Billy Joe Saunders has shown little in the way of sympathy towards Chris Eubank Jr after his stoppage loss to Liam Smith at the Manchester Arena, describing him as “finished” in a recent interview.
Saunders pulled no punches in his assessment of this past weekend’s events after previously mocking Eubank on social media with several Instagram posts.
Speaking to IFL TV, Saunders said:
“He’s done isn’t he? He’s finished. Liam Smith has gone it in there and put the icing on his career I think.”
“Smith maintained the pressure, got Eubank on the back foot doing all this boxing that he’s learnt and look where it got him? Knocked out cold.”
Saunders and Eubank have never got on since their 2014 British middleweight title fight, and the former two weight world champion wasted no time in hopping on Instagram to rub some salt in ‘Next Gen’s wounds after he was stopped by Smith.
A rematch between the pair has long been speculated upon, although ‘BJS’ hasn’t boxed since his defeat to Canelo Alvarez in May 2021.
The fourth round KO on Saturday night was the first time Eubank has tasted defeat inside the distance, and sent the sold out Manchester Arena into meltdown.
After a somewhat cagey opening two rounds, Eubank enjoyed a good third, landing clean uppercuts on Smith whose trainer, Joe McNally, later admitted had worried him at the time.
Shockwaves would be sent through the boxing world in the fourth, however, when Smith managed to corner Eubank and let rip with a blistering uppercut of his own that sent the 33 year old crashing to the ring canvas.
Although he jumped back to his feet, Eubank’s legs had turned to rubber and Smith wasted no time in setting about him once more and the contest was waved off by the referee shortly after.