Liam Smith Upsets Chris Eubank Jr by Knockout; Rematch Clause Revealed
The boxing world is upside down as former WBO junior middleweight champion Liam “Beefy” Smith (33-3-1, 19KO) scored the upset via stoppage over Chris Eubank Jr (32-3, 23KO) in a catchweight fight in front of the home crowd.
It was beginning to look as if Eubank Jr was going to have an easy night. He was working behind the jab and landing the harder punches early in the fight. Yet, in the fourth-round, Beefy turned up the heat and landed a right hand that had Eubank Jr on wobbly legs before hitting the canvas. Smith secured the win by scoring another knockdown that forced the referee to determine Eubank Jr was in no condition to continue.
The former world champion has been on the comeback trail since losing to Magomed Kurbanov in 2021. In addition, his winning this fight in such a tremendous fashion is the icing on the cake.
A POSSIBLE REMATCH IS LOOMING
Before the fight, Smith talked about retiring upon a defeat at this point in his career. It is safe to say that won’t happen, as he has some very good options. The former champion is ranked within the top five by all four major sanctioning bodies in the junior middleweight division. Beefy could opt to wait to challenge the winner of the postponed fight featuring undisputed champion Jermell Charlo versus Tim Tszyu.
During the post-fight interview, Smith entertained the idea of doing a rematch should Eubank Jr invoke his rematch clause. The 34 year-old from Liverpool would hold all the negotiating power going into the rematch and, financially, the fight would be even bigger.
By: Bo Bland
