Chris Eubank finds himself in a brutal predicament to avoid a second hefty fine after missing weight for his huge fight with Conor Benn.
The pair of bitter rivals lock horns in the main event of a massive card at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night, with the IBO middleweight title on the line.
The official weigh-ins took place behind-closed-doors on Friday and though Benn was comfortably inside the 160lbs weight limit after stepping up two weight classes, the same could not be said for defending champion Eubank.
After arriving about 50 minutes after his opponent but not allowing cameras, his first attempt saw him come in at 160.2lbs before he got down to 160.05lbs - still an ounce over the limit.
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As a result, Eubank is forced to comply with the terms of the contract and pay a massive $500,000 (£375,000) fine which will be paid to Benn - who reacted joyously with a "show me the money" post on X.
Also in the deal is a rehydration clause which means that neither fighter can exceed the 170lbs limit when their weight is checked between 8 and 9am on the day of the fight.
As per Mike Coppinger of Ring Magazine, it means Eubank is unable to gain more than 10.05 pounds in a 20-hour period, before having around 15 hours to rehydrate for his ring walk ahead of the main event.
He took to the scales again for the ceremonial weigh in on Friday evening after sharing a video to shed light on his brutal weight cut.
"Pain is temporary… Glory is forever", was Eubank's caption of three videos of him sweating profusely with towels and sauna suits on.
Chris Eubank Sr has boycotted corner role over weight cut
Though Benn's father Nigel has been involved in the build-up, his rival Eubank Sr has not been seen and is not on speaking terms with 'Next Gen'.
A former world champion in two weight classes, the 58-year-old said he is boycotting being present for the fight because of the 160lbs weight his son fighting at.
"I am more concerned about that [the weight] than anything else," Eubank Sr. told Sun Sport.
"I don’t want my son getting down to 160lbs. And that is why I have spoken about people trying to murder my boy by boiling him down to 157 lbs."
Where to watch the Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn fight
At the time of writing this, fans can buy verified resale tickets to the event at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on StubHub from £38 and Viagogo from £71.
If you’re planning to watch from home, DAZN is the exclusive streaming provider for the match. The event will kick off at 5pm BST on Saturday April 26. For a limited time only, the fight PPV price has plummeted from £21.99 down to £19.95. It's good news for new customers too, as you can watch the match as part of a seven-day no-commitment free trial here.
Topics: Chris Eubank Jr, Boxing, Conor Benn
Josh Lawless