By Adam Baskin: Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn believes Conor Benn will be more disadvantaged in coming up from welterweight to face Chris Eubank Jr at a 157-lb catchweight on October 8th at the O2 Arena in London.

With that said, Hearn reveals that Benn (21-0, 14 KOs) rehydrated to an incredible 170 lbs for his last fight at welterweight against Chris Van Heerden in April.

Some would say that Benn is a weight bully at welterweight with his size advantage. 170 lbs are the type of weight that junior middleweights rehydrate to for fights.

It’s unthinkable for a welterweight to get that high unless they’re fighting out of their natural weight class.

If this is indicative of the kind of weight that Benn weighs at this point in his career, he’ll actually have a slight weight advantage over Eubank Jr on the night of the fight. Hearn projects Eubank Jr to rehydrate to 168 lbs for the contest.

“Conor Benn,” said Eddie Hearn to iFL TV when asked who is more disadvantaged in terms of weight between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn. “That’s the common sense answer.

“We know how difficult it is to come down those extra pounds when it’s really tight. Eubank has never been a massive middleweight, but he’s boxed at 168.

“To give you an example, when Conor Benn boxed Chris Van Heerden, he came into the ring at 170 pounds. He put on 23 lbs. It was actually too much.

“I expect Conor Benn to be 163 to 165 in the ring, and I expect Chris Eubank Jr to be 168. But he’s the bigger man, without question. How much will that three pounds hurt him? How much will a rehydration the next day hurt him?

“It’s fair is the best way to describe it. I see this as a bigger disadvantage to Conor Benn because he’s a big welterweight but a small light middleweight. He’s fighting just above the light middleweight limit, but he’s fighting a middleweight, who is having to come down.

“It’s a really interesting dynamic. All the things Eubank said at the press conference, I actually think he was being truthful in terms of what he was thinking. I think this training camp for him is about the weight.

“They think they’re going to walk through Conor Benn. They just have to make that weight right,” said Hearn.