Nigel Benn, father of Conor Benn, insists that his son is not weight drained as he heads into Saturday’s shot at Ryan Garcia for the WBC welterweight championship in Las Vegas.
There are reasons, and valid ones, for people to be concerned about Benn.
Despite inexplicably being the No. 1 contender at welterweight according to the WBC, he has not made 147lbs in more than four years. He’s ventured up to middleweight, where he split two fights with Chris Eubank Jnr and, in April, he weighed 149.5lbs but wasn’t at his best while outpointing Regis Prograis.
Footage released in the last fortnight paint Benn as a gaunt man.
Furthermore, Benn himself has spoken in-depth about his torturous weight cut, even declaring last weekend that he will never compete as a welterweight again once he’s fought Garcia.
Yet there are other things to consider.
Benn is a young man who will be allowed to rehydrate to a substantially bigger weight between the weigh-in on Friday morning and the fight on Saturday night.
That he weighed 149.5lbs as recently as April and has a team around him well-versed in cutting weight safely strongly suggests this has been a long and sensible cut rather than a quick and dramatic one.
And finally, not every picture tells the right story. Benn did look gaunt after a vigorous training session while sticking out his chest to show off his physique. This week, however, he’s looked immeasurably healthier.
Nigel Benn, who regularly trains with his son, therefore argues that people suggesting this is like Eubank Jnr – ahead of both fights with Conor last year he posted images of himself weak and weight-drained – are wide of the mark.
“We’re not like the Eubanks – ‘they’re trying to kill my son, they’re trying to kill my son’,” Benn told Playbook Boxing.
“Eubank had to lose a couple of pounds; Conor had to lose a couple of stone to get down – and he’s done it.”
When asked if it will affect his performance, Benn said, “Not at all, not at all.
“You can hear from my mouth, I am telling you, he is not struggling.
“The pictures that they’ve got of him looking wide-eyed, I’m standing right next to him. I’m like, ‘You look good.’”
“He’s dropped down in weight but he’s not gaunt. He’s not struggling. He’s still clean.
“He’s done this weight easy, he’s not drained.
“Conor’s not drained, mate. No one’s trying to kill him. He’s made the weight.
“It’s been hard, but he’s made it, he’s made the weight. He dedicated himself and he’s not struggling. He’s actually in very, very good shape.”
