Chris Eubank Jr. claims to have downgraded his preparation for his next fight.
The second-generation boxer infamously stated that he was going to be at 60 percent for his planned but eventually canceled showdown with Conor Benn last October. Eubank managed to subsequently land a middleweight fight with former WBO 154-pound titlist Liam Smith, with training camp allegedly conducted at a casual pace.
“I’m sparring eight rounds today. I’m sparring another eight rounds two more times… every week until we fight,” Eubank told Sky Sports. “This fight, I don’t think is going to be too much of a challenge for me. I don’t think I really need to spar any more than eight rounds. That’s probably how long the fight’s gonna last.
“Guys that are probably more dangerous than Liam I will spar twelve rounds. But I think eight’s more than enough for Liam Smith.”
Their scheduled 12-round middleweight bout will headline a January 21 Sky Sports Box Office event from AO Arena in Manchester, England.
The fight will be the first for Eubank Jr. (32-2, 23KOs) since a lopsided points win over former title challenger Liam Williams last February 5 on the road in Cardiff, Wales. The extended break between fights is due largely to the collapse of his planned October 8 grudge match with Benn, who tested positive for a banned substance.
Ben Shalom’s Boxxer was able to put together a Eubank-Smith fight soon thereafter. Eubank has taken a similar marketing approach in claiming that he doesn’t need to be at full strength, even against a former titlist.
Liverpool’s Smith (32-3-1, 19KOs) held the WBO junior middleweight title for nearly a year before suffering his lone defeat inside the distance. It came at the hands of longtime pound-for-pound entrant and global superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (58-2-2, 39KOs), who scored a ninth-round stoppage in their September 2016 title fight in Arlington, Texas.
Smit came up short in a July 2017 title bid versus then-unbeaten WBO 154-pound titlist Jaime Munguia. His lone other defeat was a highly questionable unanimous decision in favor of unbeaten Magomed Kurbanov in May 2021 on the road in Ekaterinburg, Russia. Three straight stoppage wins have followed, though Eubank is convinced he can handle the former titleholder strictly through his natural athleticism and talent.
“I’m not being disrespectful. I just feel real confident,” insisted Eubank. “I always know the man in front of me and what he’s capable of. That’s why I say I need to be 50 percent of my full potential to be able to beat Liam.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox