“Disastrous Night for Boxing Waiting to Happen” – Former World Champ Urges Eubank Jr vs Benn to Be Called Off After Safety Concerns
(Image Credit: Sky Sports).
Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn will finally settle their score on Saturday 26th April at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but Eubank Jr is facing a tough battle even before the fight gets underway.
On Friday afternoon, Eubank Jr was scheduled to weigh in at 11am BST for his fight with Conor Benn, but one hour later, he still hadn’t arrived at the official weigh in. Eventually, the 35-year-old made his way to the scales, initially he weighed in at 160.2lbs before his second attempt saw him weigh 160.05lbs.
Chris Eubank Jr’s Weight Struggles Could Prove More ‘Costly’
With Eubank missing weight the middleweight limit of 160lbs, he will forfeit £375k of his purse to Benn, who is coming up from welterweight for this fight, and weighed in well under the limit at 156.4lbs.
But, Eubank’s battle with the scales isn’t over yet. The contractual agreement for this fight involves a rehydration clause that prevents either man from being more than 10lbs over the limit on a fight-day weigh in, one that will take place between 8am and 9am on Saturday morning.
Benn doesn’t have to worry about that being the smaller man, but Eubank, who is evidently now tight at the weight despite making it three times in the last couple of years, will definitely be keeping an eye on his calorie intake. Coming in over the rehydration limit of 170lbs would lead to another steep financial penalty for the Brighton man, who is estimated to be pocketing around £7.5 million for this fight, as is Benn.
Eubank Jr on ‘Painful’ Weight Cut But Assures: “We Are Here to do A Job”
Speaking at the ceremonial weigh-ins on Friday, Eubank Jr addressed the public after his weight cut troubles ahead of his fight with Benn:
“I can’t drink or eat too much or rehydrate as much as I usually would, otherwise another half a million comes off the table.
“The pain of making weight pales in comparison to the struggles I’ve been through in recent years and right now. And there were things that happened in camp that the public don’t know about, that nobody could have worked through. I never gave up, I never quit, we are here to do a job, to keep the dynasty and legacy going.
He added, “Forget the money, the name, the eggs, the Eubank is what is close to my heart.”
Former British Undisputed World Champ Josh Taylor Wants Eubank Jr vs Benn Called Off
The weight issue for Eubank Jr has sparked huge debate on social media, with some fans and even people in the fight game demanding the fight to be called off.
One of the many that have voiced their genuine concerns for Eubank’s safety is Scotland’s former undisputed super-lightweight world champion Josh Taylor.
Team Eubank posted videos of the gruelling weight cutting process that Eubank Jr had to endure on Thursday evening, showing him laid down in a sweat suit inside a sauna bag with a towel over his head.
With Eubank clearly doing everything he could to make the 160lbs weight limit, the struggle proved too much.
“The Tartan Tornado”, Taylor, had some strong words to say in response to these social media videos featuring Eubank’s weight cut.
Taylor himself knows how both difficult and dangerous it is for fighters to cut down when they’re extremely tight at the weight having struggled to make the super-lightweight limit on a number of occasions.
One fan questioned Taylor’s views on wanting the Eubank Jr and Benn fight called off.
@boxingnutters: “We’ve seen you looking like you’ve been dug up, wheeled out, weighed in and you fought.”
The Scotsman responded by saying: “Yeah. And look at those performances,” admitting that poor weight cuts severely and negatively impact a fighter’s performance.
Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.
