Chris Eubank Sr has claimed that he's pulled his son out of a fight with Conor Benn next month, after concerns over 'Junior's' weight.
Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn had one of British boxing's most legendary rivalries in the 90s, with the two men fighting twice, with a win and a draw for Eubank.
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Now, nearly 30 years later, the two men's sons are due to fight at London's 02 Arena on October 8th, despite the differences in weight between the pair.
That weight is now in the middle of controversy as Eubank Sr has claimed that he's not going to allow his son to take part in the fight, worrying about his life.
"My son’s life cannot be put in danger… I’ve already lost one. It can’t happen again," the 56-year-old told the Daily Mail.
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"If you have a child and someone’s trying to actually take that child away from you, and do something wrong to that child, as a dad you wouldn’t let them. That’s all I’m doing.
"I’ve given him my direction. If he doesn’t want to follow it, he will be dragged along. But he will do what is right for him… he is coming down 1oz below 160 lbs which cannot happen on my watch.
"This is modern day “gladiating”, this is not a play thing for the audience. We have to be strict otherwise lives are put in danger and my son’s life cannot be put in danger. I’ve already lost one. It can’t happen again."
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Eubank Jr has fought up at super middleweight, which is 168 lbs, whereas Benn only fights at welterweight, which goes up as far as 147 lbs.
To make both sides happy, the pair are due to meet at a catchweight of 157 lbs, lower than the middleweight limit, with a rehydration clause meaning they can't bulk up too much more before a second weigh in on the day of the fight.
After Eubank Sr's claims, the younger Benn then joined the Zoom call to argue that everyone had agreed to the weights, saying, "All I know was the weight was agreed."
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That led 'Senior' to say, "If your dad won’t protect my son, if they won’t allow me to protect my son, you protect him."
Benn once again replied, asking, "So you’re putting your foot down, saying to your son, at 32 years old, 'This fight is not happening'?"
"Absolutely," the former world champion answered.
According to Daily Mail's Daniel Matthews, 'Senior' also claimed that he was ready to take the issue through the legal process to get the fight called off.
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The Sauerland Brothers, who are promoting the fight for Eubank Jr, told the newspaper that they had heard nothing about the pull out, with their fighter still in sparring.
Speaking to talkSPORT back in August, Eubank Jr brought up his problems with the weight cut, saying, "“157 lbs is the weight I have to get down to.
"It’s a weight I haven’t been since I was about 18 years old.
"Is it a worry? I guess you could say that.
"It’s more of a challenge, I will make that weight, it’s just how hard is it gonna be, I don’t know.
"But I will make it because I’m a professional…
"I think I’m around 170 lbs right now, 171 lbs.
"The issue is I have a very low body fat percentage.
"I know how it feels when I’m at 160lbs the day of the weigh in, so losing three more pounds under that, it’s gonna be painful, it’s gonna hurt.
"In that sense I will be at a disadvantage because he’s gonna be fully refreshed, fully hydrated, fully energised, whereas I will be drained.
"But there has to be give and take, he’s coming up, he’s not naturally that size or he doesn’t fight naturally at that size.
"He probably walks around at that weight, but he doesn’t fight at that weight.
"On the night we will be within five pounds of each other, which in my opinion is fair."
Topics: Boxing
Ryan Sidle