Conor Benn v Chris Eubank: Eddie Hearn seeks December UK date with Anthony Joshua on bill

Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn were meant to fight last year

Promoter Eddie Hearn says there is "a huge desire from both camps" to make a Conor Benn-Chris Eubank fight happen.

He has targeted 23 December and wants it to be in Cardiff - despite Benn not having a licence to fight in the UK.

The pair were set to meet 12 months ago - 30 years after their fathers Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr fought - but the bout was cancelled after Benn failed two voluntary doping tests.

"We have every intention to make it happen," Hearn told BBC Radio 5 live.

Hearn said Anthony Joshua, whom he also promotes, could feature on the bill too, with a proposed fight against American heavyweight Deontay Wilder not yet confirmed.

Benn, 27, has always insisted he is innocent of intentionally doping.

A provisional suspension by UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) was lifted by the independent National Anti-Doping Panel in July, but Ukad and the British Boxing Board of Control are appealing against that decision.

While that process continues, Benn does not hold a licence to fight in the UK.

However, Hearn said plans were being put together with Kalle Sauerland, Eubank's promoter, for a "big show" on 23 December.

"Our side with Conor Benn and the side of Kalle Sauerland and Chris Eubank want to move forward and make that fight," Hearn said.

"We feel that because of the situation with Conor Benn's suspension being lifted and winning that case that he should be allowed and able to fight in the UK.

"We're speaking to the British Boxing Board of Control. We think legally there's no reason why he shouldn't be allowed to fight in the UK but obviously it's their decision."

He added the aim was to stage the fight at Cardiff's Principality Stadium, although Matchroom are also in talks with Abu Dhabi about staging a fight night there on the same date.

"If we are not allowed to do that, we will hold the fight internationally but our preference of course is to bring that big fight to Britain," he added.

"We also have a rather large heavyweight called Anthony Joshua who's saying: 'Look, if I'm not fighting Deontay Wilder in January, I would quite like to fight in December as well.' So we're trying to work it all out but quite frankly I think it's very unlikely that we don't have a show on 23 December.

"Is it going to feature all of them, is it going to feature one of them? I don't know, but there's a huge desire from both camps of Benn/Eubank to make that fight for 23 December."

Last month, Benn won his first fight since the lifting of his provisional doping suspension, a unanimous points victory against Rodolfo Orozco in Florida.

Earlier the same month Eubank, 34, defeated middleweight rival Liam Smith.