Chris Eubank Jnr is expected to return to the ring at super middleweight following treatment for an undisclosed illness, according to his promoter Ben Shalom.
Concerns over Eubank Jnr’s health intensified after his poor showing in defeat to Conor Benn in their November rematch. Eubank Jnr had fought bravely in the first encounter back in April, slugging it out with Benn to take a unanimous decision victory, but looked a shadow of himself when he stepped into the ring seven months later.
Many pointed to the weight stipulation placed on the 36-year-old in both contests as a significant factor. Eubank was required to make the 160lb middleweight limit, then remain no more than 10lbs above it on fight night – a restriction that limited his ability to properly rehydrate.
In December, around three weeks after the rematch, Eubank Jnr posted footage on social media showing him undergoing a medical procedure, with a camera down his throat. Alongside the video, he wrote: “I’ve been dealing with a lot of health issues over the last year & yeah it all finally caught up to me last month. I will not box again until I’m back to 100% & I don’t know when that will be, but one things for certain… For the fans that have supported me through thick & thin, I will do everything in my power to make sure that one day, the old me makes a big comeback.”
Little has been revealed publicly about Eubank Jnr’s condition since, but Shalom provided an update to BoxingScene and other reporters this week, suggesting a return is now on the horizon.
“I actually am going to see him this week, he's had a lot of stuff to do medically to really try and flush and get rid of what he's been dealing with,” Shalom said. “So once that's done he will be back, probably at 168. But there was an underlying issue that he had to get rid of and I think we all knew that, but hopefully looking forward to him being back in the middle of the year.”
While the nature of the illness remains unclear, a move back up to 168lbs would take Eubank Jnr away from the brutal weight cuts he endured for the Benn fights. It is a division where he enjoyed arguably the most successful spell of his career between 2017 and 2019, before dropping back down to middleweight.
Asked whether the weight restrictions placed on Eubank could have played a role in his health issues, Shalom acknowledged the risks involved in such clauses, and questioned whether they should be allowed at all.
“Actually no, could it have been exacerbated by it? Possibly,” replied Shalom. “Are the rehydration clauses, should they be banned by the board? Yeah, but we're all, the promoters and the fighters are always going to do anything in their advantage. Every advantage you can take in the fight you're going to take. So when you offer fighters loads of money to do stupid things, that's what they do, that's unfortunately it.
“Most people wouldn't get in a ring for money, so they're going to offer, they'll accept anything, and that's where it takes the regulator to say, ‘That's not allowed.’ It shouldn't be allowed. I regret seeing it, but ultimately the fighters have that choice over their own body and there's only so much you can do. It won't happen again, but I wouldn't want to see it again in boxing to be honest. I think it's really dangerous and will lead to something pretty bad.”
Shalom was then asked whether the issue is something that can be fully resolved, or if it will remain a long-term concern moving forward.
“It has to be resolved in some sense otherwise you couldn't allow him to get in the ring again,” said Shalom. “So that's why he's taking the time out. There wasn't enough time between April and what ended up November, but initially September, to sort out the issue. It was something that needed, required proper medical attention, and he didn't get that but now he's getting that. It gets beyond that, he lives the life and then he could come back in a healthy and safe way, but until that's completely resolved then he won't be getting in the ring. But from the procedures, everything that he's had so far, it's looking like he'll make a full recovery.”
Whether Eubank Jnr will ever reveal the specifics of what he was dealing with during his two bouts with Benn remains to be seen, though Shalom believes that clarity will come in time.
“I think he will in his own time, I think he will, but he didn't want to make excuses on the night,” Shalom said. “He wasn't happy with me intimating what might have happened because he doesn't want to make excuses, that's just who he is. But I couldn't believe what he went through, I really couldn't. It was mad but even the first fight he wasn't 100 per cent. So seeing him go and do that, I think doing that twice in a year with what he was dealing with was just too much for his body.”
