Chris Eubank Jr warns Conor Benn at final face-off: 'Weight has no relevance. He's in for a surprise'
Chris Eubank Jr takes on Conor Benn in a Ring Magazine event at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office; Chris Eubank Jr has come through the fight-day weight check for his clash with Conor Benn
Saturday 26 April 2025 16:45, UK
Chris Eubank Jr passed a fight-day weight check for Saturday night's clash with Conor Benn at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
At Friday's official weigh-in Eubank was just over the middleweight limit at 160.05lbs, a miss that saw him Eubank incur a hefty financial penalty. Benn, who is coming up from welter for this fight, was well under at 156lbs 4oz.
However Eubank Jr had to face another challenge on the day of the contest, with their deal obliging him to meet a rehydration stipulation that prevented him from being more than 10lbs over the limit at a check weigh-in on Saturday morning.
But Eubank did come in under the requirement, scaling 169.4lbs. Benn was 165lbs at his.
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"Weight has no relevance," Eubank said. "I'm going to go in there and stop this guy.
"All these things are set up to distract and displace and try to get me off track. None of it will work.
"He's in for a hell of a surprise. He has no idea the pain in store for him."
Eubank and Benn headline at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a Ring Magazine event on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
On Friday evening when Eubank appeared at the first public event of the week, a final face-off, he had a smile on his face as a cacophony of boos and cheers greeted him.
He locked eyes with Benn one final time and waited for his opponent to look away first.
Benn though could still celebrate the psychological blow of Eubank just missing weight, and a financial windfall that stemmed from it.
"It's an expensive price to pay but he's disciplined and should have made the weight," Benn declared.
"He's expecting sympathy but won't get any sympathy around here.
"I'm a 147 fighter so I'll go in there and use my speed, my ferocity.
"I don't know if I'm supposed to look scared, intimidated. I'm neither. I'm just looking forward to Saturday.
"I'm here to take his head clean off."
Aiming to outdo the fathers
Eubank says he wants to outdo their fathers' legendary fight when they box on Saturday. "This fight is going to be one of the best fights the British public has seen for at least the last decade," he told Sky Sports News.
"My goal is to go out there and make sure it out-does what my father and Nigel Benn did 35 years ago, it's how big this fight is."
But he acknowledges another challenge is coming up in Saturday's weight check.
"I can't drink or eat too much or rehydrate as much as I usually would, otherwise another half a million comes off the table," he said.
But he added: "The pain of making weight pales in comparison to the struggles I've been through in recent years and right now.
"And there were things that happened in camp that the public don't know about, that nobody could have worked through.
"I never gave up, I never quit, we are here to do a job, to keep the dynasty and legacy going.
"Forget the money, the name, the eggs, the Eubank name is what is close to my heart."
Undercard on weight
The undercard fighters all made weight. After distasteful comments at the previous day's press conference, Brandon Glanton (199.5lbs) issued an apology, while still threatening to knock out Chris Billam-Smith (199lbs).
"Chris is going to sleep," the American insisted.
The former world champion was dismissive. "He's learning and he'll learn more on Saturday," Billam-Smith said.
"He's right about the knockout, but the only sleeping I'll be doing is Saturday night when I'm back home."
Viddal Riley (199.2lbs) meets British cruiserweight champion Cheavon Clarke (198.7lbs) in a dangerous fight, while another former world champion, Liverpool's Liam Smith (160lbs) will have his form tested by the ambitious and unbeaten Aaron McKenna (159.7lbs) from Ireland.
Anthony Yarde (174.2lbs) and Lyndon Arthur (174.6lbs), who are 1-1 in their three-fight series so far, meet in a deciding fight.
"He said I looked scared," Arthur said afterwards. "Do I look scared?
"I think I stop him."
Chris Eubank vs Conor Benn will be live on Saturday April 26 on Sky Sports Box Office. Book now!
