Former two-time interim WBA world champion, Chris Eubank Jr., has revealed his intention to face Liam Smith again after activating the rematch clause that was set in the contract with Smith. This decision comes off the back of the – widely considered – upset stoppage loss he suffered to Smith earlier this year in January.
In Twitter message posted on February 14, Eubank Jr. revealed he had activated his rematch clause and alerted his promoter, Wasserman Boxing, to this fact.
Eubank Jr. (32-3, 23 KO’s) and Smith (33-3-1, 20 KO’s) have had a heated rivalry since the build-up to their first fight, compounded by a slew of insinuations and allegations that made the first bout even more lively. The subsequent stoppage loss Eubank Jr. suffered at the hands of Smith only further brought up tensions following the aftermath of the fight and accusations by Eubank Jr. and his team of alleged cheating – comments that were also made prior to the match in ‘The Gloves Are Off’ show.
Liam Smith, the older brother of current Light-Heavyweight contender Callum Smith (29-1, 21 KO’s), is currently only ranked on The Ring Boxing Magazine’s list of top Middleweights as the #5 and is #7 for their rankings of top Super Welterweights. He is best known for defending his title at 154 lbs against Canelo Alvarez, and has garnered a dedicated fanbase with his exciting break-you-down style of fighting. With a world title opportunity likely absent at either division in the nea future, Smith can build off the victory he had against Eubank Jr. to not just launch himself higher up the rankings, but also seal himself as one of the most prominent starts to come out of the UK.
Chris Eubank Jr., the son of former two-division world champion Chris Eubank, will be looking to make the needed adjustments to overcome his upsetting loss to Smith. Trained by the legendary former boxer, Roy Jones Jr., Eubank faces a steep hurdle to overcome in a confident Smith who is now currently on a four-match stoppage run, having netted two victories each at 154 lbs and 160 lbs.
Earlier in his career, Eubank Jr. was best known for chasing after his opponents while seeking to destroy them on the inside. Since matching with Roy Jones Jr. between 2020 and 2021, the Brit has reverted to a different style where he seeks to outbox his opponent, and dominate through that manner. He has found some success in the last three fights since adopting the new style, but stumbled upon a gruesome setback when he could not deal with Smith’s intensity.
With the rematch clause activated, it is now expected that the two will face off against each other in either the spring or summer of 2023.
