Chris Eubank Jr has admitted he is entering “unchartered territory” amid the fight-day weight restriction for his much-anticipated bout with Conor Benn.
The rivals will clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, more than three decades after their fathers Chris Sr and Nigel Benn settled their own bitter grudge.
Eubank Jr vs Benn was initially penned in for October 2022, only for the fight to fall apart on short notice upon the revelation that Benn had returned two adverse drug-test findings, leading him to be banned from boxing in Britain until recently. When the 28-year-old was finally cleared, his match-up with Eubank Jr was quickly rebooked.
The fight is being fought at middleweight (160lbs), with Benn required to move up two divisions from welterweight (147lbs) to fight Eubank Jr. This is up from the weight limit of 157lbs agreed for the initial fight in 2022, before it was cancelled.
With Eubank Jr a natural middleweight, there is also a hydration clause that will restrict either man from weighing more than 170lbs on fight night.
This poses a fresh challenge for Eubank Jr, who in his 14-year professional career has never been faced with the issue of making weight on fight day before.
“Uncharted territory,” he told Sky Sports. “It’s one of those things that when a challenge is put in front of me, I don’t shy away from it. It excites me.
“The real weight cut doesn’t really come until the week of the fight for most fighters. 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.
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“But this is what we sign up for. This is what we do as professional athletes. As elite-level fighters we have to go through these trials, these tribulations. I’ve been doing it my entire career so I have no doubt that the weight will be made.”
A lot has been made of the weight difference between the two fighters, with Eubank Jr – who has also fought at super-middleweight (168lbs) – possessing a clear weight advantage despite the stipulation.
And while the cut will not be particularly easy in itself for Eubank Jr, natural-welterweight Benn has had to sacrifice fighting at his preferred weight to get the bout agreed and fulfil his destiny of facing the son of father Nigel’s greatest rival.
Eubank Sr has expressed his disgust at the fight going ahead, taking severe issue with the fact Benn is coming up two weight classes due to the dangers it poses.
But Eubank Jr is more focussed on how his body will cope with the extra strain it will be under on fight-day, with the stipulation preventing him from refuelling back to peak power.
“I actually have no idea how my body’s going to react,” he added. “It’s something I’ve never done before. Usually I put on around 14lbs after a weigh-in. In this instance I can only put on 10.
“So I have a decision. I can either restrict what I’m eating or drinking so I can make the 10lb limit the day of the fight or I rehydrate as normal, get up to my 14lbs as usual then cut the weight on the day.
“I don’t know which one I’m going to do. It’s going to be an on-the-day decision, however I feel is going to be best for my body and my spirit at that moment in time. We will see.
“I like doing things I’ve never done before. I like doing things which people think I can’t do. I rise to the occasion and I will make the weight.”
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