ROBERT Smith, the General Secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC), foresees no weight-making issues ahead of Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn’s showdown.
The pair will square off on April 26, headlining The Ring Magazine’s first card of 2025 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England.
Both combatants were supposed to collide back in October of 2022, but their clash was ultimately scuppered during fight week once it emerged that Benn, 23-0 (14 KOs), had twice tested positive for clomiphene, a performance-enhancing substance.
Since then, Benn’s ban to box professionally in the UK has been lifted by the National Anti-Doping Panel (NAPD), with UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) choosing not to appeal their decision.
Meanwhile, the 28-year-old is still yet to renew his licence with the BBBofC, but nonetheless looks set to fight on British shores for the first time in over three years.
As for the fight itself, it would appear that Benn – who has fought at 147lbs for most of his career – will jump up to meet his domestic rival at middleweight.
Eubank, 34-3 (25 KOs), however, is expected to be somewhat hampered by a 170lb rehydration clause, preventing him from putting on more than 10lbs after their weigh-in.
The 35-year-old has, of course, spent the majority of his career at middleweight while also reaching the 168lb limit in six of his professional outings.
In any case, Smith firmly believes, at least from a BBBofC perspective, that there should be no weight-making issues leading up to their clash.
“There’s no such thing as a rehydration clause,” Smith told Boxing News. “There’s a second day weigh-in which the IBF use, and we’ve used it in the past. There’s a limit but we don’t call it rehydration, we call it a second day weigh-in.
“I’ve got no concerns about Chris Eubank Jr making the weight. If he does it properly, he’ll do it. He’s just got to be professional and do things correctly.”
