Conor Benn has a clause which could see his fight with Chris Eubank Jr cancelled if his rival weighs in just 1.5lb over their agreed limit.
The rivalry between Eubank Jr and Benn goes back decades due to their fathers' legendary feud, but as an athletic contest this Saturday's bout has always seemed difficult to sell as a result of the massive size difference between the pair. Eubank Jr has fought at super-middleweight, while Benn is a career welterweight who has tipped the scales as low as 144lb.
They have agreed on a 157lb catchweight in order to make the historic fight, branded a 'trilogy' between the two families, happen on Saturday night. But Eubank Jr has never made that weight as a professional, and his own father has attempted to pull him from the card due to fears over his health.
And coach Tony Sims has detailed how Benn can pull the plug on the fight should Eubank Jr miss the weight, which already comes with a hefty financial penalty. "Maybe he will [come in over]," Sims told the Daily Mail. "The fight’s made at 157lb and there’s a cancellation policy of 158.5lb.
"He might pay the fine from 157 to 158 maybe, but whether he comes over the 158 and a half [or not], we’re allowed to cancel the fight in the contract. I don’t know whether he would risk doing that really. We would definitely have a look at that, but I don’t think he will miss the weight by that much.
"No.1; I don’t think he would have suggested that weight, and No.2; I don’t think he would risk the cancellation. He might risk a fine on a pound, but the next pound up I don’t think he’d risk a cancellation. But I can’t really speak for him or how he does things, so who knows."
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Sims has been joined in camp for this bout by Conor's dad Nigel, who tends to allow his son his own space to develop when he prepares for fights. But for this one in particular, both Benn and Eubank Jr have switched up their training methods in order to treat this meeting with the severity it deserves.
Their dads first met in the ring in November 1990 for the middleweight title, with Eubank Sr winning by ninth-round stoppage in one of the biggest fights in British boxing history. They rematched for the super-middleweight title at Old Trafford three years later, ultimately going the distance to a draw and eventually becoming closer during a recent speaking tour.
And while the Benns have worked together to prepare for the fight, Eubank Sr has not given his blessing to his son, demanding that he pull out due to the severe weight cut. However, he is scheduled to make a joint appearance at The O2 arena's next-door Indigo venue with Nigel Benn on fight day.
