Board of Control has no issue with 160lb limit for Eubank-Benn rematch

The British Boxing Board of Control has no issue with the Chris Eubank Jr versus Conor Benn rematch taking place at 160lbs.

Eubank Jr appeared to struggle severely making middleweight ahead of the first fight with Benn in April.

He revealed, too, that after the fight he was hospitalised due to dehydration.

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Eubank Jr did come in fractionally over the weight limit the day before the first bout with Benn and then stirred controversy when he posted footage on social media that appeared to show him using a sauna.

The British Boxing Board of Control has held a hearing on the matter and fined Eubank Jr £10,000 for "misuse of social media".

Robert Smith, the general secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, told Sky Sports: "Before a contest you have to declare whether you've used a sauna and he said no and that's on a document.

"Then obviously everything went out [on social media] but we had all the check weights, etc [ahead of the fight, so] we were very satisfied that he'd made the weight alright. All his check weights were okay."

Smith explained: "The trainer [of Eubank Jr] said they had no issue with the weight, they didn't use any rapid weight-making measures. So obviously what he put out on social media was not what we'd been told and therefore that's what he was fined for.

"They are notified that our doctors are very concerned about these things [use of saunas and rapid weight-making measures]. They should be mindful of that and therefore it's a complete contradiction of what he'd already told us and what we'd put out to them. That's why the fine came about."

Smith added: "He only failed the weight because he was 40 minutes late for the weigh-in.

"To be fair he was a gnat's whisker overweight. If he'd had been there 10 minutes earlier he would have made it.

"He was given a severe reprimand with regard to turning up for the weigh-in late and being overweight."

Eubank's rematch with Benn has been announced for September 20 and is expected to take place under the same stipulations as the first fight - at middleweight with a rehydration clause obliging them to be no more than 10lbs over the 160lb limit on the morning of the fight.

The Board has no issue with the rematch being set for 160lbs.

"No. He's a big middleweight and a small super-middleweight. He's caught in the middle, that's just a fact. The last couple of pounds is always the last bit to lose for any boxer at any weight. He wouldn't have got it wrong if he'd turned up on time," Smith said.

Nor will the governing body take any steps to prevent the rehydration clause from being imposed. IBF world title fights, for example, have a similar condition for an additional fight-day weigh-in.

"It falls in line with the IBF, they've got sliding scale on the weights. [In this case] it's set by the promoters, an agreement with the promoters and the parties," Smith said.

"Both of them were within it no problem at all [for the first fight]. So I've got no problem with that. It's not something within our rules, that's an agreement between the parties. If that's what they want to do, fine.

"We don't do it. The IBF do it, [this] wasn't an IBF championship it was part of the promotional agreement, a private agreement. We're very happy with that."

Eubank Jr would need to pay his fine, which goes into the Board's charity account, to be granted a UK licence to box.

Smith noted: "They're both medically suspended at the moment because it was such a tough fight. They've got to be medically cleared to box anyway. But that's normal procedure.

"Until we're satisfied his licence is in order, then obviously he won't get a licence."