Chris Eubank Jr has spoken out after his stoppage defeat to Liam Smith last night, taking to social media to issue a respectful message of congratulations to ‘Beefy.’
Things had turned very sour between the pair in the build up to the fight, with the press conference in particular seeing a host of personal comments made my both men.
However, Eubank seems to have let bygones be bygones judging from the message he issued to Smith just after midnight.
“Congratulations to Liam tonight, nice lil shot you caught me with there my boy. Felt like I could of kept going but referee is in charge & I respect his decision. We’ll get it on again soon.”
Congratulations to Liam tonight, nice lil shot you caught me with there my boy. Felt like I could of kept going but referee is in charge & I respect his decision. We’ll get it on again soon 😎 #EubankSmith
— Chris Eubank Jr (@ChrisEubankJr) January 22, 2023
The classy comments echo the post fight respect shown between the two in the ring, who embraced and shared some words.
After a cagey opening two rounds, Eubank actually enjoyed a strong third, tagging Smith on multiple occasions with heavy uppercuts that the Liverpudlian’s trainer Joe McNally later admitted had concerned him.
The fight would be turned upside down in the fourth though, when Smith backed Eubank into a corner and unleashed a devastating combination that sent ‘Next Gen’ to the canvas.
Although he made it back to his feet, Eubank’s legs were visibly gone and Smith wasted no time in securing the finish and sending the Scousers at the Manchester Arena into meltdown.
Eubank has the option to active a contractual rematch clause, and his trainer, Roy Jones Jr, revealed to iFL TV that his fighter plans to do so.
“I don’t know if he goes straight back into it but I do know he wants it.”
As for Smith, he has stated he is willing to rematch Jr, but on his terms. Now the ‘A’ side, the terms for Smith vs Eubank 2 will likely look a whole lot different to their first encounter, should a second meeting get pencilled in.