Chris Eubank Jr. is sticking to his guns that Liam Smith was just the luckier man during their first meeting.
The second-generation boxer has vowed to prove the second time around that he is, in fact, the better man. He is so convinced, that not even the thrill of victory will prompt any kind of in-ring reaction.
“There’s no excuses. I just have to win the rematch,” Eubank told Sky Sports host and former WBO cruiserweight titlist Johnny Nelson during ‘The Gloves Are Off: Liam Smith vs. Chris Eubank Jr. 2’ face-off segment. “When a man celebrates the way you celebrated… he was not expecting for that to happen.
“When I beat up [Smith] in this rematch, you’re not even going to see my smile. That’s not how I am. I don’t jump for joy because it’s not a miracle. That’s how I know they couldn’t believe it. They were in shock.”
Liverpool’s Smith (33-3-1, 20KOs) won the all-UK middleweight meeting via fourth-round knockout on January 21 at AO Arena in Manchester, England. The former WBO junior middleweight titlist was a considerable underdog prior to their first fight but will now enter the same venue as a rising favorite for their rematch this Saturday. Odds have slightly increased during fight week, with Smith now a +167 favorite according to bet365 sportsbook, which lists Eubank (32-3, 23KOs) as a +130 underdog to avenge his lone stoppage defeat.
The 33-year-old Brighton native inherited his father’s granite chin, as he’d never been stopped or dropped through his 34 previous outings. Smith changed that in a hurry, when he rallied to floor Eubank with a swarm of power shots in round four. Eubank rose unsteady but convinced referee Victor Loughlin that he could continue. Smith sent him down seconds later, after which point the fight was stopped.
The disappointing turn of events snapped a six-fight win streak for Eubank, who has repeatedly insisted that it was a “once-in-a-lifetime” moment for Smith.
“Was I maybe little too relaxed? Did I underestimate this man a little bit? Maybe,” noted Eubank, who stopped well short of flat out making excuses for the stunning defeat. “I didn’t feel different. Nothing bad happened to me in the lead-up to the fight. It was a tough weight cut. I cut weight a certain way which I’ve never done before and I’m never going to do it again.
“But I’m not going to put that to why I lost.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox