BOXXER CEO Ben Shalom indicates that a finalized deal is within reach for a middleweight showdown between Chris Eubank Jr. and Liam Smith.
Last month, Eubank Jr. was scheduled to face Conor Benn in catch-weight showdown. Days before the event was set to occur, it was revealed that Benn had tested positive for a banned substance. The entire card was eventually canceled, after the British Boxing Board of Control removed their sanction of the fight.
Smith, a former WBO junior middleweight champion, has been calling for a fight with Eubank Jr. for some time.
With respect to Eubank vs. Smith, Shalom says the terms have been agreed upon with both boxers - and now it's a case of nailing down a date with Eubank's promoter, Kalle Sauerland of Wasserman Boxing.
"It's just about the date now. I'm speaking to Kalle Sauerland regularly, everything's agreed. We'll hopefully announce it next week," Shalom told ID Boxing.
"I'm looking forward to it. It's a fight I've wanted to see for a long time. I was hoping we'd get it in this year, but obviously we're looking at 5-6 weeks from December 17 now. It's probably going to be slightly later now, but it's one that will happen and it's one that fans can look forward to."
The two sides are looking at staging the event in early 2023. Eubank Jr. would be coming off a one-year layoff, with his last ring appearance taking place in February 2022 - when he decisioned Liam Williams in Cardiff.
For Eubank Jr, a loss to Smith would plummet his hopes of landing fights with opponents like IBF, WBA, IBO middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin in the coming year.
