Smith vs Eubank Jr – Saturday night, estimated 7:00pm
In the world of boxing, the narrative moves fast. Barely a week on from the furore around Oleksandr Usyk’s controversial victory over Daniel Dubois, the talk is now centred around Liam Smith’s much-anticipated rematch with Chris Eubank Jr.
There was certainly nothing controversial about Smith’s victory back in January as he brutally knocked out his rival in the fourth round.
Eubank has since gone on to describe his third career defeat as a ‘miracle’ and has vowed to set the record straight this Saturday night in Manchester.
Getting his own back may prove easier said than done considering the current wave of momentum in the Smith camp.
The 35-year-old produced an admirable display in his unanimous decision loss to Magomed Kurbanov back in May 2021.
Since then, Beefy has enjoyed a four-fight knockout streak, taking out Anthony Fowler, Jessie Vargas, Hassan Mwakinyo and, of course, Eubank.
While one camp is on cloud nine, the other is facing a wall of scrutiny and pressure from all angles. Eubank Jr has made changes to his team, hired a nutritionist and has been profusely questioned not only by fans and pundits but also by his own father.
Away from accusations of Eubank being a ‘charlatan’ there are also questions about his ability to perform under pressure.
The 33-year-old suffered his first professional defeat in 2014 as Billy Joe Saunders picked up a split decision to claim the British, Commonwealth and European middleweight titles.
His second career loss came in a high-stakes encounter with Geroge Groves as ‘Saint George’ picked up a unanimous decision back in 2018.
Eubank Jr is in desperate need of a victory against Smith, though considering all the momentum is with the Liverpool-native, we’re backing repeat over revenge.
