On the undercard of the highly anticipated middleweight rematch between bitter rivals Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr., former unified junior lightweight world champion Mikaela Mayer returns in a 10-round junior welterweight battle against Italian contender Silvia Bortot.
Mayer (18-1, 5 KOs), a 2016 U.S. Olympian, signed with Top Rank in 2017 and captured the WBO junior lightweight world title by defeating Ewa Brodnicka in October 2020. The following year, the Los Angeles native unified the WBO and IBF titles. She now prepares to make her third consecutive appearance in the United Kingdom.
Bortot (11-2-1, 3 KOs) debuted in the pro ranks in 2016 and captured the European junior welterweight title in 2019 with a fourth-round TKO win over Marie Helene Meron. She suffered her first loss via ninth-round TKO in April 2022 but bounced back that year with three victories. In her last outing, she lost to undefeated standout Flora Pili via 10-round decision in May.
The main event will feature the highly anticipated rematch between Liam Smith and Chris Eubank, Jr.
Smith (33-3-1, 20 KOs) captured the WBO junior middleweight title with a seventh-round TKO win over Apollo Thompson in 2015. He defended the title twice before losing to Canelo Alvarez in 2016. During the following five years, he was a division mainstay, earning wins over Liam Williams, Anthony Fowler and Jessie Vargas. In September 2022, he made his middleweight debut with a stoppage win over Hassan Mwakinyo before upsetting Eubank via a fourth-round TKO in their first encounter.
Eubank (32-3, 23 KOs) began his pro career in 2011 and went 18-0 before losing to Billy Joe Saunders in 2014. In 2017, he moved up to super middleweight and beat former two-division world champion Arthur Abraham and then-unbeaten contender Avni Yildirim. In 2018, his first world title shot, he suffered a unanimous decision loss to George Groves. Eubank returned with wins against JJ McDonagh and former world champion James DeGale before returning to middleweight, where he was 4-0 before the first Smith showdown.
Smith vs. Eubank Jr. (All Times ET)
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Date
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Time
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Event
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Fights
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Platform
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Sat., Sept.2
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2:00 p.m.
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Main
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Liam Smith vs. Chris Eubank Jr.
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ESPN+ |
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Undercard
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Mikaela Mayer vs. Silvia Bortot
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Undercard
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Mark Heffron vs. Jack Cullen
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Undercard
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Frazer Clarke vs. David Allen
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Undercard
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Florian Marku vs. Dylan Moran
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Undercard
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Adam Azim vs. Aram Faniian
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