Chris Eubank Jr. and Liam Smith went at it on Sky Sports’ Gloves Are Off’ show, with Johnny Nelson sealing the finale with a handshake.
Evident respect and dislike for each other ended amicably as the two UK fighters went face-to-face before their mammoth showdown in Manchester.
Eubank Jr. and Smith collide at the AO Arena on January 21st in a Sky Sports Box Office Pay Per View event. In the summer, the winner could land a shot at Gennadiy Golovkin’s middleweight crown at a British football stadium.
Trading below the belt at times, the experienced campaigners gave as good as they got with Nelson as the third wheel.
Eubank Jr vs Smith
Eubank Jr. told Smith how the fight would go down: “I don’t pick rounds. But, yeah, it can’t go twelve the way you fight.
“You don’t move. You stay in the pocket. And if you stay in the pocket with me, I’m going to roast you.
“While it lasts, it’s going to be a hell of a fight,” he added.
Responding to the pocket comment, Smith stated: “I can stay in the pocket with you. You’re plain and simple when you fight.
“You’ve got quick hands. You think you can punch. You can’t punch, even at 160. You’re fit. You can put your shots together, but you can’t punch.”
The Liverpool man pointed out Eubank’s ability: “By the way, you cannot box. So I hope you try and box me.
“You try and box me like Roy’s got you boxing. Please do. You can fight to be fair to you.”
The Gloves Are Off
Outlining why he will have his hand raised on Saturday night, the Brighton man stated: “He will quit. He will get knocked out. He’ll wait till nine and get back up. Then I’ll knock him out.
“If I had a bad leg and a bad arm, I would still take you out. So that’s why I said I need to be 50%, or better, to beat him.
“He’s not [a harder fight than Conor Benn.] How could he be? He’s ABC 123. There are no surprises.
“What you see is what you get with this guy. He’s an old dog in the game. Maybe I am too, but I’ve watched his fights.
“I know what he is at the absolute best he can be. He’s not tougher than me. He’s not quicker than me, and he’s not stronger than me. So how do you win?”
Eubank Jr. vs Smith goes down this weekend in Manchester, with fight week formalities beginning on Wednesday.
