THE sobering footage of Chris Eubank Jr stripping off the weight yesterday has led many to question whether his showdown with Conor Benn should be going ahead.
In what has been labelled a bloodline clash, based on the legacy of their fathers, the fierce rivals are set to settle their score at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, later this evening.
Their scheduled middleweight contest has not been without controversy, however, as Eubank, 34-3 (25 KOs), now faces arguably the greatest challenge of his professional career.
Not so much with regards to his opponent, a more natural welterweight, but rather his gruelling battle with the scales will undoubtedly put his typically stoic mindset to the test.
Despite meeting the 160lb limit for his last four outings, the 35-year-old was slapped with a hefty £375,000 fine for missing weight by just 0.05lbs yesterday.
The financial penalty, which goes straight into Benn’s pocket, follows a £100,000 fine that Eubank received for slapping his opponent with an egg in February.
And yet, for a fighter, it could be said that the value of entering the ring at their best – or at least somewhere close – far outweighs the cost of any financial burden.
Based on the footage of him attempting to make weight, though, it would appear that, at this stage in Eubank’s career, the middleweight limit represents perhaps his most formidable enemy.
Sure enough, former undisputed super-lightweight king Josh Taylor, who has openly struggled to make 140lbs in the past, firmly believes that the Brightonian’s dustup with Benn, 23-0 (14 KOs), is far removed from a safe bout.
“I think it should be called off,” he wrote on X, reacting to a depleted version of Eubank. “Eubank looked terrible [and] he has a rehydration clause chucked in there on top of that.
“I think this is potentially a very disastrous night for boxing waiting to happen. I desperately hope this is not the case.”
It is important to highlight that, despite some very reasonable doubts, Eubank kept under the 170lb limit for his second-day weigh-in earlier this morning.
Live on DAZN, April 26 Eubank Jr vs. Benn. Over 30 years of rivalry and hatred all comes down to this! A bloodline born to settle the score, hatred in their blood. Eubank Jr vs. Benn, live on DAZN April 26.
