Chris Eubank Jr. announced Tuesday that he has exercised his contractual right to an immediate rematch with Liam Smith.

Eubank indicated in the aftermath of his stunning technical knockout loss to Smith last month that he wanted another shot at his domestic rival. He waited three weeks, but he made it official Tuesday.

“This morning I activated the rematch clause via my lawyers & sent to my promoters @Wasserman [Boxing],” Eubank wrote in a statement issued through his Twitter account. “Happy Valentine’s Day @LiamBeefySmith.”

The date and venue for the second Smith-Eubank bout haven’t been determined, but it figures to be one of the most anticipated fights in the United Kingdom later this year.

Eubank entered the ring as a 3-1 favorite January 21 and was widely viewed as a bigger puncher than Smith, a former WBO junior middleweight champion. It was Smith, however, whose power Eubank couldn’t withstand in their scheduled 12-round middleweight match at AO Arena in Manchester, England.

Their Sky Sports Box Office main event was competitive through three rounds, until Smith blasted Eubank with a left uppercut and then a left hook that caused the first knockdown of Eubank’s career 45 seconds into the fourth round. A stunned Eubank reached to his feet quickly, yet he couldn’t stand up straight.

Eubank tried to hold Smith once referee Victor Loughlin called for the action to resume. Smith’s short right hand on the inside sent Eubank to the canvas again, though.

Loughlin stopped their fight after Eubank went down for the second time, at 1:09 of the fourth round.

The 33-year-old Eubank was so disoriented at that point, Smith’s trainer, Joe McNally, had to pull him away from Smith before Eubank could throw a punch several seconds after Loughlin halted the action.

Brighton’s Eubank (32-3, 23 KOs), whose chin was always one of his greatest assets, lost by knockout for the first time in his 11-year professional career. His two previous losses, both in 12-round bouts, came by split decision to Billy Joe Saunders in November 2014 and unanimous decision to George Groves in February 2018.

Liverpool’s Smith (33-3-1, 20 KOs) produced the most memorable win in a career he launched in October 2008.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.