Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Liam Smith

Unleashed

Date	21 January 2023
Venue	Manchester Arena, Manchester, UK
Tale of the tape
Boxer Chris Eubank Jr. Liam Smith Nickname "Next Gen" "Beefy" Hometown Hove, East Sussex Liverpool, Merseyside Pre-fight record 32–2 (23 KOs) 32–3–1 (19 KOs) Age 33 years, 4 months 34 years, 5 months Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) 5 ft 9+1⁄2 in (177 cm) Weight 159 lb (72 kg) 159 lb (72 kg) Style Orthodox Orthodox Recognition WBC/WBO No. 2 Ranked Middleweight WBA No. 5 Ranked Middleweight WBO No. 2 Ranked Light Middleweight WBC No. 3 Ranked Light Middleweight WBA No. 4 Ranked Light Middleweight IBF No. 5 Ranked Light Middleweight
Result
Smith wins via 4th-round TKO

Chris Eubank Jr. vs Liam Smith, was a series of two professional boxing matches contested between former IBO super-middleweight and WBA interim middleweight champion, Chris Eubank Jr., and former WBO light-middleweight champion, Liam Smith. The first bout was billed as Unleashed, and the second bout was billed as Repeat or Revenge

The bouts both took place in the Manchester Arena.

First fight

Background

Prior to the fight with Benn being announced, a fight between Eubank and Smith was first discussed by Ben Shalom in June 2022. Shalom believed Eubank should be challenging for world titles. Eubank had one fight left on his contract with Boxxer and Sky Sports. On 1 July 2022, the opportunity to proceed with the fight became more feasible following Smith's signing of a multi-fight agreement with Boxxer and Sky Sports. Following the cancellation of Eubank's bout with Benn, Shalom announced that Smith would be positioned to face Eubank next. Additionally, Smith's potential opponents included Kell Brook, who was in the spotlight for another potential match after his victory over rival Amir Khan in February 2022, as well as the possibility of a world title fight. In November, negotiations began, targeting a fight for December.

On 24 November, the fight was made official to take place at the AO Arena in Manchester on 21 January 2023, with the event being broadcast live on Sky Sports Box Office in UK and DAZN in the United States. The highly anticipated fight was to be promoted by Boxxer, in partnership with Wasserman Boxing. Smith (32-3-1, 19 KOs) was entering the contest in outstanding form, having secured victories against notable opponents such as Jesse Vargas, Anthony Fowler, and Roberto Garcia. Eubank (32-2-0, 23 KOs) was enthusiastic about returning to the ring after his planned bout with Benn was postponed in October 2022. His last fight took place in February 2022, where he delivered a commanding performance against Liam Williams, winning by unanimous decision in Cardiff. Eubank entered the bout with a strong sense of confidence, firmly expecting to secure victory within eight rounds. Smith advocated for the weight limit to be set between 158 and 159 pounds. Aware that his request was unlikely to be accommodated, as it was well documented how Eubank struggled to make 157 pounds against Benn and the fact Smith was a naturally bigger man than Benn. There was a rematch clause in place. Smith was confident his experience would help him beat Eubank. He also expressed interest in a potential rematch in the future, as well as the option of moving back down in weight class.

In the lead-up to the fight, Chris Eubank made headlines by claiming he only needed to perform at 50% capacity to secure a victory against Smith. Smith dismissed Eubank’s remarks stating, “Chris is bang average but a good, fit athlete. If you need to be 50 percent… if he needs to be 50 percent to beat me, I may as well not show up.” Eubank also noted that he had only sparred for eight rounds, reasoning that he anticipated the match wouldn’t extend beyond that.

Tensions soared at the final press conference as the two boxers exchanged barbs. The confrontation escalated when Smith made a pointed remark, accusing Eubank of rarely being seen in the company of women, asking him, “Do you want to tell us something?” Eubank responded: “Listen, my private life is my private life,” Eubank Jr replied. “That's irrelevant to the boxing, but I’m happy, I'm comfortable.” After a brief period, broadcaster Andy Scott attempted to guide the conversation in a new direction. His attempt failed when Eubank accused Smith of cheating on his wife. He said, “If you want to get dark and personal with it, talking about being gay and do I like girls? I've been told by multiple sources that you cheat on your wife on occasion. “I’d rather be gay than a cheat.” Following the press conference, both boxers issued apologies for their remarks. Sky Sports also expressed regret, labelling the comments as homophobic. Reports indicated that the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) may pursue misconduct charges against Smith in light of his statements. On 17 April 2023, the BBBofC ruled both individuals guilty of misconduct and imposed undisclosed fines on them.

