10-07-2025
How social media and sauna suits cost Chris Eubank Jr £10,000
British boxer Chris Eubank Jr has been fined £10,000 ($13,608) by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) for 'misuse of social media' before his fight against Conor Benn in April.
In the lead-up to the fight, Eubank, who won by unanimous decision, posted several videos on social media that appeared to show him attempting to cut weight in brutal fashion to meet the required weight.
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The 35-year-old can be seen appearing to wear what is known as a sauna suit to increase sweat loss, and in one of the videos, he implies that he intends to use a sauna. It has been reported that the use of saunas to make weight is banned by boxing authorities.
Eubank was called to a hearing with the Board's Southern Area Council in July and was subsequently confirmed to have been fined in a notice, but there is no mention of a sauna in the statement. BBBofC general secretary Robert Smith confirmed to The Athletic that the council was 'satisfied with the explanation of the trainer.'
The weight limit for the fight was set at the middleweight limit of 160lb, three pounds heavier than the limit for the pair's original bout that was set for October 2022, which was cancelled after Benn, 28, tested positive for the banned substance clomifene.
On Friday, April 26, the day before the fight, Benn weighed in at 156.4lbs, while Eubank arrived an hour late and weighed in at 160.2lb. He was granted another attempt, this time weighing in at 160lb 0.8oz, still fractionally over the limit.
Eubank was fined £375,000 ($500,000) as a result. Following the July hearing, the BBBofC said that Eubank also had a 'severe reprimand placed on his file' for arriving late.
Much attention was also placed on the rehydration clause, which stipulated that both fighters could not weigh in at more than 10lb over the limit on the morning of the fight. Eubank fulfilled this requirement, posting an image on social media of him weighing in at 169.4lbs.
Eubank accused Benn and his team of trying to 'derail' his preparation for the fight.
'It stings that I was 0.05lb away from the limit and now I'll have to pay half a million to someone. These are the people you are dealing with. They closed the scales off early,' Eubank told BBC Sport after the initial weigh-in.
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'I asked to go and urinate but they said no. These are tactics people use to try and get under your skin, to try and derail you from the task at hand, which is to go out there and win. They had an agenda — they wanted that money.'
A September rematch between the pair is being promoted on social media.
After the weigh-in, Eubank posted videos on social media to show the lengths that he had gone to cut weight. In multiple videos — captioned, 'Pain is temporary … Glory is forever' — he appears to be wearing a heat (or sauna) suit, designed to make the user sweat profusely.
In one of the videos, he removes the suit and appears to say: 'Time to jump in the sauna, now the fun begins.'
Eubank's representatives declined to comment when contacted by The Athletic.
Eubank spent two days in hospital after the fight, with Ben Shalom of promoter Boxxer saying that he was admitted for 'precautionary checks.'
There are no mentions of saunas and heat suits in the BBBofC's latest set of rules and regulations and they are not explicitly prohibited.
However, Smith explained that the Board advises against 'drastic weight-making measures' for health and safety reasons.
'Our doctors are very concerned with dehydration, so that's what we advise everybody, all the trainers. We send out documentation in regards to it,' he told The Athletic.
'Documentation is sent out to the boxers when they get licensed with regard to rapid weight-making measures. We send out as much education as we possibly can, but we can't police everybody.
'In this recent case, the council was satisfied with the explanation of the trainer.'
Smith added that there were several 'check-weights' leading up to the fight which meant that the BBBofC 'had an understanding of (Eubank's) training programme.'
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While Eubank's fight against Benn was allowed to go ahead despite his social media posts, Smith said that the BBBofC has blocked boxers from fighting due to using saunas in the past.
British boxer Adam Azim and Mexico's Eliot Chavez were set to clash on the undercard of Callum Simpson's European title fight against Ivan Zucco on June 7, though the bout was cancelled after Chavez used a sauna to make weight.
'The British Boxing Board of Control has withdrawn permission for Eliot Chavez to face Adam Azim tonight in Barnsley following concerns raised by the Mexican Boxing Commission relating to Chavez's use of a sauna to make weight — a practice that is prohibited by the board,' Boxxer said in a statement.
Smith told The Athletic that Chavez's case 'differed hugely' from Eubank's, saying that Chavez had directly claimed on social media that he had been in the sauna on the morning of the fight.
Eubank's fine will have no effect on his victory and his win will stand on his record.
Smith told Boxing News in June that he believed that Eubank was not affected by the effects of the weight cut against Benn.
'We're waiting to hear what he has to say, but, Mr. Eubank boxed as though he had no problems with hydration whatsoever — he was as strong in the last round as he was in the first round,' said Smith.
'The medical documentation we (received) since the contest says he was fine.'
Additional reporting: Sarah Shephard
