Ahead of his fight with Chris Eubank Jr, Liam Smith has rubbished any claims of his opponent having a weight advantage.
The fight is set for the middleweight limit of 160lb, one which Eubank Jr has fought at throughout his career. The Brighton fighter has even moved upwards to the 168lb super middle ranks on occasion.
In the other corner, Smith has competed comfortably at super welterweight – 154lb – meaning that he will be, by the records, the smaller man entering the ring.
The Liverpool fan-favourite refuted this, though, telling Sky Sports that he was certain he would be the heavier man on fight night.
“I’ll bet every penny, however much you want, I’ll be heavier than Chris Eubank in the ring. Chris has got the body type where he finds it hard to lose [weight] and doesn’t put a lot on.
He’s probably walking round six, seven, eight pounds over his weight and maybe gets in the ring the same. Probably puts seven, eight pounds on, maybe a little bit more from 160lbs.
Don’t be fooled. He’s not [a super-middleweight]. Look at him from the side. He’s the width of a cup.”
The weight is only one of the intriguing aspect that the pay-per-view fight holds, with many fans split on who they think will come out victorious. With both men supremely self-assured, it’s hard to pick confidently either way.
At the stage of their careers Eubank and Smith find themselves, the fight holds great importance for world title shots in the future.
Having said that, if Smith wins there’s a rematch clause that his opponent can activate, meaning we may be in for two scraps rather than just one.
The fight takes place on January 21 at the AO Arena in Manchester and live on Sky Sports Box Office.