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Topics: Boxing
Daniel Marland
Chris Eubank Sr has pleaded with those in the boxing industry to boycott his son's fight against Conor Benn on Saturday night.
Eubank Jr will take on Conor Benn, the son of his father's legendary rival Nigel, at the O2 Arena in London this weekend.
Last month, Eubank Sr threatened to pull his son from the fight over concerns regarding his weight.
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The fight will be at catchweight, with 33-year-old Eubank Jr agreeing to drop to 157lbs plus a rehydration clause.
Eubank Jr usually fights as a super middleweight and Benn at welterweight. Both men came to a compromise and the rehydration clause means 'Next Gen' can't significantly bulk up on fight night.
It's seen Eubank Sr passionately rally against the fight and he released a statement via Spencer Fearon of the 'The Fight Is Right' podcast.
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Fearon, a former fighter, revealed per talkSPORT: "I get a phone call – because I said recently, 'Don’t be surprised if Conor Benn actually wins this fight.'
"So I get a phone call from the father [Eubank Sr].
"First, he was in the papers about two weeks ago saying, 'I’ve already lost one son, I don’t want to lose another.'
"I realised the seriousness of this when he’s talking about the hatred that Nigel had for him when they were fighting…
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"This is what Eubank has said, this is Eubank’s statement, it’s a very simple statement.
"He said, 'Dear Spencer, boycott the fight. You know what 3lbs beneath the middleweight limit at 33 years old can do, this is how brain injuries occur'."
Eubank Jr's younger brother, Sebastian, tragically died last year aged 29 of a heart attack.
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He still intends to fight, however, and promoter Kalle Sauerland says the event will still go ahead as planned.
Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn were fierce rivals in the 90s in and outside of the ring.
The two Brits are on friendlier terms but before the turn of the millennium, it was a passionate hatred.
In 1990, Eubank Jr won via TKO and the rematch in 1993 was ruled a draw.