Eddie Hearn has spoken out to address Chris Eubank Jr's shock weight miss ahead of the highly-anticipated fight with Conor Benn.
On Saturday night in London, historic rivals Eubank Jr and Benn will finally settle a feud that started over 30 years ago when their fathers fought for the first time.
Ahead of the fight, the two men had to weigh in at the agreed weight of 160lbs or less, but Eubank surprised everyone when he failed to make the weight.
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And now, Hearn has given his immediate reaction to the weight miss and explained exactly how it will impact Saturday's fight.
When Eubank Jr first stepped onto the scales on Friday morning, he weighed in at 160.2lbs, meaning he had an hour to lose the remaining 0.2lbs and make the agreed weight.
However, when he weighed in on his second and final attempt, Eubank Jr clocked an official weight of 160.05lbs, missing weight by just half an ounce.
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Reacting to the drama in an interview with Ring magazine, Hearn said: "I mean just half an ounce. Amazingly, so close but, unfortunately, still over. No problem with the fight but there are consequences to missing the weight.
"Conor made it feeling unbelievable, feeling fresh, feeling hydrated and ready to go."
As punishment for missing weight for the bout, Eubank Jr will have to pay a fine of $500,000 (£375,000) and will have to weigh in again tomorrow morning at no more than 170lbs.
"I think today was going to be the toughest part for him, now he can hydrate," Hearn added.
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"The easier part will be when he's a stone heavier than Conor Benn in the ring tomorrow night, that will be a big disadvantage for us"
But, despite only missing weight narrowly, Hearn wasn't giving Eubank Jr any excuses, adding: "It's the same weight that he's made for his last five fights. It's his championship weight, he's a middleweight and he's talking fighting for the middleweight championship of the world. He arrived an hour late and even then he was .1 over and still had time to do something, but he just hung around.
"I think actually he could have made the weight if he switched things up."
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Benn also surprised fans by weighing in at 156lbs, significantly under under the weight limit for the bout.
However, Hearn has revealed that this was all part of the plan for his fighter, stating that everything so far is going to plan.
"That's his absolute optimum perfect weight for where he is right now," Hearn claimed.
"There's no point having a big breakfast to get to 160, this is him. He'll be 162 in the ring and Eubank will be 176, Conor will be giving away a stone in the ring, which is a massive disadvantage."
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Where to watch the Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn fight
At the time of writing, 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: Eddie Hearn, Chris Eubank Jr, Conor Benn, Boxing
Ben McCrum