Eubank misses weight and fined £375,000

Chris Eubank Jr. will be fined £375,000 after missing Conor Benn’s grudge match on Saturday.

The 35-year-old was 0.2% heavier than the 11st 6lb limit on the first attempt, and it was still too heavy the second time.

At 11st 2lb, a trim and toned Benn, who has spent most of his career at welterweight, was lighter than expected.

A rehydration clause forbids both Eubank and Benn from weighing more than 12st 1lb on Saturday morning.

Benn, 28, posted the phrase “Show me the money” in a video that was shared on social media.

On Friday, the weigh-in took place in a hotel in London behind closed doors.

On Friday night in Islington, a ceremonial weigh-in will be held open to the public.

In the build-up, and particularly during fight week, Eubank’s weight has been a major talking point.

This is more of a level playing field, according to Benn’s team, because the rehydration clause, which limits the amount of water both fighters can add for a further 24 hours, limits how much.

Fighters typically shed some body fat over the course of a training camp to reach a weight limit that has been set.

They may dehydrate before the weigh-in, which occurs one day before the fight night.

They can refuel with food and water much more easily by losing weight close to the battle.

Although Eubank has more experience competing at middleweight, he typically puts on about 14 pounds following weigh-in.

After their fathers shared two fights in the 1990s, the pair were scheduled to fight in October 2022, which was followed by the cancellation of the fight because Benn failed a drug test.

At the news conference on Thursday, Benn called Eubank “fat boy.” Eddie Hearn, a promoter, has previously questioned whether Eubank would set the middleweight cap.

According to speculation that Eubank may be struggling with weight, he arrived an hour later than the scheduled 11:00 BST start time on Friday.

Both men will take the scales on Saturday, according to matchroom promoter Hearn, who was with BBC Sport. If he misses the weight once more, there will be a fine.

The competitive element of this fight has little to do with Eubank’s missing weight, which is the weight of a single AA battery.

Benn coming in lighter than expected has only improved the light on this fight because it is already a weight fight with a significant weight difference.

However, we must consider the effects this had on Eubank in terms of both physical and mental health.

How much of a toll has been caused by that agonizing cut? Will he have the same issues as I do trying to reach the 12th grade weight limit tomorrow morning?