Former IBO super middleweight champion Chris Eubank Jr. returned to the ring to face former WBO light-middleweight champion, Liam Smith. The pair exchanged blows on January 21 in Manchester, England.
Eubank was completely outclassed by Smith. ‘Next Gen’ got dropped in the fourth, marking his first knockdown since making his professional debut in 2011. He barely managed to get up and continued the match.
In the same round, he got floored again. This time as well, he barely managed to get back on his feet before the ref counted to ten. The ref decided to halt the match and Liam Smith was announced as the winner via 4th-round TKO. Eubank’s right eye was also pretty bloated and seemingly hard for him to see.
There was an interesting moment that happened during his second knockdown. When the ref waved his hands, Eubank still tried to continue the action. He moved forward while heavily staggering and was ready to attack Smith. He was half-conscious and thought the match hadn’t ended yet.
Liam Smith’s coach gained attention at the end of a recent boxing bout. He rushed in to hold back Chris Eubank Jr. who was half-conscious and tried to attack his protégé.
Luckily, Smith’s coach Joe McNally saw it while everyone was busy celebrating Smith’s victory. He rushed to Eubank from the opposite corner and grabbed Eubank, preventing unnecessary injuries.
Several fans jumped in to praise McNally for his quick thinking.
“Noticed that straight away. Class.”
“What a man. Well done Joe on this great sportsmanship”
“I think he was seriously hurt at that moment, wasn’t actually nice to see him walking around like that. Fair play to the trainer.”
Liam Smith stopping Chris Eubank Jr. in the 4th round. #EubankJrSmith pic.twitter.com/eW1bdbwJa9
— b0xingfan (@b0xingfan) January 22, 2023
Later on, Chris Eubank Jr. finally cleared his mind and congratulated Smith. The 33-year-old insisted that he could still continue the match, but didn’t complain to the ref because he understood he suffered a pretty gruesome eye injury.
“Big congratulations to him, I felt like I could have gone on but he caught me with a great shot.” Eubank said.