Chris Eubank Sr vowing to pull son from Conor Benn fight over catchweight concerns

Chris Eubank Sr is vowing to pull his son Chris Jr from a planned 157 lb catchweight bout with Conor Benn, planned to take place on Oct. 8, citing concerns about his son being able to make the weight without major in-ring risk.

To be clear up front, everyone else says the fight is still on, but Eubank Sr is threatening legal action.

“If they’re not going to listen to me, then they’ll have to listen to my King’s Counsel. That fight does not happen. If he doesn’t take the advice then I have to put my foot down. ... 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.”

Another of Eubank’s sons, Sebastian, died at age 29 last year, which is understandably a big part of his concern, having another son put into what he feels is simply too risky a situation.

Benn (21-0, 14 KO), the 25-year-old son of Sr’s old rival Nigel Benn, is a welterweight by trade, while Eubank Jr (32-2, 23 KO) has spent his career at middleweight and super middleweight. He has never weighed below 158¼ lbs on the scales, and that was back in 2014 when he fought Omar Siala.

The fight has been met with some criticism, mostly just that it’s such an obvious cash-grab for DAZN and Matchroom, pitting an unbeaten welterweight who’s run out of opponents easy to make a fight against with a veteran middleweight who, frankly, hasn’t shown any strong desire to face other current top middleweights.

The 32-year-old Eubank has also been ripped by old rival Billy Joe Saunders for this, but Chris Jr himself has not made any statement regarding a desire to not go ahead with the fight, and again, organizers are still saying it will happen.

For now, Eubank vs Benn is still on, whether Chris Sr likes it or not, and he clearly does not like it.