UPDATE: Sources informed Mike Coppinger of ESPN that Liam Smith got injured during his training, which has resulted in the postponement of his rematch with Chris Eubank Jr. scheduled for June 17. It is anticipated that the middleweight bout will only be pushed back a few weeks.
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The rematch between Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Junior is official according to ESPN. The second fight will take place in Manchester, England at middleweight. Smith, who is 34 years old and one year older than Eubank, surprised many fans when he stopped Eubank in the fourth round of their first encounter in January, despite being a 2-1 underdog.
Eubank, who had a rematch clause in his contract, quickly expressed his desire to face Smith again and redeem himself. There was some speculation that Eubank might opt for a different opponent, such as Conor Benn – who was supposed to fight Eubank last October before failing two drug tests – but now Eubank has confirmed that he will pursue the rematch with Smith.
Liam Smith said: “I know he tried his best to go a different route but the fight is on now and I am looking forward to hearing what he has to say for himself in the build up. Let’s see what angle he comes with this time.
“He can’t come with angles about how he’s never been hurt, he’s never been dropped, he’s never been stopped, because he just had all three of those things happen to him in one night and it was me who did it to him. So I’m interested to see what he comes with this time and I’m also interested to see where he goes after I beat him again on June 17.
Chris Eubank Jr said, “Liam had the night of his life against me in January, the stars aligned for him in Manchester, and he went away with a big win. But lightning doesn’t strike twice. If he even has the slightest thought that he can beat me again, then great, because it will be his undoing.”
The undercard will feature Savannah Marshall’s comeback after her first professional loss, which was against Claressa Shields in their highly anticipated fight last October. Marshall, the former WBO middleweight champion, will reportedly move up to challenge Franchon Crews-Dezurn for the undisputed super middleweight title.