Chris Eubank Jr has weighed in lighter than Conor Benn for their bitter grudge match in fascinating turn of events, before revealing the extreme lengths he went to avoid another hefty fine.
Eubank Jr was fined £375k after missing the 160lbs limit by 0.05lbs in the first encounter, having had to abide by strict conditions that were inked into the contract.
The same rules applied for the rematch, taking place this Saturday night at Tottenham Stadium, with Benn tipping the scales at 159.3lbs.
Eubank Jr weighed in slightly lighter at 159.1lbs and put his body through hell to achieve it. Footage of his weight cut on X showed him dripping with sweat after effectively mummifying himself.
Benn is 2.8lbs heavier than in the first fight, which he lost by decision after a brutal 12 rounds that took both men right to their physical limits in April.
Perhaps his decision to add extra bulk will signal a chance in strategy and more aggressive approach this time around.
Eubank Jr admitted prior to the first fight that he was struggling to cut down to the limit imposed on him and ended up missing the mark by an extremely fine, but costly margin.
There were no such issues for the 36-year-old this time around and he looked incredibly lean on the stage on Friday afternoon.
Benn grinned and flexed his biceps, wearing a huge diamond necklace at the podium. He appeared to be the more relaxed of the two ahead of their massive rematch.
Eubank Jr’s fans and family will be desperately hoping his body is in healthier shape to handle the battle to come.
After the first outing, he was in hospital for two nights following the severe dehydration he endured to cut weight, in addition to the damage caused by his opponent.
And prior to the weigh-ins this time, Benn joked to Eubank Jr: ‘Looking well. Bit slim around the cheekbones. I’m slightly hoping you miss weight again, just a little bit. Just a pound. Just a little bit. That would be nice. Nice little gift from you last time. I’m hoping you’re well recovered. Have you got 10 toes? 10 toenails?’
He was referring to Eubank Jr’s claim that his toenails started falling off after the horrendous weight cut last time.
Earlier on at Thursday’s press conference Eddie Hearn took it upon himself to solve his Eubank-imposed speech ban by holding up signs.
With a nod to the famous Love Actually scene, with the song ‘Silent Night’ playing in the background, Hearn held up black cards with white writing that read: ‘Good evening all. I know Chris gets upset when I speak. Last April we witnessed a British classic.
‘To me Conor is perfect, so let’s get ready again for his best performance yet and a classic war.’
Those in the room laughed, including Eubank Jr, who narrated in response: ‘As long as he’s not speaking, that’s fine.’
He later said: ‘This is supposed to be the best promoter in the world, and he’s up here with clipboards, smiling like an idiot because he’s too scared to speak at a press conference.’
