Chris Eubank Jnr shocked many yesterday when he shared videos of him attempting to reach the 160lbs weight limit for his bout with Conor Benn tonight.
Eubank Jnr posted a video across his social media platforms covered in towel after seemingly haven taken a hot bath – a method that is becoming more common in fighter’s weight cuts – but despite Eubank Jnr’s efforts, he failed to make 160lbs, weighing in 0.05lbs heavy and he had to pay a subsequent fine of $500,000 for doing so.
The ceremonial weigh-in took place six hours later and, this morning, he came in under the contracted rehydration clause weight of 170lbs, weighing 169.4lbs.
Eubank Jnr has made the middleweight limit (160lbs) for each of his last four fights but has boxed at 168lbs. Now at 35 years old it looks as though making 160lbs is getting harder for Eubank Jnr, and his fellow fighters felt for him.
Former cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew, now working as a pundit, told talkSport:
“He couldn’t get anymore off, it wasn’t coming off. Your body hits a point – I had this myself with Nathan Cleverly – I lost 16lbs in 16 hours. I went in a sauna for two hours… I lost nothing. I had a master called Kerry Kayes who was part of my team, and he said, ‘Tony your body has gone into shut down, it won’t give anything up now.’ So did Chris’. Your body hits a point where it goes into shut down and nothing else is coming off. The only way to get weight off at that point is to get weight off in a hot bath, and I’m talking so hot that it burns to get in. You put a kilo [kg] of salt in, and it now drains the moisture out your body. I can’t put it into words how tough it is.”
Former undisputed junior welterweight champion Josh Taylor is a fighter who knows what it’s like to be tight at the weight. Taylor had talked of moving up to welterweight following several contests, but stuck around as bigger opportunities were to be had at 140lbs.
Taylor took to his X account to share his views on the fight, he wrote: “I think it should be called off. Eubank looked terrible & he has a rehydration clause chucked in there on top as well. I think this is potentially a very disastrous night for boxing waiting to happen. I desperately hope this is not the case.”
Another fighter who leapt to Eubank Jnr’s support was Michael Conlan. The Irishman, who is now competing at junior lightweight, posted on his X account: “Would really love to see a Eubank win tomorrow. Hate the rehydration clause, completely disagree with it! It’s not healthy and puts fighters' health at risk.”
One of the world’s leading fighters, Claressa Shields, added on X: “I’m not gonna lie it’s disgusting seeing Eubank kill himself to make weight for a fight both guys wanted. It’s a lot of health concerns for sure.”
Heavyweight Dave Allen, who will fight on a Matchroom Boxing show [one of the promoters of Eubank Jnr-Benn] against Johnny Fisher next month, echoed those sentiments.
“I don’t think [Eubank Jnr] can do the weight, I really don’t think he can,” said Allen on his YouTube channel. “And the fact that he now has a rehydration clause tomorrow… I can not stress, these rehydration clauses, they make me nearly as mad as failed [drugs] tests. Who the fuck is allowing a rehydration clause?
“This is the hardest game in the world and I’m a heavyweight boxer. I don’t cut weight, I don’t fucking sweat weight out of myself. I don’t drink less water on fightweek to make the weight. And it’s still the hardest game in the world – and I don’t even make weight. On the day weigh-ins, as a boxer that offends me. Everything about this fight is just fucking weird, and some of it is just not right in my opinion.”
Eubank Jnr’s cousin and fellow professional fighter Harlem Eubank also shared his thoughts on X. He wrote: “Tactical rehydration clauses is nasty business.”
The flip-side, as contended by Team Benn, is that tonight Eubank will be the bigger man and – suggested Eddie Hearn – he might have a weight advantage of more than 10lbs.
