{"id":291146,"date":"2023-09-04T00:25:17","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T00:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=291146"},"modified":"2023-09-04T00:25:17","modified_gmt":"2023-09-04T00:25:17","slug":"trilogy-talk-as-chris-eubank-jr-takes-sweet-revenge-on-liam-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/boxing\/trilogy-talk-as-chris-eubank-jr-takes-sweet-revenge-on-liam-smith\/","title":{"rendered":"Trilogy talk as Chris Eubank Jr takes sweet revenge on Liam Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"
No dummies spat out, no excuses. After being stopped in the 10th round by Chris Eubank Jr, Liam Smith was a picture of contrition, forced to concede he had been dismantled.<\/p>\n
It said everything. There has been a bitter, nasty edge to this rivalry since their first fight in January, when Smith stopped Eubank in the fourth round.<\/p>\n
Back in Manchester for Saturday\u2019s rematch, there were ugly scenes in the stands as fans brawled and the post-fight press conference was halted as the middleweights\u2019 camps exchanged insults.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Crucially, however, the contrast in the ring to January\u2019s bout could not have been greater.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After gaining the revenge he craved, Eubank said: \u2018I had to fight some demons \u2014 there were a lot of things to prove. People were saying I was shot, I don\u2019t have it anymore, I\u2019m too old, my chin and punch resistance is gone.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Chris Eubank Jr celebrates getting revenge on Liam Smith by beating him in their rematch\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Eubank put in a dominant display and won with a tenth round stoppage to beat his bitter rival\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018I had to live with those things for six months, knowing they weren\u2019t true. That was tough and this was my first rematch. But I enjoy new challenges and I rise to the occasion.\u2019<\/p>\n
Smith, by his own admission, was way below his best. Already hampered by a back injury, the 35-year-old rolled an ankle early on and was dropped in the fourth round as Eubank gradually took control and meted out considerable punishment.<\/p>\n
The vanquished Liverpudlian, his faced covered in cuts and bruises, admitted: \u2018I\u2019ve done my ankle before in a fight, so don\u2019t run with that one. It\u2019s definitely not an excuse. It was more just being flat that killed me.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A third fight between the two boxers hasn’t been ruled out as the rivalry looks set to continue\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Chris was sharper, right from the get-go. It\u2019s 1-1 and doesn\u2019t take a genius to see how I performed. But I\u2019ll get over this.\u2019<\/p>\n
Promoter Kalle Sauerland hailed Eubank\u2019s performance as the best of the 33-year-old\u2019s career.<\/p>\n
A lucrative fight with the disgraced Conor Benn cannot be discounted but Eubank may extend his rivalry with Smith.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Flanked by his new American trainer Brian McIntyre, Eubank added: \u2018If the fans want to see a third fight, then you know me, I don\u2019t back down from a challenge. But there are some big names out there.\u2019<\/p>\n