Chris Eubank Jr. said he is in pain as he tries to cut weight ahead of his clash with Conor Benn on Saturday, but it is nothing compared to other adversities he has faced in his personal life.
Eubank Jr. and Benn will fight at the middleweight limit of 160 pounds at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 35 years after their fathers Chris Eubank Sr. and Nigel Benn clashed in two historic fights.
There is also a 10-pound rehydration clause, meaning neither fighter can put on more than 10 pounds when they weigh in on Saturday.
While Benn, 28, is typically a welterweight fighting at 147 pounds, Eubank Jr. as the much bigger man will need to cut down to make weight. The 33-year-old told Thursday's prefight news conference he was struggling with the cut.
"The weight is painful. I'm in pain right now," he said. "I'll be in even more pain tonight and tomorrow morning. But the question I ask myself is what is pain?"
Eubank Jr. then reflected on his own personal grief and his brother Sebastian, who passed away in 2021, in response to his question.
"I have a 31-year-old brother, he is buried in the desert in Dubai, that's pain. His son Raheem, 3 years old, he asks 'Why can't I see my daddy? Why can't he take me to school?' That's pain," Eubank Jr. said.
"My own father, a man I idolized for my entire life, we don't speak, he thinks I am a disgrace. These things are what pain is to me.
"If I can deal with all of these trial and tribulations, then the weight cut, the rehydration clause, they are not an issue."
