Chris Eubank Jr has let fans behind the scenes of his training camp ahead of his showdown with Liam Smith.
The domestic rivals face off in Sky Sports first box office offering of 2023, and Eubank is clearly leaving no stone unturned in the gym.
In his latest sparring footage, the 160lber from Brighton appears to be getting some rounds in with a heavyweight partner.
Eubank can be seen in the clip showing slick movement and defence, dodging an uppercut thrown at him before landing his own right on the button. His caption read ‘hit and don’t get hit.’
@chriseubankjr1 Boxing 101 – Hit & Don’t Get Hit #Boxing#workout
♬ Reggae & Calypso (Russ Millions x Buni x YV) – Russ Millions & Buni & YV
He will enter the ring with a record of 32-2 with 23 knockouts, the losses coming at the hands of George Groves and Billy Joe Saunders.
In the other corner, Smith has 32 wins under his belt too, but one more loss. He’s fallen short against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, Jaime Munguia and, somewhat controversially, Magomed Kurbanov.
The fight presents a crossroad for Eubank, 33, and Smith, 34 – who have both made it clear that they want to win and move onto challenging for world honours. Losing at this stage of their careers certainly isn’t catastrophic, but it doesn’t bode well for the future either.
The pair enter the bout supremely confident, with Smith buoyed by a historic sparring session and the ever-cocky Eubank claiming he only needs to perform at 50%.
There’s a rematch clause on one end, so if the Liverpool fighter wins then it’s in Eubank’s hands to activate a second fight. Smith, for his part, is fine with this – claiming he’ll beat him once this month and then do the same at Anfield stadium later in the year.
The action goes down on January 21 at the AO Arena in Manchester and live on Sky Sports Box Office.