Can Benn-Eubank Jr. live up to the hype? Fines and family drama highlight British middleweight bout

LONDON (AP) — They’ve sold more tickets than their dads. Now, it’s on Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn to deliver on what one promoter said could be the “British Hagler-Hearns.”

They’ll meet Saturday night in front of more than 65,000 fans at a sold-out Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a middleweight bout, more than 30 years after their fathers launched the family rivalry with two memorable slugfests.

For a fight with no belts at stake, Eubank Jr. and Benn have succeeded in generating plenty of interest.

The latest twist came Friday when Eubank Jr. weighed in half an ounce (14 grams) over the 160-pound (72.5-kilogram) limit. That means, per the fight contract, that he will pay a fine of 375,000 pounds ($500,000) to Benn, according to Eddie Hearn, Benn’s promoter.

Benn, who weighed 156.4 lbs, immediately posted a video and said “show me the money.” Eubank Jr. posted his own video, showing his sweaty efforts to cut weight. He wrote: “Pain is temporary… Glory is forever.”

Their grudge match was set for 2022 but was scrapped after Benn’s voluntary urine test showed trace amounts of the fertility drug Clomiphene, a banned substance that boosts testosterone levels while burning fat.

Benn argued successfully that his consumption of eggs elevated his testosterone levels.

Cue the egg slap at their first media face-to-face. Eubank Jr. pulled out an egg and smacked the right side of Benn’s face. It was costly. The British Boxing Board of Control fined him 100,000 pounds ($130,000).

Eubank Jr.’s father later called his son’s antics “a disgrace.” Meanwhile, Nigel Benn has remained a close confidant by his son’s side in the build-up.

Family ‘pain’ for Eubank Jr.

Eubank Jr. is arguably the more charismatic of the pair, and Thursday’s final press conference provided an example.

The 35-year-old fighter responded to a verbal shot from Benn — “Just focus on getting the weight off, fat boy” — by turning philosophical.

“The weight is painful. I’m in pain right now,” Eubank Jr. said. “The question I ask myself is ‘What is pain?’”

Benn interjected with “Oh, shut up, Chris.” But Eubank Jr. went on to discuss his brother’s 2021 death and his strained relationship with his father.

“I have a 31-year-old brother, he is buried in the desert in Dubai, that’s pain,” Eubank Jr. said. “I have his son, Raheem. He asks, ‘Why can’t I see my daddy? Why doesn’t he take me to school?’ That’s pain.

“My own father — a man I idolized for my entire life and he doesn’t speak to me. We haven’t spoken for years, and he thinks I’m a disgrace. These things are what pain is to me. And if I can deal with all of these trials and tribulations, then the weight cut and the rehydration clause, these are all things that are not an issue.”

Under the rehydration clause, he’ll face another fine if he’s over 170 pounds on Saturday morning.

The dads

In November 1990, Chris Eubank beat Nigel Benn by a ninth-round stoppage in Birmingham to take the WBO middleweight title. The rematch was three years later in front of 45,000 fans at Old Trafford. It didn’t quite live up to the first meeting and ended in a split-decision draw. Both fighters retained their respective super-middleweight titles.

The sons

Neither Eubank Jr. (34-3, 25 KOs) or Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) have held a major world title.

The 35-year-old Eubank Jr. last fought in October, stopping Poland’s Kamil Szeremeta in the seventh round in Saudi Arabia. In 2023, he twice fought former WBO light-middleweight champion Liam Smith — losing the first one and winning the rematch.

Benn has spent most of his career as a welterweight, but agreed to move up to middleweight. He has said his only request was an 18-foot (5 1/2-meter) ring, down from the standard 20 feet (six meters).

At 5-foot-11 (1.8 meters), Eubank Jr. has a three-inch (eight-centimeter) height advantage.

Even though he’s undefeated, the 28-year-old Benn has heard criticism about the quality of his opponents.

A packed stadium and worldwide audience will also be a step up for Benn, whose last two fights were in hotel ballrooms — Orlando and Las Vegas — while he cleared his name of the positive drug test.

The WBC in February 2023 cleared Benn of intentional doping, saying the boxer’s consumption of eggs presented a “reasonable explanation for the adverse finding.”

Benn hasn’t fought in nearly 14 months since a unanimous decision over Peter Dobson in Las Vegas.

“No pressure, I live for this,” Benn said Thursday. “All that PR is done. I’m excited to get in there and put my hands on him Saturday night.”

It’s boxing, so a rematch is always a possibility. There are also reports that the winner could be in line for a fight with Canelo Alvarez.

How to watch

The Saudi-backed Ring Magazine event’s undercard is set to start at 5 p.m. local time (noon ET). The ring walk for the main event should be around 9:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET).

It’s available by pay-per-view in most countries on DAZN. It’s also available on Sky Sports Box Office pay-per-view in the UK and Ireland.

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AP boxing: https://apnews.com/hub/boxing