With just a few hours left, controversies continue to surround Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn as they prepare for their epic clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Drama unfolded when Eubank Jr. failed to make the agreed catchweight of 160 pounds, not once, but twice. As a result, he received a financial penalty. Understandably, his team is not happy. Why?

Because when Eubank Jr. checked his weight on a personal scale, it clearly showed he was within the limit. So, how did he exceed it by 0.05 pounds during the official weigh-in? In a conversation with Radio Rahim, Eubank Jr.’s trainer, Jonathan Banks, expressed uncertainty about the discrepancy. The frustration was evident. And that wasn’t the only issue. The highly anticipated face-off was marked by further tension when Team Eubank questioned the gloves Conor Benn planned to use. Thankfully, despite the last-minute drama, the fight remains on track.

Chris Eubank Jr.’s up-‘scale’ miseries

“The weight was a big storyline. And I mean by the margin of a double A battery, Chris Eubank Jr. did not make the 160. Why is that?” Radio Rahim asked during a brief interview with Jonathan Banks. “Man, who knows?” Banks replied before adding, “We calibrated the scales when they did the pre-weight check, and it was the exact same.”

Yet at the official weigh-in, Eubank Jr. initially came in at 160.2 pounds. He attempted a second weigh-in, but the scale read 160.05. Still 0.05 pounds over. Banks emphasized the consistency of their equipment. “We get to the weigh-in, and he weighed the exact same. He weighed 159.9 scales, and he weighed 160.5 oz on their scale, and we calibrated. So what happened? I don’t know,” he said.

Radio Rahim asked whether the issue stemmed from the hotel scales. Jonathan Banks clarified that it was actually Eubank Jr.’s personal scale that showed him as underweight. “We carried the scales. We calibrated them together with the official scale and our scale,” he stressed.

That prompted Rahim to ask the obvious: “You think something was funky? Something was off with the scale?” And what did Banks reply? “Who knows?” So in other words, he wasn’t biting. He didn’t deny the possibility. But he stopped short of making any direct accusations.

Calling it a ‘load of cr*p,’ Eubank Jr.’s promoter Ben Shalom also sounded visibly perturbed. “It was a load of cr*p. It was flickering 160 and half an ounce. I’ve never—usually they don’t even do half an ounce. Then they wouldn’t—then they—in a fight like this, they wouldn’t even give him time to go and do what he needed to do,” he said in an interview.

To be fair, Banks can hardly be blamed for his hesitation. The situation has become cloudy. It’s tough to draw clear conclusions or even know if blame is warranted at all.

We’ve still got something to handle

As an old-school trainer, Banks is focused on what matters: the fight ahead. He wants his fighter to leave the weigh-in drama behind and stay locked in. At this point, there’s no room for distractions or regrets. Only rest, recovery, and razor-sharp focus.

The 10-pound rehydration clause may add pressure, but Banks isn’t sweating it. His message is clear: control what you can, and tune out the rest. Whatever happened on the scale no longer matters once the first bell rings. “Nothing changes. Once the bell rings, I’m following you. Once the, um, once the bell rings, nothing matters,” Jonathan Banks concluded.

And as Rahim pointed out, the misstep, minor as it may seem, came with a major cost. For missing weight by just 0.05 pounds, Chris Eubank Jr. is reportedly facing a fine of around $500,000 (or £375,000). An expensive margin, for what may have been just a difference in scales.

What’s your take? Do you think there was anything ‘funky’ about the official weighing scale?