Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Liam Smith explained

Fight Name:Unleashed
Fight Date:21 January 2023
Location:Manchester Arena, Manchester, UK
Fighter1: Chris Eubank Jr.
Nickname1:"Next Gen"
Hometown1:Hove, East Sussex
Record1:32–2 (23 KOs)
Height1:5 ft 11 in
Weight1:159 lb
Style1:Orthodox
Recognition1:WBC/WBO
No. 2 Ranked Middleweight
WBA
No. 5 Ranked Middleweight
Fighter2: Liam Smith
Nickname2:"Beefy"
Hometown2:Liverpool, Merseyside
Record2:32–3–1 (19 KOs)
Height2:5 ft 9+1/2 in
Weight2:159 lb
Style2:Orthodox
Recognition2:WBO
No. 2 Ranked Light Middleweight
WBC
No. 3 Ranked Light Middleweight
WBA
No. 4 Ranked Light Middleweight
IBF
No. 5 Ranked Light Middleweight
Result:Smith wins via 4th-round TKO

Chris Eubank Jr. vs Liam Smith, was a series of two professional boxing matches contested between former IBO super-middleweight and WBA interim middleweight champion, Chris Eubank Jr., and former WBO light-middleweight champion, Liam Smith. The first bout was billed as Unleashed, and the second bout was billed as Repeat or Revenge[1] [2]

The bouts both took place in the Manchester Arena.

There wasn't any compelling build up to the fight. Both fighters were chasing different avenues and organically this fight was made Chris eubank JR was favourite to pick up the win and the build up very much played to that narrative. Liam smith though stayed mostly corduale throughout, began to show signs of frustration as the fight neared. Liam smith picked up a 4th round KO/TKO in what surprised many .Eubank JR seemed lethargic and laboured throughout the fight and many believed something was definitely not right. These assumptions were debunked by eubank jr. It was scratched up to a bad night at the office.

Initial fight

Smith won the bout via fourth round TKO.[3] [1] [4]

Fight card

Weight Classvs.MethodRoundTimeNotes
Middleweight Liam Smithdef. Chris Eubank Jr.TKO4/121:09
Cruiserweight Richard Riakporhedef. Krzysztof GłowackiTKO4/122:44
Welterweight Ekow Essumandef. Chris KongoMD12
Heavyweight Joseph Parkerdef. Jack MasseyUD10
Heavyweight Frazer Clarkedef. Kevin Nicolas EspindolaRTD4/63:00
Cruiserweight Scott Forrestdef. Amine BoucettaPTS6
Heavyweight Matty Harrisdef. Jiri SurmajTKO1/61:14
Lightweight Frankie Stringerdef. Cristian NarvaezPTS4
Reference: [5]

Rematch

Fight Name:Repeat or Revenge
Fight Date:2 September 2023
Location:Manchester Arena, Manchester, UK
Fighter1: Liam Smith
Nickname1:"Beefy"
Hometown1:Liverpool, Merseyside
Record1:33–3–1 (20 KOs)
Height1:5 ft 9+1/2 in
Weight1:160 lb
Style1:Orthodox
Recognition1:WBO
No. 2 Ranked Middleweight
WBA
No. 4 Ranked Light Middleweight
Fighter2: Chris Eubank Jr.
Nickname2:"Next Gen"
Hometown2:Hove, East Sussex
Record2:32–3 (23 KOs)
Height2:5 ft 11 in
Weight2:159.3 lb
Style2:Orthodox
Recognition2:WBC
No. 5 Ranked Middleweight
WBO
No. 11 Ranked Middleweight
Result:Eubank Jr wins via 10th-round TKO

Eubank Jr won the second bout via tenth round TKO.[6]

Rematch card

Weight Classvs.MethodRoundTimeNotes
MiddleweightChris Eubank Jr.def.Liam SmithTKO10 (12)1:45
Super Middleweight Jack Cullendef. Mark HeffronTKO3 (12)2:43
Super lightweight Adam Azimdef. Aram FaniianUD10
Heavyweight Frazer Clarkedef. David AllenRTD6 (10)3:00
Welterweight Florian Markudef. Dylan MoranTKO1 (10)0:54
Cruiserweight Mikaela Mayerdef. Silvia BortotPTS10
Welterweight Lauren Pricedef. Lolita MuzeyaTKO6 (8)0:24
Lightweight Frankie Stringerdef. Engel GomezPTS4
Reference: [7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Liam Smith takes out Chris Eubank Jr with spectacular knockout finish in fourth round in Manchester. Sky Sports.
  2. Web site: Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Liam Smith - LIVE BoxingScene Scorecard. BoxingScene. Staff. BoxingScene.com. 21 January 2023 .
  3. News: 'Simply sensational!' - relive Smith's stunning victory over Eubank Jr. BBC Sport . 20 January 2023.
  4. Web site: February 2023 . Kerr Ferguson on 9th . 2023-02-09 . Chris Eubank Jr-Liam Smith PPV Numbers Revealed: 'It Exceeded All Expectations' . 2023-03-29 . boxing-social.com . en-US.
  5. Web site: BoxRec: Event. boxrec.com.
  6. Web site: Temple . Cameron . 2023-02-09 . Chris Eubank Jr knocks out Liam Smith and floors him with brutal uppercut, but Tony Bellew suggests Smith suffered ankle injury midway through fight. 2023-09-04. talksport.com . en-US.
  7. Web site: BoxRec: Event. boxrec.com.