Liam Smith dismissed Chris Eubank Jr.’s suggestion that he’ll knock Smith out Saturday night.
The former WBO junior middleweight champion questioned whether Eubank even has legitimate power at the middleweight limit of 160 pounds, the contracted weight at which they’ll fight. Smith’s claim came after Eubank warned what will happen if Smith stays “in the pocket” with him during their 12-round main event at AO Arena in Manchester, England.
“Chris, I can stay in the pocket with you,” Smith stated during Sky Sports’ “The Gloves Are Off” preview show of their bout. “All’s you are is you’re plain and simple in your fights. Yeah, you’ve got quick hands.
“You think you can punch? You can’t punch. Even at 160, you can’t punch. You’re fit and you can put your shots together. You can’t punch.”
An incredulous Eubank then turned to host Johnny Nelson.
“I can’t punch,” Eubank said. “Isn’t that incredible?”
Canelo Alvarez is the only opponent who has knocked out Smith in 36 professional fights. The Mexican superstar stopped Smith (32-3-1, 19 KOs) in the ninth round of their fight for Smith’s WBO 154-pound crown in September 2016 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The 34-year-old Smith’s other two losses were 12-round unanimous decisions to Mexico’s Jaime Munguia (41-0, 33 KOs) and Russia’s Magomed Kurbanov (24-0, 13 KOs).
The 33-year-old Eubank (32-2, 23 KOs) has never been stopped inside the distance. His lone losses were a 12-round split decision to British rival Billy Joe Saunders (30-1, 14 KOs) and a 12-round unanimous decision to retired Englishman George Groves (28-4, 20 KOs).
Brighton’s Eubank dropped Wales’ Liam Williams (24-4-1, 19 KOs) four times in his last fight, once apiece in the first, second, fourth and 11th rounds. Williams went the distance with him, however, and lost their 12-round middleweight match by wide distances on all three scorecards – 117-109, 116-108 and 116-109 – last February 5 at Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales.
Liverpool’s Smith won’t be as fortunate, according to Eubank.
“For as long as it lasts,” Eubank said, “it’s gonna be exciting – absolutely.”
Eubank declined to pick a round when Smith asked for a prediction.
“I don’t pick rounds,” Eubank said, “but yeah, the way you fight, you know, it can’t go 12, really, because you don’t move, you stay in the pocket. And if you stay in the pocket with me, I’m gonna roast you.”
The bout between Eubank and Smith will headline a Sky Sports Box Office pay-per-view show in the United Kingdom and Ireland (£19.95; 6 p.m. GMT). DAZN will stream the card headlined by Eubank-Smith in the United States, which will start at 1 p.m. ET and 10 a.m. PT.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.