Chris Eubank Jr refused to take responsibility for weighing in heavy for his showdown with Conor Benn. Eubank Jr will be fined £375,000 after he missed weight by 0.05lb on Friday afternoon, in addition to the £100,000 he parted with after smashing an egg into Benn’s face two months ago.
And he will face another financial penalty of up to £1million if he fails to adhere to the 10lb rehydration clause which states neither man must exceed 170lb on Saturday morning. That should pose little concern for Benn who weighed in at 156.4lb, comfortably under the 160lb middleweight limit.
Eubank Jr faces a more arduous night – but he was quick to blame his rival and his team.
“It is what it is,” he said. “If they are going to take $500,000 off me for being 0.05lb off the limit, that’s what it is. That’s the kind of people Eddie Hearn, Conor Benn and Matchroom are. Weight has no relevance to what happens tomorrow night; I’m going to go out there and stop that guy.
“The rehydration clause is still in place so I have to watch what I eat and what I drink, but these things are just there to distract, to displace, to get me off track but none of it will work.”
The final, fractious hours before the first bell also saw a row break out over the gloves Benn will wear with Eubank Jr’s team arguing unsuccessfully that his mitts should not have been approved because they contain horsehair.
But both men vowed to settle this 35-year family feud between the ropes. “He’s in for a hell of a surprise,” added Eubank Jr.
“He thinks he’s going to go out there with a hop, skip and a right hand but he has no idea the pain that us in for him tomorrow night. The procedure will be parliamentary.”
Benn, who will pocket the extra £375,000 from Eubank Jr, added: “It’s an expensive price to pay; he’s disciplined so he should have made the weight. He’s made it all his career, he’s exerting sympathy but he’s getting none of that here.
“I feel comfortable, for me I’m just going to go in there and use my speed, my ferocity; it’s the way I fight. I don’t know if I’m supposed to look scared or intimidated but I’m neither; I’m looking forward to Saturday night and giving the fans the fight they want.
“I’m there to get the job done, get in there, get the stoppage and take his head clean off.”
Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn will face off on Saturday, April 26, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Fans can order the fight on DAZN PPV for £19.95, which also comes with a DAZN seven-day free trial.
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