Chris Eubank Jr. claims he slipped when Liam Smith dropped him with a shot that made him lose his equilibrium at Manchester Arena.
Eubank was down and hurt from an early, unexpected fourth-round Smith onslaught. Back into a corner, he was never able to recover.
But after the clash, when speaking in interviews, Eubank mentioned that he slipped and stated that we could continue.
Upon viewing from a seat in the arena, that didn’t look to be the case at all. However, Eubank lost some respect with a portion of his comments.
Chris Eubank Jr slipped
“He caught me with a once-in-a-lifetime shot. I feel like I was dominating the fight before that happened. Liam came at me again and threw a bunch more punches.
“I slipped, and then the referee stopped it,” Eubank Jr. told Sky Sports.
He added: “I was dominating the fight, and then I got caught. In my mind, I’m still the better fighter.
“Obviously, I wouldn’t have much of an argument after a loss, but I have an argument to prove I’m the better fighter.”
Taking to social media, the Brighton was considerably humbler in his assessment of what transpired whist maintaining his okay to carry on.
“Congratulations to Liam tonight. It was a nice little shot you caught me with there, my boy.
“I felt like I could have kept going, but the referee is in charge. I respect his decision. We’ll get it on again soon.”
On that rematch, Eubank remains undecided despite initially stating he would activate a return clause. That may well depend on how the Pay Per View sales went.
Chris Eubank Sr
Father Chris Sr. cryptically gave his views, eluding to Junior being underprepared.
“As I’ve always taught you, the harder you train, the luckier you become. You started your training camp nineteen years ago, so, to Liam Smith and your team, you’ve been warned.”
After the fight, Eubank denied his son slipped by stating, “Congratulations, Liam Smith. I’ve never once seen Chris Jr even buckle in a fight, so big respect to you, your team, and your future.”
As for Smith, he basked in his glory by turning out for a local football team on Sunday. The Liverpool man can assess his options before earning another big PPV payday in the coming months.
His victory wasn’t without controversy, though. Smith’s taunting and goading of Eubank to make him admit he was gay didn’t go down well.
Much criticism had to be deflected by BOXXER and Sky before the fight went ahead. Smith issued another apology after his triumph.
“I apologize to anyone offended by what I said. I’m not homophobic in any way, shape, or form. I’m far from it.
“That’s not me as a man. If anyone’s offended and I’ve come across that way, I apologize,” he told Sky Sports.
A final decision on Smith vs Eubank II is due to be made clear by the end of next month.
