Chris Eubank Jr will be hoping to avenge his shock fourth-round knockout loss to Liam Smith when the pair meet in the ring on September 2 in Manchester, but his former trainer Roy Jones Jr says it will only happen if Eubank listens to his new coach.
The man in his corner for this rematch is Brian ‘Bomac’ McIntyre, the current coach of undisputed welterweight champion and pound-for-pound king Terrence Crawford. The pair only hooked up a few weeks ago and Eubank says said he is enjoying the ‘new perspective.’
Speaking to FightHub TV, Jones was asked what has to be different for Eubank in this fight.
“He just has to listen to what the coaches tell him. The first fight, he did what he wanted to do, he didn’t do what we trained him to do.”
Jones then went on to reveal that the plan was for Eubank to push Smith backwards and not let him settle into his usual come-forward style.
“First fight we trained to push Liam that way [backwards]. He went out and boxed him, I said listen you can do that for a round or two, but you can’t fight him all night like that. You gotta beat him going that way.”
Jones then referenced how Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez managed to beat Smith – by pushing him onto the back foot and eventually catching him with a gruesome body shot.
“As good as Canleo is, Canelo had to immediately get him going that way. If you don’t get him going that way it’s not going to work. He didn’t do that. He let the man be in his comfort zone too long. Especially with a man the calibre of Liam Smith, anything can happen.”
Time will tell if Eubank takes on board the advice of his new team when the fight comes around in September.