diff --git a/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/EventBusImpl.java b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/EventBusImpl.java
index f0aac5ef3..3f68e3aa9 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/EventBusImpl.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/EventBusImpl.java
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ import java.util.function.BiConsumer;
  */
 public class EventBusImpl implements EventBus, MetricsProvider {
 
-  private static final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(EventBusImpl.class);
+  static final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(EventBusImpl.class);
 
   private final List<Handler<DeliveryContext>> sendInterceptors = new CopyOnWriteArrayList<>();
   private final List<Handler<DeliveryContext>> receiveInterceptors = new CopyOnWriteArrayList<>();
@@ -321,10 +321,16 @@ public class EventBusImpl implements EventBus, MetricsProvider {
         // Guarantees the order when there is no current context in clustered mode
         ctx = sendNoContext;
       }
-      new OutboundDeliveryContext<>(ctx, replyMessage, options, replyHandler, replierMessage).next();
+      send(new OutboundDeliveryContext<>(ctx, replyMessage, options, replyHandler, replierMessage));
     }
   }
 
+  private void send(OutboundDeliveryContext ctx) {
+    ctx.iter = sendInterceptors.iterator();
+    ctx.bus = this;
+    ctx.next();
+  }
+
   protected <T> void sendReply(OutboundDeliveryContext<T> sendContext, MessageImpl replierMessage) {
     sendOrPub(sendContext);
   }
@@ -500,68 +506,7 @@ public class EventBusImpl implements EventBus, MetricsProvider {
       // Guarantees the order when there is no current context in clustered mode
       ctx = sendNoContext;
     }
-    OutboundDeliveryContext<T> sendContext = new OutboundDeliveryContext<>(ctx, message, options, handler);
-    sendContext.next();
-  }
-
-  protected class OutboundDeliveryContext<T> implements DeliveryContext<T> {
-
-    public final ContextInternal ctx;
-    public final MessageImpl message;
-    public final DeliveryOptions options;
-    public final Iterator<Handler<DeliveryContext>> iter;
-    public final ReplyHandler<T> replyHandler;
-    private final MessageImpl replierMessage;
-
-    private OutboundDeliveryContext(ContextInternal ctx, MessageImpl message, DeliveryOptions options, ReplyHandler<T> replyHandler) {
-      this(ctx, message, options, replyHandler, null);
-    }
-
-    private OutboundDeliveryContext(ContextInternal ctx, MessageImpl message, DeliveryOptions options, ReplyHandler<T> replyHandler, MessageImpl replierMessage) {
-      this.ctx = ctx;
-      this.message = message;
-      this.options = options;
-      this.iter = sendInterceptors.iterator();
-      this.replierMessage = replierMessage;
-      this.replyHandler = replyHandler;
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public Message<T> message() {
-      return message;
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public void next() {
-      if (iter.hasNext()) {
-        Handler<DeliveryContext> handler = iter.next();
-        try {
-          if (handler != null) {
-            handler.handle(this);
-          } else {
-            next();
-          }
-        } catch (Throwable t) {
-          log.error("Failure in interceptor", t);
-        }
-      } else {
-        if (replierMessage == null) {
-          sendOrPub(this);
-        } else {
-          sendReply(this, replierMessage);
-        }
-      }
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public boolean send() {
-      return message.isSend();
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public Object body() {
-      return message.sentBody;
-    }
+    send(new OutboundDeliveryContext<>(ctx, message, options, handler));
   }
 
   private void unregisterAll() {
diff --git a/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/OutboundDeliveryContext.java b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/OutboundDeliveryContext.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f89a36f1f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/OutboundDeliveryContext.java
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2011-2017 Contributors to the Eclipse Foundation
+ *
+ * This program and the accompanying materials are made available under the
+ * terms of the Eclipse Public License 2.0 which is available at
+ * http://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-2.0, or the Apache License, Version 2.0
+ * which is available at https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: EPL-2.0 OR Apache-2.0
+ */
+package io.vertx.core.eventbus.impl;
+
+import io.vertx.core.Handler;
+import io.vertx.core.eventbus.DeliveryContext;
+import io.vertx.core.eventbus.DeliveryOptions;
+import io.vertx.core.eventbus.Message;
+import io.vertx.core.impl.ContextInternal;
+
+import java.util.Iterator;
+
+public class OutboundDeliveryContext<T> implements DeliveryContext<T> {
+
+  public final ContextInternal ctx;
+  public final MessageImpl message;
+  public final DeliveryOptions options;
+  public final EventBusImpl.ReplyHandler<T> replyHandler;
+  private final MessageImpl replierMessage;
+
+  Iterator<Handler<DeliveryContext>> iter;
+  EventBusImpl bus;
+
+  OutboundDeliveryContext(ContextInternal ctx, MessageImpl message, DeliveryOptions options, EventBusImpl.ReplyHandler<T> replyHandler) {
+    this(ctx, message, options, replyHandler, null);
+  }
+
+  OutboundDeliveryContext(ContextInternal ctx, MessageImpl message, DeliveryOptions options, EventBusImpl.ReplyHandler<T> replyHandler, MessageImpl replierMessage) {
+    this.ctx = ctx;
+    this.message = message;
+    this.options = options;
+    this.replierMessage = replierMessage;
+    this.replyHandler = replyHandler;
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public Message<T> message() {
+    return message;
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void next() {
+    if (iter.hasNext()) {
+      Handler<DeliveryContext> handler = iter.next();
+      try {
+        if (handler != null) {
+          handler.handle(this);
+        } else {
+          next();
+        }
+      } catch (Throwable t) {
+        EventBusImpl.log.error("Failure in interceptor", t);
+      }
+    } else {
+      if (replierMessage == null) {
+        bus.sendOrPub(this);
+      } else {
+        bus.sendReply(this, replierMessage);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public boolean send() {
+    return message.isSend();
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public Object body() {
+    return message.sentBody;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/clustered/ClusteredEventBus.java b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/clustered/ClusteredEventBus.java
index f94748eba..1447c836e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/clustered/ClusteredEventBus.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/eventbus/impl/clustered/ClusteredEventBus.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import io.vertx.core.eventbus.impl.CodecManager;
 import io.vertx.core.eventbus.impl.EventBusImpl;
 import io.vertx.core.eventbus.impl.HandlerHolder;
 import io.vertx.core.eventbus.impl.MessageImpl;
+import io.vertx.core.eventbus.impl.OutboundDeliveryContext;
 import io.vertx.core.impl.ConcurrentHashSet;
 import io.vertx.core.impl.HAManager;
 import io.vertx.core.impl.VertxInternal;
@@ -35,7 +36,6 @@ import io.vertx.core.spi.tracing.TagExtractor;
 import io.vertx.core.spi.tracing.VertxTracer;
 
 import java.io.Serializable;
-import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.Objects;
 import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.UUID;