Chris Eubank Jr ‘enjoyed’ being dropped by Liam Smith

The Britons will square off in a rematch in June, five months after Smith beat Eubank Jr via TKO

Alex Pattle
Combat Sports Correspondent
Tuesday 25 April 2023 12:13 EDT
Comments
Chris Eubank Jr says Liam Smith ’embarrassed himself’ in controversial press conference

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Chris Eubank Jr has said he ‘enjoyed’ the ‘new experience’ of being dropped in his fight with Liam Smith, as the Britons prepare for a rematch.

Smith defeated Eubank Jr in the fourth round of their middleweight bout in January, in what was widely deemed an upset, and the pair will clash at the AO Arena in Manchester again on 17 June.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday (25 April), Eubank Jr, 33, discussed his first fight with Smith, 34, saying: “I’ve been hurt – of course I’ve been hurt, I’ve been buzzed. [But] I’d never been dropped, never been on the canvas.

“So, yeah, it was a new experience. I enjoyed it. You know, it was something. Imagine you’ve been in a sport your entire career, and something new happens to you. It’s exciting.

“The thing I regret is not being given the chance to kind of get through it. As you guys saw, I wanted to continue; I wanted to see if I could overcome that adversity, and I feel like I was robbed of that challenge.

“It didn’t really sit well with me that I wasn’t given every opportunity to recover [...] I think every fighter, especially if they’re demanding to continue, should be given the opportunity. I’m a grizzled veteran in the sport, I know how much I can take and when I can’t go on.

“In my opinion, he didn’t stop me; the referee stopped me.”

Eubank Jr’s loss to Smith was the third of his professional career. His previous losses as a pro came on points against Billy Joe Saunders and George Groves.

Meanwhile, Liverpudlian Smith improved his record to 33-3-1 with the win over Eubank Jr.

Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in