Ahead of their upcoming rematch, Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr once again sit down at the table for another episode of The Gloves Are Off. And if you thought the rivalry between the two was settled the last time out, think again.
“Good to just prove Chris wrong,” Smith said about his knockout win over Eubank. “So good to just run a ways down his throat a little bit, what he said I couldn’t do. That was just the most satisfying thing for me.”
A stern looking Eubank sat quietly as Smith said his piece, until he was asked how it felt to have swallowed that bitter pill.
“It’s part of the game,” Eubank Jr said. “It’s part of growing as a fighter. Nobody’s perfect. Now we get to do it again to make sure we really know who the better fighter is. There’s still a lot of questions to be answered.”
Shortly after Smith questioned Eubank’s willingness to stand and trade with him more this time around.
“I don’t actually need to,” Eubank said. “The game plan worked perfectly before what happened, happened.”
“Chris, are you that deluded? Do you think you dominated that fight, are you really that deluded,” Smith asked.
“You got out-pointed, you got out-jabbed, you got out-punched for the first three rounds,” Eubank responded. “And in fourth round, out of nowhere, a miracle occurs.”
Not longer after Eubank Jr wanted to make a point of discussing an elbow he was caught with in the first fight, accusing Smith of being deliberate in mixing in an illegal blow.
“I think you’re that sneaky, I think you’re that crafty of an old fox. I think this guy was in the gym each and everyday ‘we’re gonna do a one-two, and then we’re gonna bring that puppy right across.’” Eubank said.
“Immediately the eye bulges up,” Eubank continued. “I’ve taken big shots from big guys that hit way harder than him, and with a punch it’s a flash of white and then I’m right back. When that elbow hit, it went dark. This is not a fancy, this is not a story because I’ve never been down in my career. So how is it the first time I go down in my career is after an illegal blow?”
Check out the full episode in the video link above.