Liam Smith v Chris Eubank Jr

[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]

[Master]

Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr have apologised for their part in an ugly news conference on Thursday before their middleweight fight on Saturday.

Both fighters launched personal attacks, with Eubank the subject of homophobic taunts and Smith the subject of taunts about social class.

"There's no lines anymore," Eubank said after organisers tried to restore calm.

It marks another controversial day for boxing after a 2022 marred with doping, judging and governance scandals.

Boxxer, who promotes Smith and co-promotes Eubank, said it did not condone the behaviour from either fighter.

"Tensions were high and the fighters have apologised. Liam has apologised," promoter Ben Shalom said.

The rivals have clashed throughout the build-up, disagreeing over past sparring encounters among other verbal exchanges.

Smith, 34, has labelled Eubank 'fame hungry' and began the conference by questioning Eubank's sexuality and repeatedly using a strong swear word to attack his opponent.

Eubank responded with a thinly veiled insult about Liverpool, the city Smith was born in, and his marriage.

Eubank, 33, admitted the conference "escalated quickly" and both men resorted to "personal" attacks.

"Everybody reacts in different ways to getting ready to fight another man," he said.

"He's so hellbent on trying to prove he's not rattled that he just went off the rails and I had to put him in line. We both went there, it got personal. That's OK.

"Boxing is personal, fighting another man is one of the most personal things you can do. So I get it."

Smith said his comments were a reaction to Eubank's past jibes.

"I just replied to some of stuff he says," he said. "I don't hate the man but I just don't like him. I'd never have a cup of tea with him.

"We're two polar opposites. I don't hate the man, I don't go to bed hating him."

Smith and Eubank will fight in a middleweight contest in Manchester in what organisers say is a sold-out event.

Despite the exchanges during the news conference, the customary face-off at the end of the event passed without incident.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/64337380

[Beanz]

Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr have apologised for their part in an ugly news conference on Thursday before their middleweight fight on Saturday.

Both fighters launched personal attacks, with Eubank the subject of homophobic taunts and Smith the subject of taunts about social class.

"There's no lines anymore," Eubank said after organisers tried to restore calm.

It marks another controversial day for boxing after a 2022 marred with doping, judging and governance scandals.

Boxxer, who promotes Smith and co-promotes Eubank, said it did not condone the behaviour from either fighter.

"Tensions were high and the fighters have apologised. Liam has apologised," promoter Ben Shalom said.

The rivals have clashed throughout the build-up, disagreeing over past sparring encounters among other verbal exchanges.

Smith, 34, has labelled Eubank 'fame hungry' and began the conference by questioning Eubank's sexuality and repeatedly using a strong swear word to attack his opponent.

Eubank responded with a thinly veiled insult about Liverpool, the city Smith was born in, and his marriage.

Eubank, 33, admitted the conference "escalated quickly" and both men resorted to "personal" attacks.

"Everybody reacts in different ways to getting ready to fight another man," he said.

"He's so hellbent on trying to prove he's not rattled that he just went off the rails and I had to put him in line. We both went there, it got personal. That's OK.

"Boxing is personal, fighting another man is one of the most personal things you can do. So I get it."

Smith said his comments were a reaction to Eubank's past jibes.

"I just replied to some of stuff he says," he said. "I don't hate the man but I just don't like him. I'd never have a cup of tea with him.

"We're two polar opposites. I don't hate the man, I don't go to bed hating him."

Smith and Eubank will fight in a middleweight contest in Manchester in what organisers say is a sold-out event.

Despite the exchanges during the news conference, the customary face-off at the end of the event passed without incident.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/64337380

"I'd never have a cup of tea with him"...


All bets are off then. Going to be war.

[Master]

A contrite Smith afterwards accepted the personal barbs "crossed a line" following a reference to Eubank Jr's sexuality during the final press conference for their fight at Manchester's AO Arena. Smith made the inference when he said: "You go on about girls, has anybody in this room ever seen you with a girl? This is for no laughs I am just asking, do you want to tell us something?"

Eubank Jr responded: "My private life is my private life. That is irrelevant to the boxing but I am happy and comfortable. If you want to get personal, talking about being gay? I've been told you cheat on your wife. I'd rather be gay than a cheat." The comments between the pair led to Sky Sports presenter Anna Woolhouse making an on-air apology for the "personal and homophobic remarks made up on stage".

Eubank Jr said afterwards: "It escalated quickly - and that's OK. This is boxing, this is the entertainment business, this is the fight game and this is real. "You don't say the things he was saying or act the way he was acting if you're not rattled in some way, shape or form.

"People react to fighting a man in different ways. He embarrassed himself up there but it's OK. We're going to fight it out and settle our differences in a couple of days' time."

Smith, a former WBO light-middleweight champion, admitted the controversial exchange was uncalled for and suggested both fighters trying to hit the 160lb limit may have played its part. He said: "It's crossed a line and for people looking at it, it's wrong. We shouldn't act like that. It's fight week, we're both starving and making weight. If anyone took it personally, I apologise.

"It was always going to get a little bit heated like that. At the end of the day it's just words. Just take it with a pinch of salt."

Eubank Jr, who has 32 wins - 23 inside the distance - and two defeats in his professional career, has insisted throughout a testy build-up that he only needs to be at 50 per cent to prevail against 34-year-old Smith.

The 33-year-old Eubank Jr said: "I've always wanted to win this fight by knockout, the fact that Liam is being a child up here is giving me extra incentive. "I'm cutting weight right now, so I'm at a good solid 44-45 per cent right now, but I'll be a strong 50 per cent on the night and that will be more than enough to take care of the man on my left." Smith (32-3-1, 19KOs) poured scorn on Eubank Jr's assertion ahead of a bout in which both fighters can put themselves back into world title contention with a win. Smith added: "That's Chris being Chris. Nobody believes him. He doesn't believe that himself."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...003421d317db74

[Master]

Parker struggling to take out Massey and it is round 5. He has won all the rounds but not looking impressive.

[Beanz]

Parker struggling to take out Massey and it is round 5. He has won all the rounds but not looking impressive.

We are all watching on Zoom and yes Parker should have got Massey out of there by now.