Both boxers weighed the same 159 pounds. Eubank further taunted Smith by wearing a Manchester United jersey (Liverpool's rivals) and wore a rainbow armband. Overall, there was little drama to add at the weigh in following the final press conference. Eubank was a 3-1 favorite over Smith.

The fight

In an unexpected turn of events, Smith scored a stunning fourth-round knockout against the favored Eubank. Eubank had been in control for the first three rounds but faced a dramatic shift in the fourth, where he was hurt and sent to the canvas twice. After the first knockdown, Eubank appeared unsteady, struggling to regain his footing. As the fight continued, Smith seized the opportunity, unleashing power shots that caught a dazed Eubank off guard, resulting in a second knockdown. It was at this point that the referee stepped in, stopping the contest. Even with the hostility leading up to the fight, Eubank congratulated Smith on the win. He said, “Big congratulations to him. I felt like I had him going but he caught me with a great shot. If the fans want to see a rematch, we can get it on at Anfield.” Smith expressed his willingness to have a rematch but emphasized that he wanted it to be under his conditions. Through the four rounds, Eubank landed 26 of 147 punches thrown (17.7%) and Smith landed 27 of his 113 thrown (23.9%).

Aftermath

Eubank was later interviewed in his dressing room asked further about the fight and if he was hurt. He replied, "A tough night? No I wouldn't even say that, I was having fun, I was landing my shots, I was enjoying the moment. And he caught me with a once-in-a-lifetime shot. I got up, I recovered, he put it on me again with a few more shots and the referee decided it was enough. I felt like I could go on. I felt like I was aware of what was happening, but it was the referee's decision and I have to respect it. I felt like I was dominating the fight before that happened, so I think we've got an exciting opportunity, at some point in the future, to have that rematch. Listen, it's boxing, it's a sexy sport, this is the sport we love. Anything can happen. I never would have believed this could happen." He reaffirmed his respect for Smith.

Smith was contractually bound to a prompt rematch with Eubank. During his post-fight press conference, Smith outlined some of his "conditions" for the upcoming duel with Eubank. He said, “Just, obviously, like I said, Liverpool. Obviously, the money [changes] now. I might drag him down to 157 [pounds].” Kalle Sauerland, promoter for Eubank, acknowledged that he had no explanations for Smith's surprising knockout of Eubank. He explained the weight was not a factor and Eubank voluntarily weighed 159 pounds. The next steps were for the team to sit down and analyse if the rematch clause would be activated.

Fight card

Weight Class		vs.		Method	Round	Time	Notes
Middleweight	Liam Smith	def.	Chris Eubank Jr.	TKO	4/12	1:09
Cruiserweight	Richard Riakporhe	def.	Krzysztof Głowacki	TKO	4/12	2:44
Welterweight	Ekow Essuman	def.	Chris Kongo	MD	12		Note 1
Heavyweight	Joseph Parker	def.	Jack Massey	UD	10
Heavyweight	Frazer Clarke	def.	Kevin Nicolas Espindola	RTD	4/6	3:00
Cruiserweight	Scott Forrest	def.	Amine Boucetta	PTS	6
Heavyweight	Matty Harris	def.	Jiri Surmaj	TKO	1/6	1:14
Lightweight	Frankie Stringer	def.	Cristian Narvaez	PTS	4

Reference:
^Note 1 For IBF European title

Rematch

Repeat or Revenge

Date	2 September 2023
Venue	Manchester Arena, Manchester, UK
Tale of the tape
Boxer Liam Smith Chris Eubank Jr. Nickname "Beefy" "Next Gen" Hometown Liverpool, Merseyside Hove, East Sussex Pre-fight record 33–3–1 (20 KOs) 32–3 (23 KOs) Age 35 years, 1 month 33 years, 11 months Height 5 ft 9+1⁄2 in (177 cm) 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) Weight 160 lb (73 kg) 159.3 lb (72 kg) Style Orthodox Orthodox Recognition WBO No. 2 Ranked Middleweight WBA No. 4 Ranked Light Middleweight WBC No. 5 Ranked Middleweight WBO No. 11 Ranked Middleweight
Result
Eubank Jr wins via 10th-round TKO

Background

On 14 February 2023, Eubank activated the rematch clause. On 25 April, the rematch was formally announced to take place on 17 June at the AO Arena in Manchester on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and ESPN+ in the US. On the rematch being signed, Eubank said, “Liam had the night of his life against me in January, the stars aligned for him in Manchester, and he went away with a big win. But lightning doesn’t strike twice. If he even has the slightest thought that he can beat me again, then great, because it will be his undoing.” Smith said, “I know he tried his best to go a different route but the fight is on now and I am looking forward to hearing what he has to say for himself in the build up. Let’s see what angle he comes with this time. He can’t come with angles about how he’s never been hurt, he’s never been dropped, he’s never been stopped, because he just had all three of those things happen to him in one night and it was me who did it to him. I’m also interested to see where he goes after I beat him again on June 17th.” The fight was promoted by Boxxer, in association with Wasserman Boxing.

