Eubank/Benn I. How different would it have been if Benn had not been weight-drained?

On the morning of the weigh-in day for Nigel Benn's first fight with Chris Eubank, he was apparently 6 1/2 pounds overweight. He had just a matter of hours to lose all this weight no make middleweight.

He had to work hard, go running, sit in a steam room, weigh himself again, do more running. By the noon deadline, he'd just about made it, but was so drained that he had no appetite, and couldn't eat properly.

If you lose that much weight that quickly, you'll be (obviously) dehydrated, and will also lose muscle tissue. So Nigel Benn went into that ring against Eubank that night in a weakened state. This may not be believeable, based on his performance, he was good, took some decent shots, and hurt Eubank quite badly with body shots.

Chris was visibly in pain later in the fight, it even look as though he was close to crumbling from those shots. He also said after the fight, that the experience had been the closest thing to death without actually dying. I seem to recall that Eubank also stated that the next day, he was in so much agony that it took him two hours to get out of bed and shower. Maybe he was exaggerating, I don't know.

But lets not forget that Nigel was still weight-drained.

So I've often wondered; suppose Nigel Benn had only been 6 1/2 ounces overweight for the fight instead of pounds. He would have come into the fight stronger, fully hydrated, even more focussed, and still would have had all his hate and adrenelin flowing through him. He would have been punching even harder, been even more aggressive, and more stamina.

How would the fight have panned out then? Would his extra strength have then been that bit too much for Eubank? Would he have managed to stop him with body shots, or stop him anyway? Or would Eubank's stone chin have still been able to withstand the exta power, and also his pain-stricken body? Would he have still been able to pulverise Benn just as badly with his jab?

So perhaps the result we really did have would just have come a round or two later, with Eubank still the winner, but possibly not able to propose to his girlfriend until he could speak?

This is one for much speculation, and we'll never know, but what do others think?

 

I read in Eubanks book - the full break down on his (ill-advised) pre-fight week boil downs throughout his pro career - he was not one to do things the easy way when it came to making weight.

That said, Eubank went into that fight expecting to take his beating and come on late...which he did. I wouldnt underestimate Eubanks resiliance, even as you say Benn could have come in stronger, but losing 6 1/2 pounds on the morning of the weigh in seems quite unbelievable - I find that difficult to comprehend.

 

If he was six and a half pounds overweight on the morning of the fight, he should never of fought.

IMO, even a relatively immature Benn would not of been that unprofessional.

If this man did lose six and a half pounds in a matter of hours to make 160, you would need Lex Luther and a room fall of Kryptonite to of got the W over Benn, on his performance that night.

 

Benn trained and made the weight properly for the rematch and it was a draw.

 

Eubank won, which is all that really matters. He struggled at 160 himself, but he just wanted it more that night.

 

It is an excuse at the end of the day. Benn knew the magnitude of the fight. He hated Eubank and badly wanted to beat him.

If the story about being 6.5 pounds overweight on the day of the fight is true..............he should have postponed the fight. No point making excuses later.

 

I agree with the post above...:yep

I think the way that Eubank used to make the weight was hardcore, he was massive at the weight too...:deal

 

Well I don't know if Nigel Benn's first weighing at 6:30 that morning was actually done with his own scales at home. If so, perhaps they weren't completely accurate? He could have lost a few pounds in a few hours, if he went without food or fluid.

And he would have had a few more hours after weigh-in to at least get some strength back before the fight. But not nearly enough.

 

Benn admits himself that he lapsed in training, he has meant to have went to bed the night before the fight a few pounds over, then woke up 6 pounds over!!!

 

Ultimately Eubank won due to a superior mind. He got the weight right, and forced himself through the pain barrier during the fight.

 

6.5 pounds over weight, Half a stone in a morning? Is that possible?

 

Eubank said at St James Park this year that Benn seemed to punch harder in the 1st fight, harder than he did in the 2nd fight, and that every single punch was extremely hard and how he never knew this possible.

About the weight thing, Benn looked bigger than Eubank on the night, denser and probably weighed quite abit more on the night than ever before at MW. Now consider Benn was a puncher who used natural leverages from legs and feet, and you could argue he was punching harder than ever before and relatively harder than ever before or after, through weighing heavier that night after taking weight off before weighing in (and putting it back on ofcourse).

Benn wouldn't have tried to make every punch forceful had he prepared correctly (there must've been more of a desperation issue). So you'd have seen a different fight. It was only Benn's power that troubled Eubank remember.

I think Eubank would've won better had Benn been in better shape! Benn trying to bob and weave more, backing off more early on, trying to throw fast rights from the shoulder... he'd hold his own but Eubank was just a better allaround boxer and sharp that evening, and had more angles and better lateral foot movement.

 

Eubank would have beaten McClellan as well

 

But that one was at super-middle, and I don't think Benn was quite as fierce at that weight until his later days at it, and Eubank was stronger. It was also a less instense fight than their first meeting, so its still difficult to base the result that night with how it may have been in the first fight if Benn had made the weight normally.

 

Rounds 1, 5, 6, 7 and 9; Eubank really dominated Benn!

Also hurt him bad with single shots in 2 and 4 (wobbled badly with a hook in 2, nearly closed his eye with a right in 4).

So let's not forget that Eubank was really quite dominant in the fight itself, and it was only Benn's punching power that troubled him (as much as it did trouble him).

Benn wasn't as snappy that night, but still seemed strong (esp of punch)