Chris Eubank Jr should not be facing Conor Benn in the rematch because of the risks to his health, claims a former world champion.
A rematch between the pair was confirmed over a week ago to take place on November 15th in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Eubank Jr won their inaugural fight on points in April.
The fight was hard-fought, but issues surrounding the weight and rehydration clause marred the first contest, and the same stipulations are in place again.
‘Next Gen’ has to make the 160 lb limit, but he is not allowed to rehydrate over 170 lbs on fight night, which led to a fine for the boxer missing weight by the slimmest of margins.
Chris Eubank Jr can’t ‘buy his health’ with £20 million, former world champion blasts Conor Benn rematch
Benn has been backed to avenge the first defeat, with one British contender believing he will be ‘chomping at the bit’ to get a finish against the depleted 35-year-old.
However, former world champion Duke McKenzie has spoken out against the contest, believing the risk to the future of Chris is not worth the financial gain acquired from both fights.
In an interview with SecondsOut, the former three-weight world champion did not hold back on his thoughts towards the anticipated domestic rematch.
McKenzie said: “In this world that we live in, this absolutely bats- – – bonkers world that we live in, fighters, people put their lives on the line for money. How much is enough?
“They say he’s going to get another £10 million. It’s a lot of money. It’s almost impossible to say, I’m going to walk away from it.
“I wish he wouldn’t because he got out of jail the last time. God forbid what if he doesn’t get out of jail this time. He might have £20 million in the bank. It’s no good to him. What’s he going to do? That’s not going to buy him his health.”
Other fighters have spoken out against the stipulations of the fight, which will take more out of the naturally bigger fighter, Jr, than it will Conor, with Carl Frampton highlighting it as a ‘struggle’.
He believes that Eubank will be able to make more adjustments and predicts a similar match-up to their first contest.
“I don’t think Conor Benn can improve on his first performance,” he said.
“He didn’t do enough in the first fight. I thought Eubank won it. I expect Eubank to win it again.”
The former IBF titlist finished his criticisms with a warning to the Brighton boxer about the damage to his life.
“I just hope that he gets out with himself and he can nick a few quid. The damage might not necessarily be done now. The damage he’s doing to himself could take five or ten years to surface,” he warned.
Chris Eubank Sr chooses a super-fight instead of the Conor Benn rematch for his son
Another vocal critic of the fight is Chris Eubank Sr, who had the iconic moment when he reunited with his son on the night of the April clash.
Sr has spoken out against the issues with draining weight, knowing all too well the dangers of competing in the ring after his fight with Michael Watson in 1991, caused an almost fatal injury to his opponent.
Instead of promoting the rematch, he chose a different contest altogether on his YouTube channel.
Eubank Sr said: “As much as we want to see a Canelo (Alvarez) against a (Terence) Crawford, the weights are wrong, and so it cannot happen.
“The fight you should be looking for is a Chris Eubank Jr against a Canelo. That makes sense, that I would back.”
An unsurprising opponent given the Canelo Alvarez fight has been rumoured to take place for years, including with Riyhad Season, and his cousin, Harlem Eubank, claimed it was the fight he has ‘earned‘.
A win in the rematch would be enough to secure that Canelo payday; however, it is hoped the fight with his rival in November would be his last after draining his body twice in a row.