If you are looking for fights this weekend, there won’t be much other than a card live on ESPN+ here in the States. Liam Smith (33-3-1, 20 KOs) will again face Chris Eubank Jr. (32-3, 23 KOs) in a rematch that makes more sense for those in the U.K. who are deeply invested in the background of these two fighters than anyone else. The Manchester Arena will undoubtedly be packed with fans looking forward to seeing these two former champions go at it.
CAN LIAM SMITH COOK UP ANOTHER MONSTER VICTORY AT MIDDLEWEIGHT?
It’s no secret that Smith’s win in January surprised many as he was moving up in weight against the bigger Eubank Jr. The idea going into the first fight was that if he was going to win, he needed to cut off the ring and bring the fight to Eubank Jr. He did exactly that right from the start, but Eubank Jr. was able to defend it at first which was short lived. Smith got to Eubank Jr. and had him severely hurt in the fourth round, which is why the referee stopped the fight. Eubank Jr. argued that it was stopped too soon, but his legs were gone, and the referee made the right call.
Smith has to follow the same gameplan and bring the fight to Eubank Jr. He doesn’t have the legs to move around enough to avoid Smith’s bull rush, which is going to once again spell trouble for Eubank Jr. Smith must be patient and break Eubank Jr. down with his body attack and look for the stoppage in the last few rounds of the fight. Afterward, Smith will be in an excellent position for a big fight, which can be against Janibek Alimkhanuly (14-0, 9 KOs), who holds the WBO middleweight title.
IS CHRIS EUBANK JR. COOKED OR DID HE JUST HAVE A BAD NIGHT?
It wasn’t a great night for Eubank Jr. when he faced Smith for the first time. He was trained by the great Roy Jones Jr. and even adopted some of his fighting style. The problem is that Eubank Jr. is nowhere near as talented as Jones Jr. was, so it didn’t work for him. He pointed the finger at everyone except the man in the mirror, which led him to bring on Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre, who finished cornering a historic victory for the undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford. It’s hard to say what BoMac was able to do in the time he has been with Eubank Jr., and at 33, his best days are in the rearview mirror.
Eubank Jr. will have to use his legs to win this fight, and it doesn’t seem he has enough left to carry himself throughout the fight. It’s hard to say that Eubank Jr. is cooked, but if he takes another brutal loss on Saturday night, he may have to start thinking about what he wants to do after boxing.
LIAM SMITH VS. CHRIS EUBANK JR. 2 PREDICTION
Although I agree that the Smith elbow, whether intentional or not, was the start of Eubank Jr.’s troubles in their first fight, Smith is still the better fighter. This one will last a little longer than four rounds but will end the same way the first one did, which was in a stoppage. Look for Smith to once again come out victorious with a tenth-round TKO victory on Saturday night against Eubank Jr.
LIAM SMITH VS. CHRIS EUBANK JR. 2 BETTING ODDS
Per BetOnline.ag, Liam Smith is the favorite at -150 (Under 10 ½ rounds +110), and Chris Eubank Jr. is the underdog at +120 (Over 10 ½ rounds -140).
Liam Smith: TKO/KO +150; Decision +275
Draw: +1400
Chris Eubank Jr.: TKO/KO +400; Decision +275
LIAM SMITH VS. CHRIS EUBANK JR. 2 DATE, START TIME
- Date: Saturday, September 2
- Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT
- Main event ringwalks (approx): 5 p.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. PT
These timings could change due to the length of the undercard fights.
WHAT CHANNEL/STREAM IS LIAM SMITH VS. CHRIS EUBANK JR. 2?
- U.S.: ESPN+
- UK: Sky Sports
LIAM SMITH VS. CHRIS EUBANK JR. 2 FIGHT CARD
- Liam Smith vs. Chris Eubank Jr.; middleweight
- Mark Heffron vs. Jack Cullen; For Heffron's British super middleweight title
- Adam Azim vs. Aram Faniian; Super lightweight
- Mikaela Mayer vs. Silvia Bortot; Women's super-lightweight
- Frankie Stringer vs. Christian Lopez Flores; lightweight
- Frazer Clarke vs. David Allen; heavyweight
- Florian Marku vs. Dylan Moran; welterweight
- Lauren Price vs. TBA; Women's welterweight
