yes. Look, the promoters and the fighters are always going to do anything to gain an advantage. It shouldn't be allowed. I regret seeing it. But ultimately, the fighters have that choice over their own body and there's only so much you can do.

"It won't happen again, but I wouldn't want to see it again in boxing, to be honest. I think it's really dangerous and will lead to something pretty bad."

An hour after the fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Eubank attended a bizarre post-fight press conference during which he refused to answer almost every question. He insisted on not trying to detract from Benn’s win by making excuses and even Shalom was told off by his fighter for hinting at the problem.

The Boxxer boss said: "Does he plan to address the problem overall? I think he will in his own time. I think he will.

"He didn't want to make excuses on the night. He wasn't happy with me intimating what might have happened because he doesn't want to make excuses. That's just who he is but I couldn't believe what he went through. I really couldn't. It was mad.

"Even for the first fight, he wasn't 100 per cent. Seeing him go and do that not once but twice in a year with what he was dealing with was too much for his body."

Eubank remains No. 9 in The Ring's middleweight rankings but looks set to move back up to 168 pounds for the first time since his victory over two-time world champion James DeGale in February 2019. There, he would join a bustling division in a state of flux following the retirement of undisputed 168-pound king Terence Crawford last month.