Chris Eubank Jr. was far more pleased with the work that went into making the middleweight limit this time around.
The second-generation middleweight was a healthy 159.3 pounds for his anticipated rematch versus Liverpool’s Liam Smith, who was right at the 160-pound middleweight limit. Their scheduled 12-round bout headlines a Sky Sports Box Office event which also streams live in the U.S. on ESPN+ from AO Arena in Manchester, England.
The same venue hosted their January 21 meeting, which Smith (33-3-1, 20KOs) won via fourth-round stoppage. Eubank had never been down through 34 pro bouts and boxed well through three rounds before he ran into a buzzsaw. Smith floored Eubank twice, the latter which prompted an immediate stoppage call from referee Victor Loughlin.
Smith and Eubank each weighed 159 pounds that evening. Brighton’s Eubank (32-3, 23KOs)—who’d won six in a row headed into that bout—complained that he did not feel good about the early weight cut. Significant changes were made prior to Saturday’s sequel, including a new head trainer in Brian ‘Bomac’ McIntyre as well as the addition of a nutritionist.
