Chris Eubank Jr and Liam Smith are set to renew their rivalry on September 2. Ahead of the rematch, Eubank Jr has again accused Smith of elbowing him in the lead-up to the knockdown which ended the first fight in January.
Smith finished Eubank in the fourth round in what was a shock result given that Eubank had never really been troubled in previous fights, let alone knocked down and out.
The serious weight drain he undertook shortly before that fight for an ill-fated battle with Connor Benn is thought by many to have contributed to that – Jr was down to 157lbs, the lowest weight he had been since he was 18 years of age.
Now the rematch is on, Jr has vowed to take revenge on Smith, still believing the elbow contributed massively to the result. Speaking to BOXXER, he said he had no doubt it wasn’t a punch.
“All you have to do is watch the replay, you know. I’ve been punched in the face many times, I’ve never had a ball under my eye that big before off of one blow.”
Smith responded to the contrary.
“No. Even when you watch it back my glove skims off him, my wrist hits him like, it’s laughable. No, it’s just Chris being Chris. If it was that bad an elbow they all said they were gunna appeal it but no appeal was filed because it was that laughable.”
Regardless of the controversy, Eubank says he respects Smith and his victory.
“He’s a smooth operator, he knows what he doing in the ring. He knows how to get through these fights, he knows how to cause upsets. And that’s what that fight was in my opinion, a huge upset. You have to respect a man like that. I always respected him.”
Whether or not he will have the tools to enact revenge, only time will tell. The loser on the night faces either a long road back or retirement, according to Smith.