- Chris Eubank Jr failed to make the middleweight limit at Friday's official weigh-in
- He needed to weigh 160 pounds but tipped the scales at 160.05 pounds on Friday
- How to watch Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn live in UK on DAZN Pay-Per-View as boxing rivals are finally set to fight this Saturday night
Chris Eubank Jnr has sparked further concerns for his safety after failing to make the weight for his fight with Conor Benn on Saturday, triggering a £375,000 penalty.
By tipping the scales just half an ounce over the 160-pound middleweight limit, the 35-year-old is now at risk of losing more of his £7million purse if he weighs over 170 pounds on the morning of the fight.
The latter applies to the controversial 10-pound rehydration clause written into Eubank Jnr’s contract – a stipulation that has contributed to the falling out with his father, who famously twice fought Nigel Benn in the Nineties and felt the weight drain would put his son at serious risk.
Mail Sport understands the final weigh-in will be at 8am on Saturday ahead of the showdown at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Reacting to Friday’s drama, former world champion Barry McGuigan told Mail Sport: ‘He is obviously struggling to make the weight. You might think he was doing it for the drama but the size of the fine rules that out.
‘I still favour Eubank because of his size advantage with Conor coming up, and by the time they have weighed in on the morning, Chris will have a day to get his weight up. I’d expect him in the ring at around 177 pounds, but if you’re struggling to make weight there are genuine risks. It can be dangerous.’
Chris Eubank Jr failed to hit the 160-pound weight limit for his fight against Conor Benn
He posted a video cycling in a full sauna suit on Friday as he tried to sweat out the pounds
Johnny Nelson, the former cruiserweight world champion, said: ‘Chris came in the size of an AA battery overweight and it has cost him £375,000. But, worse than that, I think it could now cost him the fight.
‘Chris looked on point physically but it drained him to get down to the weight. Working out, sweating that much but still missing the mark will leave him dry as a bone and that will have an effect. It can be dangerous because of how it depletes you.’
Benn, fighting in Britain for the first time since the resolution of a two-year legal battle against his positive drugs tests, reacted to the news by laughing on social media with the message: ‘Show me the mother******* money.’
Ordinarily a welterweight, Benn weighed in at 156 pounds and four ounces. He had taunted Eubank at their press conference on Thursday, labelling the former middleweight contender as ‘fat boy’. Having fought the final pounds by working out on a bike in a sweat suit on Friday, Eubank arrived with only minutes to spare at his weigh-in and initially registered two ounces over the limit. His second attempt came in half an ounce heavy.
The weight stipulations have contributed to anxieties around the fight, which was initially cancelled in 2022 over Benn’s failed tests for clomifene. Under the original agreement, Eubank Jnr, who has campaigned as high as super-middleweight, had agreed to meet at a catchweight of 157 pounds.
Eubank Snr has been its most outspoken critic, saying last week: ‘They're putting a fight on that is against the law of boxing.
'I told my son three years ago, that fight does not happen. He is the wrong weight. I told him why it shouldn't happen and why it will not happen. I was correct last time and I will be correct this time.’
There could be further issues for Eubank Jnr over a video he posted on social media on Friday afternoon. During the clip, which shows him stripping off a sweat suit, he says to camera: ‘Okay time to jump in the sauna, now the fun begins.’
Benn goaded his rival at Thursday's press conference by calling him 'fat boy' and made weight comfortably himself
But Eubank Jr missed the middleweight limit by half an ounce and will now have to pay a $500,000 fine ahead of Saturday's fight with Benn
Chris Eubank Sr urged his son to pull out of the fight last week due to concerns about his health
He also branded Eubank Jr 'a disgrace' and vowed not to be in his corner on Saturday night
Eubank Sr was furious his son slapped Benn with an egg at at press conference in February
As the use of saunas are banned as a weight-cutting measure by the British Boxing Board of Control, and has previously seen fights cancelled, the footage has prompted questions about whether the board will take action. Former British champion Curtis Woodhouse said: ‘No way this goes ahead if it was an area title fight. Trainer, promoter, manager and boxer would all be called in front of the board and be fined and the fight would get pulled. Do the rules only apply to the small fry?’
The Board have been contacted for comment.
Eubank Jnr has already forked out £100,000 of his purse to the British Boxing Board of Control after slapping Benn across the face with an egg at a press conference in February. It remains to be seen if his difficulties with the weight are reflective of a struggle to drop pounds or an attempt to gain a physical edge in the ring.
Asked for his thoughts on Eubank Jr's stunt, Sr said: 'That is disgraceful. I’m going to be in your corner? I would never have been in your corner; that is a disgrace.
'You are smashing an egg in someone’s face, and you are trying to justify it. There is no justification for it. There is nothing noble about that.'
Speaking to Mail Sport about his father's concerns during camp, Eubank Jr said: 'Of course he's scared of losing another son. But this is my life.
'I can't stop my dreams because he's worried about what will happen to me. I understand it. But I can't stop what I am destined to do.'
However, at 160lbs, Eubank Jr is back in more familiar territory than the original 157lbs catchweight.
But, it's the strict rehydration clause that presents Eubank with a new challenge.
Typically, Eubank Jr rehydrates significantly after weigh-ins, often gaining up to 15lbs before entering the ring. However, the contract for this bout stipulates that he must not exceed 170lbs on the morning of the fight, effectively limiting his rehydration to 10lbs.
This restriction is a departure from his usual post-weigh-in routine and adds an extra layer of difficulty to his preparation. The rehydration clause aims to ensure a level playing field, particularly given Benn's move up from the welterweight division.
Eubank Sr has spoken passionately about weight cutting after his brother, Simon (right), suffered from boxing-related brain damage and died in 2023 following a battle with dementia
Eubank Sr also lost his son, Sebastian (pictured), after he suffered a heart attack in Dubai in 2021
When speaking to Sky Sports about the weight cut, Eubank Jr said: 'It's tough. I'm not going to lie. It's not fun, it's not nice. It's part of the sport having to boil yourself down to a certain weight. Adding in the fact I can't even drink as much as I want after the weigh-in adds another element of discomfort, hardship to what I'm going through.'
Speaking to Mail Sport during a recent visit to his training camp, Eubank Jr revealed he made the decision to work with a nutritionist for the first time in preparation for this fight. 'I've never felt like I needed a nutritionist before,' he said. 'I've never missed weight before. But I'm following a plan now. Usually I just trust my own instincts and my own knowledge. But, I have made a change for this camp.'
He has now missed weight for the first time since turning professional in 2011, and the 35-year-old will still need to adhere to the strict rehydration limit on Saturday morning, with further financial penalties on the table should he come in above 170lbs.
A ceremonial weigh-in will take place at 6pm GMT at the Business Design Centre in Islington, where both fighters and undercard competitors will face off in front of fans. The official second-day weigh-in is scheduled for early Saturday morning.
