Two of the top boxers in the United Kingdom will square off once again after a surprising result earlier this year. Liam Smith was a moderate underdog per the boxing betting odds against Chris Eubank Jr. back in January, but he proved to be the better fighter with a fourth round knockout of his opponent. Smith sent Eubank to the mat twice in that round to become the first fighter to knock out Eubank, deepening a rivalry between the two middleweights. There won’t be a title on the line, but there is plenty of bad blood between these foes who genuinely don’t and won’t ever get along.
For the second straight time, the AO Arena in Manchester, England will host a showdown between Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr. Smith had the crowd on his side the last time they faced off, and the crowd will probably be even more decisively in his favor in the rematch. This promotion will get underway at 2 p.m. ET.
When:Saturday, September 2, 2023
Where:AO Arena, Manchester, England
Why: Middleweight Contenders Bout
Liam Smith vs. Chris Eubank Jr. Betting Odds
Liam Smith vs. Chris Eubank Jr. Preview
Former light middleweight title holder Liam Smith has shown quite a bit of power over the past couple of years. Smith (33-3-1 with 20 knockouts) has floored his last four opponents inside of 10 rounds, proving that he has what it takes to be competitive at middleweight. That was a big question before he made the jump, and it seems he has answered the bell in that regard.
Smith turned pro all the way back in October 2008. He was pretty hyped up by the British media in the mid-2010s after winning the WBO light middleweight title, and he recorded seven straight knockouts to set up a showdown with Canelo Alvarez. For the first time in his career, Smith traveled outside the UK for a fight, but he was dispatched of in nine rounds by Canelo.
Since that defeat, Smith’s career has been stuck in neutral. He has defeated everyone who he is supposed to beat, but he has fallen short in two subsequent title shots. We saw him lose a unanimous decision to Jamie Munguia in July 2018, and he lost a unanimous decision to Magomed Kurbanov as well.
Chris Eubank Jr. will turn 34 next month, and he is not the promising young fighter he was in the recent past. Eubank won his first 18 fights before losing a split decision to Billy Joe Saunders almost a decade ago, He did come back after the defeat with a fury in order to grab the WBA middleweight, and he subsequently won the IBO title over Renold Quinlan a few months later. However, he proceeded to lose that title by unanimous decision to George Groves more than five years ago.
Eubank won the IBO super middleweight title and the interim WBA middleweight belt in 2019. However, he was stripped of both titles after an 18-month layoff outside the ring.
Although Smith won the first bout, I am going to back Eubank Jr. in the rematch because of his four-inch reach advantage, and the better odds make this a very nice bet.
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