Image source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9VCyqR2ZsA
Chris Eubank Jr destroys Liam Smith, shutting him out from the first round, and scoring at least two knockdowns.
This was nothing like the first fight, Eubank Jr had discarded the RJJ-themed style that he had adopted in the previous few of his fights.
This style was effective against Liam Williams; but alas, Eubank had lost the first fight with Liam Smith.
Eubank had used his signature uppercut, hook combinations that were characteristic of his days as a prospect.
The hand-speed and snap was on display from Chris Eubank Jr; on the other hand, Smith had not performed at all.
It has been rumoured that Smith may have had an injury going to the fight, however, I will be treating this as conjecture for now.
Tony Bellew had published the following tweet:
Something isn’t right with Liam’s left leg and it’s clear as day! I don’t know what it is but his left leg or ankle is in a bad way.. Really good advice in the corner! Don’t let him tie you up! Fire inside everytime he tries to claim ya!
— Tony Bellew (@TonyBellew) September 2, 2023
Liam Smith certainly showed his toughness, but wasn’t able to setup any traps during this fight.
Whilst Smith had maintained a high-guard, his lack of finesse and movement had prevented him from being able to setup any counters of note.
Smith was missing a lot of any potentially meaningful punches that he had thrown.
I had hoped that Liam Smith would have been able to make a comeback later down the stretch, but alas, he was stopped.
Liam Smith had made the following comment:
Liam Smith:
"I think the weight killed me a bit after the injury. I just felt flat. I couldn't move my feet and when I did move my feet back I rolled my ankle."#SmithEubank2 | #LiamSmith
— IFL TV (@IFLTV) September 2, 2023
Final Thoughts
Should a trilogy be setup, I think another match should happen at some point, but not straight away, Liam Smith will need more time to recover.
Time is not on Smith’s side, as he is 35 years-of-age, Eubank Jr is just two years younger, so he will want to move on to other fights.
Finally, who should Chris Eubank Jr fight next? He did call out GGG after this fight was over.
Liam Smith was high in the WBO and WBC rankings, this in theory, sets up Chris Eubank Jr with fights against: Meiirim Nursultanov, Gennady Golovkin, Janibek Alimkhanuly and Carlos Adames.
Please refer to my this weeks picks.
