Can Benn-Eubank Jr. live up to the hype? Fines and family drama highlight British middleweight bout

LONDON (AP) — They've sold more tickets than their dads. Now, it's on Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn to deliver on what one promoter said could be the “British Hagler-Hearns.”

They'll meet Saturday night in front of more than 65,000 fans at a sold-out Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a middleweight bout, more than 30 years after their fathers launched the family rivalry with two memorable slugfests.

For a fight with no belts at stake, Eubank Jr. and Benn have succeeded in generating plenty of interest.

The latest twist came Friday when Eubank Jr. weighed in half an ounce over the 160-pound limit. That means, per the fight contract, that he will pay a fine of 375,000 pounds ($500,000) to Benn, Ring Magazine reported.

Benn, who weighed 156.4 lbs, immediately posted a video and said “show me the money.”

Their grudge match had been set for 2022 but was scrapped after Benn’s voluntary urine test showed trace amounts of fertility drug Clomiphene, a banned substance that boosts testosterone levels while burning fat.

Benn then argued successfully that his consumption of eggs elevated his testosterone levels.

Cue the egg slap at their first media face-to-face. Eubank Jr. had pulled out an egg and smacked the right side of Benn’s face. It was costly. The British Boxing Board of Control fined him 100,000 pounds ($130,000).

Eubank Jr.'s father later called his son's antics “a disgrace." Meanwhile, Nigel Benn has remained a close confidant by his son's side in the build-up.

Eubank Jr. is arguably the more charismatic of the pair, and Thursday's final press conference provided an example.

The 35-year-old fighter responded to a verbal shot from Benn — “Just focus on getting the weight off, fat boy” — by turning philosophical.

“The weight is painful. I’m in pain right now,” Eubank Jr. said. “The question I ask myself is ‘what is pain?’”

Benn interjected with “Oh, shut up, Chris.” But Eubank Jr. went on to discuss his brother's 2021 death and his strained relationship with his father.

“I have a 31-year-old brother, he is buried in the desert in Dubai, that’s pain,” Eubank Jr. said. "I have his son, Raheem. He asks ‘why can’t I see my daddy? Why doesn’t he take me to school?’ That’s pain.

“My own father — a man I idolized for my entire life and he doesn’t speak to me. We haven’t spoken for years, and he thinks I’m a disgrace. These things are what pain is to me. And if I can deal with all of these trials and tribulations, then the weight cut and the rehydration clause, these are all things that are not an issue.”

In November 1990, Chris Eubank beat Nigel Benn after a ninth-round stoppage in Birmingham to take the WBO middleweight title. The rematch was three years later in front of 45,000 fans at Old Trafford — Manchester United's stadium. It didn't quite live up to the first meeting and ended in a split-decision draw. Both fighters retained their respective super-middleweight titles.

Neither Eubank Jr. (34-3, 25 KOs) or Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) have held a major world title.

The 35-year-old Eubank Jr. last fought in October, stopping Poland's Kamil Szeremeta in the seventh round in Saudi Arabia. In 2023, he twice fought former WBO light-middleweight champion Liam Smith — losing the first one and winning the rematch.

Benn has spent most of his career as a welterweight, but agreed to move up to middleweight. He has said his only request was an 18-foot ring, down from the standard 20 feet.

At 5-foot-11, Eubank Jr. has a three-inch height advantage.

Even though he's undefeated, the 28-year-old Benn has heard criticism about the quality of his opponents.

A packed stadium and worldwide audience will also be a step up for Benn, whose last two fights were in hotel ballrooms — Orlando and Las Vegas — while he cleared his name of the positive drug test.

The WBC in February 2023 cleared Benn of intentional doping, saying the boxer’s consumption of eggs presented a “reasonable explanation for the adverse finding.”

Benn hasn't fought in nearly 14 months since a unanimous decision over Peter Dobson in Las Vegas.

“No pressure, I live for this,” Benn said Thursday. “All that PR is done. I’m excited to get in there and put my hands on him Saturday night.”

It's boxing, so a rematch is always a possibility. There are also reports that the winner could be in line for a fight with Canelo Alvarez.

Rick Reeno, COO of the Saudi-backed Ring Magazine, made sure on Thursday that everyone knew who was in charge.

“Make no mistake about it. This is not a Matchroom event, this is not a Boxxer event. This is a Ring Magazine event. This is our identity — stacked, loaded cards," he said.

The undercard is set to start at 5 p.m. local time (noon ET). The ring walk for the main event should be around 9:30 p.m. local time (4:30 p.m. ET).

It's available by pay-per-view in most countries on DAZN. It's also available on Sky Sports Box Office pay-per-view in the UK and Ireland.

AP boxing: https://apnews.com/hub/boxing

Chris Eubank Jr speaks during a press conference at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Thursday April 24, 2025, two days ahead of his fight against Conor Benn. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Conor Benn looks on during a press conference at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Thursday April 24, 2025, two days ahead of his fight against Chris Eubank Jr. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Conor Benn looks on during a press conference at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Thursday April 24, 2025, two days ahead of his fight against Chris Eubank Jr. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Chris Eubank Jr, left, and Conor Benn pose at the end of a press conference at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Thursday April 24, 2025, two days ahead of their combat. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Chris Eubank Jr, left, and Conor Benn face-off during a press conference at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Thursday April 24, 2025, two days ahead of their combat. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Chris Eubank Jr, left, and Conor Benn face-off during a press conference at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Thursday April 24, 2025, two days ahead of his fight against Chris Eubank Jr. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale prices dropped unexpectedly in April for the first time in more than a year despite President Donald Trump’s sweeping taxes on imports.

The producer price index — which tracks inflation before it hits consumers — fell 0.5% last month from March, the first drop since October 2023 and the biggest in five years. Compared to a year earlier, producer prices rose 2.4% last month, decelerating from a 3.4% year-over-year gain in March, the U.S. Labor Department reported Thursday.

Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core wholesale prices dipped 0.4% from March and rose 3.1% from a year earlier.

Economists had forecast that producer prices rose modestly in April.

Services prices fell 0.7%, the biggest drop in government records going back to 2009, on shrinking profit margins at wholesalers and retailers. Wholesale food prices fell 1%, and egg prices plunged 39%, though they are still up nearly 45% from a year ago because of bird flu.

On Tuesday, the Labor Department reported that consumer prices rose just 2.3% last month from April 2024 — smallest year-over-year gain in more than four years.

Economists have predicted that Trump’s tariffs would drive up prices, and many expect the impact to show up in June or July.

Still, Trump’s tariffs are ever-changing, so it’s hard to forecast their economic impact. On Monday, for instance, Trump unexpectedly agreed to a massive de-escalation of his trade war with China — third-biggest source of U.S. imports — by scaling back his taxes on Chinese products to 30% from 145%; China slashed its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products from 125% to 10%.

FILE - A customer checks his shopping receipts while waiting in line at the food court at Costco Wholesale store in Glendale, Calif., on Thursday, April 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

FILE - A motorist fills up the gasoline tank of a vehicle at a Costco warehouse Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Thornton, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)