Liam Smith v Chris Eubank Jr

[Master]

Recently, both men came face-to-face for Sky Sport’s ‘The Gloves are Off’ and Eubank Jr was surprised to find out that Smith is only a year older than him.

Eubank Jr accused Smith of not putting in enough effort in the gym, to which the Liverpudlian responded: “You can’t have the career that I’ve had without putting the work in the gym.

“You’re not a young man yourself by the way,” Smith continued. “You’re 33, but I’m 34 and you can’t have the career I’ve had without putting in the work in the gym.”

“You’re 34 yearsold?” Eubank Jr said, clearly shocked. “You look about 50.”

“Don’t let the grey hair fool you,” Smith replied. “I’ve been grey since I was 28, so don’t let that fool you or it will be your downfall.”

Eubank Jr continued to wind up his opponent, as he responded: “Whatever you’re eating or drinking, just chill out with that, because it’s not working for you.”

Smith finished by saying: “If you want to talk about lifestyles, you’re just a clown.”

This clip was posted on Sky Sports Boxing Twitter and Smith replied to the tweet with a picture of himself and Eubank Jr in the gym as younger men, pointing out his opponents hairline.

He posted: “Let’s not forget, soft s****, you looked about 50 when you was 26 with that daft hair line. Before your trip to turkey.”

https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/1...pponent-clown/

[Master]

34-year-old Smith recalled memories of past sparring sessions with Eubank Jr, telling Boxxer: “I remember just thinking like, ‘Look at him...’

“I haven’t even said, [but] I remember getting out the ring and Ronnie Davies [Eubank Jr’s trainer] saying, ‘You can hit him when you want to hit him.’

“I know Chris can be hurt to the body; I’ve openly said it, I know I hurt him to the body. He’ll tell you different, but he’s telling you he’s never been hurt in his life, so that’s just Chris.

“Obviously size made it an even spar, and that’s what I’m trying to say now. Size here is making this fight a 50-50, or a great fight as people are saying.”

Meanwhile, Eubank Jr said his memory of the sparring sessions is less clear.

“I think it was in Amir Khan’s gym, but I don’t remember exactly how it went down,” he said.

“I don’t remember if I hurt him. He says he hurt me to the body and nearly put me on the canvas. I think that is a whimsical tale.

“We’re both probably two different fighters compared to what we were back then. Well, I know I am; he may not be, but I am.”

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...fa9b84c72539b7

[Primo Carnera]

I’m gonna throw this out there. I’ve been one of Eubank Jr’s biggest critics on here as a boxer and the shit he comes out with.
Well my opinion of him as a boxer has never really changed.
Anybody who matches up Size wise with good boxing skills and ring IQ will beat him. He’s always been fit, durable and teak tough. And if he was able to get away from his Dad’s influence as a kid and wasn’t so arrogant that he would listen to a good trainer, he could’ve been amazing. But he’s not.
However, as a bloke , as time goes on, I’m really warming to him. He’s a proper funny cunt, great sense of humour and knows that he is getting under the skin of the rest of the fighters.
Liam Smith , even though he denies it, has really let this 50% bollocks get under his skin. It’s fucking hilarious!
I still give Smith a fair chance in this fight because he can box, but Eubank does have a size advantage and will just keep coming at him.
Good matchup though.

[Master]

Roy Jones Jr has insisted Chris Eubank Jr does not need him in his corner to beat Liam Smith, and he is preparing him for possible future bouts with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin.

"For Liam Williams or Liam Smith, Chris doesn't need me to beat these guys because the fighting Chris Eubank can beat both of these guys," Jones Jr told Sky Sports' Toe2Toe boxing podcast.

"However, he doesn't bring me in for these particular fighters, he brings me here to help him get better prepared for names like GGG (Golovkin) or Canelo.

"When you go with these guys, you can't be the old Chris that just goes out and lets his hands go, you've got to be a tactician, you've got to have a little bit more knowledge behind what you're doing.

"He's looking down the line at the bigger fights where he knows he's going to need more than just blasting people out with combinations, that won't work against these bigger guys, against Canelo or GGG."

"He [Eubank Jr] is bigger than Liam Smith, and if he's bigger than Liam Smith then a toe-to-toe fight is in his favour because he's the bigger fighter," Jones Jr said.

"He's been fighting super-middleweights and middleweights, Liam Smith has been fighting junior-middleweights and middleweights, so Chris is definitely the bigger fighter.

"It all depends on how the fight goes, or how Chris chooses to fight the fight. If Liam comes in early and engages with Chris, and Chris hurts him, it's going to be a problem because Chris is the bigger fighter.

"At the same time, I think down the stretch is where Chris really gains momentum, because the longer the fight goes, the better it usually is for the bigger fighter."

"I think he [Eubank Jr] brings a lot to the table anyway, however, I feel like a good fight against Liam Smith would definitely make them say, 'ok, here's a guy who's worthy, who has a name, who has a whole country behind him'.

"Because if he beats Liam, he's clearly the best middleweight on this side of the pond, so now let's bring the best middleweights from that side of the pond, or wherever they're from, and let's make it happen.

"So I think a good win, and a stoppage for sure, definitely makes people have to open their eyes and realise he's definitely a contender and deserves a shot."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...4dcf734993f0aa

[Big J]

I think Eubank Jnr takes a tight decision in a tough fight

[Master]

Eubank insists for him winning this fight is all consuming. "Nothing else matters," he said.

"If I don't get the victory my career is in dire, dire straits. It's in jeopardy. Victory is the most important thing in my life at this moment in time."

Smith warned: "Chris has got a lot to lose in this.

"At this stage of my career I know I've got a lot to lose," Smith added. "My fear is losing to somebody I should never be losing to. It's a big fear of mine. I feel I should never lose to Chris Eubank Jr.

"I'm still in this sport for a reason. Again, I feel I turn up the way I should turn up, there's no way Chris Eubank Jr can beat me."

Smith is glad that Eubank Jr will have boxing legend Roy Jones in his corner for their fight.

"From a boxer looking at his opponent I don't think he's looked great," Smith said. "You look at the Chris and Roy Jones partnership, he hasn't looked great, in my eyes."

Eubank denied that he was "stuck in between styles".

"For many years I did train myself, I did run my own camps, I didn't have somebody in the gym with me every day working on things, I was just doing what I wanted to do. And it worked," Eubank said.

But since he linked up with Roy Jones that has changed. "I can switch my styles up, which is something that Smith cannot do."

'He's not trying to be me'
Roy Jones maintained that he's not trying to mould Eubank into his own style.

"Now he has two options. He can fight you and beat you, or he can box you and beat you," Jones said.

"He has two options to choose how he's going to beat you now. Before he had only one way to beat you. To fight you.

"People say he doesn't listen to nobody. He does listen, he listens to somebody that can teach him something and I can teach him what he wants to learn. Anything he wants to learn pretty much I can teach him."

Jones believes Junior is actually closer in style to Chris Eubank Sr. "Chris is not trying to be me and I'm not trying to make him me. Chris' name is Chris Eubank Jr," he continued.

"Having that Roy style with it but more like his dad. He's not trying to be Roy Jones Jr, his name's Chris Eubank Jr."

Jones is predicting a knockout victory for his fighter. "Of course, he can stop him. If his hands don't get hurt, he probably will stop him," Jones said.

But victory is no given. Ronnie Davies, who has always assisted his training, acknowledged that. "I said [to Eubank Jr]: 'You need to be 155 per cent to beat him!'"

Eubank's reply was simple: "Don't worry, Davies, it's under control."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...5ab6b7f86be15b

[TIC]