Former junior middleweight champion Liam Smith is intending to set the record straight when he faces Chris Eubank Jr. in a rematch.
The two rivals will collide in a middleweight clash on September 2 in Manchester.
Earlier this year, Smith pulled off a shocking win when he knocked Eubank out in four rounds. Prior to their meeting, Eubank had displayed a very sturdy chin.
Following the loss, Eubank exercised an immediate rematch clause and hired veteran trainer Brian “Bomac” McIntyre.
Because of the dramatic manner in which Eubank lost, Smith is taking the rematch very seriously.
“So that makes him dangerous,” Smith told Sky Sports. “Do I think Chris is scared of me? No. He’s got vulnerabilities now and he’s probably got ‘fear’ of me as in he knows I can knock him out. Fighters are not scared in that sense. Clever maybe.”
The first time around, Eubank was boxing and moving.
Smith is crossing his fingers that Eubank will enter the ring with the mindset of coming forward to apply pressure.
“A lot of people are going to be sitting thinking, is he coming for a fight with Liam? Is he going to try and stick it right on Liam? If he does then we’re in for a well better fight than we had last time,” Smith said.
“I’m better when somebody comes to me and tries to fight with me. That’s my ideal opponent. I don’t want to be chasing no one around the ring, I don’t want to have to be having to cut the ring down off somebody which I had to last time. So if he comes to me for a fight, great, I’ll meet him head on and he’s easier to catch. If he’s in front of me, he’s easier to catch.”