Chris Eubank Jr. is a fighter who is not short of confidence and never has been or will be and that trend has continued with his claims that he will defeat Liam Smith in eight rounds or less. The pairing will face off on the 21st of January in Manchester in a middleweight contest scheduled for twelve rounds which will be broadcast on Sky Sports Box Office and DAZN in the US.
The clash does have some added spice with the classic case that these two fighters have sparred with each other in the past at Gallaghers Gym, Bolton of which Eubank Jr travelled to spar with Liam Smith. Depending on who told you the story will differ but the common story from those connected to those on the side of Smith was that Liam injured Eubank Jr with a hook to the ribs which halted the session immediately. Well, that’s one side of the story anyway which was doing the rounds several years ago within British boxing circles.
Times change and fighters change and Chris Eubank Jr has improved in recent years, particularly under Roy Jones Jr leading his camp. The confidence of Eubank Jr remains and has made no secret that he feels that Liam Smith is an easier fight than his previously scheduled encounter with Conner Benn. Eubank famously said that he felt that he only needed to be at 60% to be able to defeat Benn, now he feels that he only needs to be at 50% to defeat Smith. Smith who is a former world champion at 154lbs and contested against the likes of Canelo and Jamie Munguiam will be eager to prove a major point in a fight which is closer than what many in the UK think. Well certainly on paper anyway.
Speaking to Sky Sports Chris Eubank spoke that he is “sparring eight rounds today. I’m sparring another eight rounds two more times… every week until we fight,”. “This fight, I don’t think is going to be too much of a challenge for me. I don’t think I really need to spar any more than eight rounds. That’s probably how long the fight’s gonna last.
“Guys that are probably more dangerous than Liam I will spar twelve rounds. But I think eight’s more than enough for Liam Smith.”
“I’m not being disrespectful. I just feel real confident,” insisted Eubank. “I always know the man in front of me and what he’s capable of. That’s why I say I need to be 50 percent of my full potential to be able to beat Liam.”