The BBBoC has fined Chris Eubank Jr. £10,000 for using a sauna to assist with making weight for his domestic fight against Conor Benn. Eubank Jr. (35-3, 25 KOs) posted online footage of him using a sauna to cut the weight, which led to the fine.
Chris Eubank Jr. Fine Details
Eubank Jr, 35, will need to pay the fine before he’s given the green light for his second clash against Conor (23-1, 14 KOs) in two months from now on September 20th. Given the $12 million purse that Eubank Jr. reportedly made for his first fight with Benn, 28, and the similar amount for his take in the second clash, the £10,000 is just a drop in the bucket.
Fighters in this era use all kinds of methods to cut weight that would lead to fines if it were revealed. They also have strategies for putting the weight back on quickly that would also get them into hot water if it were brought to light.
Eubank Jr. should have never agreed to fight Benn at 160 in the first place, and he should have rejected the idea of a 10-lb rehydration clause.
Both of those things not only favor Benn but they put Eubank Jr. at risk of being hurt in the fight by being too weakened to compete at his physical best. Benn has already got the youth advantage over Eubank Jr. He didn’t need two weight handicaps on top of that to slide the scales in his favor.
Conor Benn Weight Advantage
Benn is the one who wanted to try and test himself against what, all intents and purposes, is an aging super middleweight. If Conor wanted to be like his famous dad, Nigel, he should have shown some backbone by fighting Eubank Jr. at his optimal weight of 168 without a handicap to give him a big edge. It cheapens the victory Conor wins.
Eubank Jr. is obviously going to do what he can to take the weight off and deal with the ridiculous 10-lb rehydration clause, but it’s dumb of him to have agreed to this. It’s pathetic that Benn and his promoters wanted this to give them a chance of winning. Benn obviously isn’t good enough to beat Eubank Jr. at his best, nor any of the quality fighters at 160 or 154. He’s a domestic-level fighter.