Online Reporter
CHRIS EUBANK Jr spending over 24hrs in a Royal London Hospital bed after suffering chronic dehydration is all the evidence boxing fans need to see why a Conor Benn rematch should be dead and buried.
The 35-year-old could not make the 11st 6lb middleweight limit on Friday morning — not even after another desperate last training session moments later.
After the fight, his insides were so bone dry he could barely sweat, when any other athlete on the planet — after 36 minutes of breathless action — would be saturated.
So, what chance that he will be able to boil down to the 160lb limit SAFELY for the scheduled rematch in September, when he will be 36 and further battling with his fading metabolism?
Just because casual boxing fans think they saw a thrilling slugfest between an evenly matched pair of nepo-baby millionaires.
Just because the Tottenham Stadium was filled by the Instagram generation that wants to film itself attending flashy events — it does not mean a son, a brother and an uncle needs to starve the crucial protective membrane around his brain of water yet again.
Now that the pair have banked £8million each, helped Sky Sports flog hundreds of thousands of pay-per-views, treated their legendary fathers to one last night in the lime-lit ring and itched that itch of a third fight between the families — both men deserve to move on and achieve more.
Benn is 28, his early career was expertly guided and he grabbed the scalps of a few decent Americans but he has never even challenged for an English or British title.
He is too rich and successful to go back now and fight for domestic titles but he is also too small and not talented enough to become a world champion in his new 11st 6lb division.
But he could definitely rebuild back at the 10st 7lb welter limit or even the 11st super-welter maximum, where some tough but beatable names hold the fragmented belts and compete for the top slots.
Eubank Jr’s stock will probably never be higher — but he has repeatedly shown he is unwilling to take world-title shots when the risk outweighs the rewards.
Ex-champ Gennady Golovkin was wisely avoided like the plague and his compatriot, reigning champion Janibek Alimkhanuly, has been dodged like a vegan dinner party invite.
The super-middle division of 12st is the safest place for him to go because there is fellow Londoner Hamzah Sheeraz lurking there and fellow Sky Sports fighter Callum Simpson in the stable.
Since the tragic 2021 death of his brother Sebastian — who left baby son Raheem behind — Eubank Jr has been candid about his change in priorities.
World title belts, as golden as they may glisten and as deep in boxing stone they might etch names, cannot help to feed, raise and educate a three-year-old boy in Dubai.
The statement from his BOXER promoters could not hide the fact that his kidneys, brain and heart needed to be carefully watched for signs of damage.
They wrote: “As part of his standard post-fight protocol, Chris went to hospital for precautionary checks to monitor his vitals and ensure everything is in order.
“They take these measures very seriously, given everything they have experienced.
“This process is something they now prioritise after every fight.” — Sun.
