(Reuters) – British boxer Chris Eubank Jr. said he is concerned about having to drop down to 157 pounds (71.2 kg) for his clash against Conor Benn, but added the risks were “worth it” for the opportunity to compete in the highly anticipated bout.
Eubank Jr. and Benn are scheduled to face off at London’s O2 Arena on Oct. 8, three decades after their famous fathers fought each other.
Eubank Jr. (32-2, 23 knockouts) has fought at middleweight and super-middleweight, while Benn (21-0, 14 knockouts) boxes at welterweight, so their meeting has been fixed at a catchweight of 157 pounds.
Earlier this week, Eubank Jr.’s father called for the fight to be scrapped over concerns about the weight limit.
“If I was going in there with someone that I considered a killer, I would never do anything like this,” Eubank Jr. told Britain’s Daily Telegraph in an interview published on Friday.
“I just don’t see that pedigree or grade from Conor so I’m taking the risk of cutting to a weight I’ve never been before and I’m taking the risk of not being able to fully hydrate after the fight.
“Is it a concern? I mean I guess so yeah, I’ve never had to do anything like this in my career so I don’t know how my body is going to react, I don’t know how I’m going to feel on the night, I know I’m not going to be 100%.”
Eubank Jr. added he was relishing the challenge of making the weight.
“It’s going to be a tough, tough challenge to get down to this weight but it’s worth it, it’s absolutely worth it, to make a fight like this and be part of a one of a kind event,” he said.
“We are being rewarded handsomely for this fight so the toughness and the hardships that’s going to come with having to make a new weight that I have never been before, you know it’s fair and I understand it and I’ve accepted it and I will do it.”
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