Ben Shalom credited Eubank on taking the rematch, after not being for it originally. He felt Eubank had more to lose in the rematch and a further loss would be detrimental to his career. After Eubank activated the rematch clause, he engaged in negotiations for a bout with Conor Benn, which was proposed to occur in Abu Dhabi this June, right up until the official announcement of the fight. Eubank explained, “I decided against it (taking the Benn fight). It was a substantial offer. I had to weigh out the pros and cons of taking that fight before taking the Smith fight, because the Smith fight was always going to happen. I have to avenge the loss. I eventually decided against fighting Benn next." He also expressed a preference for the bout against Benn to be held in the UK. On 8 May, reports emerged indicating that Smith sustained a minor back injury during training camp, resulting in the postponement of the fight. The following day, the match was promptly rescheduled for 1 July 2023. On 24 May, the fight was postponed again after Smith cited persistent injuries that impacted his training camp. By July, Smith was fully fit again and the fight was again rescheduled for 2 September 2023.

In August, Roy Jones Jr., who had been training Eubank for his recent bouts, announced that he would not be in his corner for the upcoming rematch. The primary reason for his absence is his commitment to other boxers who have scheduled fights. Eubank enlisted Brian "Bomac" McIntyre as his trainer for the upcoming rematch. McIntyre was recognized for his successful experience in coaching multi-weight world champion Terence Crawford. During fight week, Joseph McNally, trainer of Smith, disclosed that VADA testing did not occur for the rematch between Smith and Eubank. He specifically pointed out that Smith had not undergone any testing by the doping agency prior to the bout. Eubank weighed 159.3 pounds while Smith weighed on the 160 pounds limit.

The fight

Eubank employed a punch-and-grab technique to gradually wear down Smith, dropping him twice which led to a stoppage in the tenth round, gaining revenge. Eubank sent Smith to the canvas with a powerful uppercut in the fourth round and put him in a tough spot in the fifth, unleashing a series of punches while Smith was cornered against the ropes. By the ninth round, Smith seemed visibly fatigued and appeared to be struggling with an injury to his right ankle. In the tenth round, Eubank sent Smith to the canvas once more before ultimately halting the fight just moments later with a flurry of unanswered blows. The bout was called off at 1:45 of round ten. Following the stoppage, a triumphant Eubank gazed into the crowd, directing his attention towards retired boxer Kell Brook, signalling his desire for a showdown with him in the near future. He also called out Conor Benn and Gennady Golovkin.

Smith attributed his physical condition to the significant weight loss he underwent in preparation for the rematch. However, he still praised Eubank stating, "I was flat from the start; the weight killed me after the injury. I was just flat from the get-go and Chris was sharp, that's all I can say about it really. Chris was the better man tonight, I shout when I win and I'll take my defeat when I lose." CompuBox stats shows that Eubank landed 193 of 580 punches thrown (33.3%), nearly six times more than Smith, who landed 33 of his 132 thrown (25%).

Aftermath

Although there was nothing in the contracts to force a third fight, Smith was eager for a trilogy. He said, "This is obviously Chris' night. I had my night in January. I'm not taking nothing away from Chris this time round. This is his night. It's 1-1 now, so let's see what happens next. It's 1-1. That doesn't settle nothing for me." Eubank expressed that he would consider a third fight only if there was significant public interest. Prior to his fight against Benn, Eubank was presented with a bespoke jacket adorned with Smith's real blood. It was at this time also when Smith once again expressed interest in settling a trilogy with Eubank. Smith was scheduled to fight Aaron McKenna on the undercard. Smith lost via a lop-sided decision.

Rematch card

Weight Class		vs.		Method	Round	Time	Notes
Middleweight	Chris Eubank Jr.	def.	Liam Smith	TKO	10 (12)	1:45
Super Middleweight	Jack Cullen	def.	Mark Heffron	TKO	3 (12)	2:43	Note 2
Super lightweight	Adam Azim	def.	Aram Faniian	UD	10
Heavyweight	Frazer Clarke	def.	David Allen	RTD	6 (10)	3:00
Welterweight	Florian Marku	def.	Dylan Moran	TKO	1 (10)	0:54
Cruiserweight	Mikaela Mayer	def.	Silvia Bortot	PTS	10
Welterweight	Lauren Price	def.	Lolita Muzeya	TKO	6 (8)	0:24
Lightweight	Frankie Stringer	def.	Engel Gomez	PTS	4

Reference:
^Note 2 For British and Commonwealth Super Middleweight titles