It’s just moments before Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. see each other in the ring tonight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London in a culmination of their generational rivalry. The large crowd will get to witness everything that’s built up inside these two boxers for almost three years now. However, from his father calling his son a ‘disgrace’ to being fined $500k for being 0.05 lbs over the weight limit, the buildup has been especially difficult on Chris Eubank Jr. Some of it has definitely been his doing, like the egg-smashing incident. In a press conference on February 25, while standing eye-to-eye, Eubank Jr. pulled an egg from his jacket and slapped it on Conor Benn’s face.
He attributed it to the 28-year-old failing two voluntary drug tests days before their October 2022 bout that led to the fight’s cancelation at the last minute. No sooner had the egg been smashed, a huge brawl broke out on stage, with the security having to step in to separate the two parties. Angry with the incident, the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC) immediately slapped Eubank Jr. with a £100,000 ($133k) fine. Although a large amount, it was still nothing compared to what came after the weigh-ins.
In the official weigh-in yesterday, Chris Eubank Jr. couldn’t make the middleweight limit of 160 lbs. In the first try, he weighed in at 160.2 lbs. They tried again. This time it went down, but not enough to be considered below the limit. So, how much did he go over by? 0.05 lbs. As a result, he had to fork up a whopping $500k. Considering the entire drama, a boxing insider and Eubank Jr’s own cousin couldn’t help but point out the unfairness evident in the entire system.
Soon after the fiasco with the weigh-ins, combat sports broadcaster Adam Catterall took to X to highlight the degree of monetary loss Eubank Jr. has to face in comparison to what Conor Benn had to face for testing positive for PEDs. “Eubank Jr will pay 600k in fines (for cracking an egg on his opponent and being 0.05 over in weight) whilst his opponent provided zero transparency for failing 2 PED tests and received no punishment?!” his post read.
And it wasn’t just him who thought that way. Siding with his cousin Eubank Jr., Harlem Eubank echoed the sentiment while stating, “ sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.” To some, it must feel like Jr. had to pay too much in fines when Benn didn’t have to go through any monetary loss for his drug controversy.
sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. https://t.co/zybVrYYYTD
— Harlem Eubank (@HarlemEubank) April 25, 2025
But then again, the weight miss fine was officially laid out in the contract, and Eubank Jr. had agreed to it. So, to call it unfair for him to pay a large sum after not holding his part of the deal might not make sense. Moreover, for Conor Benn’s PED fiasco, it was up to the authorities present to decide what steps they wished to take at the moment. And, although there wasn’t any fine in terms of money, Benn was still suspended from fighting for more than two years, which very well incurred him a significant loss of pay.
Sure, what Harlem Eubank said may have some weight to it, considering he’s a professional boxer too, and knows the ins and outs of the sport from close. But could his opinion be biased in favor of his cousin?
Chris Eubank Jr. backed by cousin
After the egg-slap incident, Harlem Eubank had spoken to Metro. In what would appear as him backing his brother’s actions, he’d insisted that the slap was “the very least he [Conor Benn] deserves.” Especially after two failed drug tests right before Benn and Jr’s 2022 bout and no explanation for it whatsoever. “It brought everything that’s happened the last three years back into context and raised the questions that needed to be raised for a boxing community that hasn’t necessarily got all the answers,” said Harlem Eubank.
So, back then, too, he’d mentioned that he believes there are some gaps inside the boxing world. “Chris is always the one that’s willing to ask those questions and if it needed to be instigated by cracking an egg on him, then so be it. There always underlining truths to these things and with Chris, everything is always well thought through,” he said, defending his cousin. Now, while Chris Eubank Jr’s cousin is eyeing certain things, no other reports or revelations confirm that he was unfairly charged penalties. Therefore, no claims can be made to that point.
Also, considering the family loyalty, it could be just that—a loyal, supporting comment for Eubank Jr. With all the background drama in place, it’s not far from that Eubank Jr. gets a chance to prove what is more than money, which will be a win over Conor Benn. With so much going on, who do you think is going to emerge victorious tonight?
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