Middleweight contender Chris Eubank Jr. does not believe his loss to Liam Smith was a conclusive outcome.
Back in January, Eubank was knocked out in four rounds by Smith.
During the fourth round, Smith rocked and dropped Eubank. It didn’t take long before Smith dropped him for a second time and the contest was waved off.
The rematch is scheduled to take place on Saturday night in Manchester.
Eubank, now trained by veteran coach Brian “Bomac” McIntyre, has vowed to make things right when he faces Smith for a second time.
“I’ve heard people say it was a conclusive victory. No it wasn’t. It wasn’t conclusive. ‘He beat Eubank up, he outclassed him.’ No. He got his head boxed off for three rounds and then he caught me slipping in the fourth,” Eubank told Sky Sports.
“There’s nothing conclusive about a man standing up and telling the referee let me continue and the referee waves it off while I’m on my feet ready to go. That’s not conclusive at all and that’s why I’m still a favorite in the bookies, even after a loss. There’s a reason for that.”
Eubank looked badly hurt in the fight, but he maintains that he was capable of continuing the fight.
“I know how to get through pain. I know how to recover from being buzzed and I feel like that second – I’m not going to call it a knockdown because he didn’t land anything clean – I kind of fell over. Because I’m still trying to get my sense back but I felt like I was just starting to come back,” Eubank said.
“I got back up the second time very quickly and I said ‘let me keep going’. At that moment in time I was feeling myself coming back round. So that’s why I say I feel like I was robbed of the opportunity to get through it. I’m not a vulnerable guy, I’m not a vulnerable fighter. I’m a grizzled veteran. If I get hurt, let me try and get through it. I don’t need somebody waving it off to save me from myself. I’ve trained my whole life for brutality. I’ve trained my whole life to deal with punishment, to absorb punishment, to get through horrible situations.”