Liam Smith rematches Chris Eubank Jr this Saturday at the AO Arena in Manchester, live on Sky Sports Box Office; On the undercard Adam Azim takes on Aram Fanyan, Frazer Clarke boxes David Allen, plus Mikaela Mayer, Lauren Price and more
Thursday 31 August 2023 16:09, UK
Liam Smith faced off with Chris Eubank Jr at the final press conference ahead of their Sky Sports Box Office clash on Saturday.
Smith finished their first fight with a tremendous combination of punches that halted Eubank Jr inside four rounds.
But Eubank's confidence seemed undented when he confronted Smith at Thursday's press conference.
Even now he was unwilling to acknowledge that Smith, with the first win behind him, was the better fighter of the two.
He would only admit that, Eubank said: "If he pulls it off again, I can't argue with it."
However he insisted: "The performance I'm going to have on Saturday night is going to be exquisite, super-natural."
Smith laughed at the notion his first victory had been a "miracle".
"Which shot was the miracle?" he asked Eubank directly. "The miracle was how easy it was.
"If he makes the same mistakes, I'll punish him for them."
Perhaps Eubank takes confidence too from his new trainer, Brian "BoMac" McIntyre, Terence Crawford's coach, who he has brought in for this contest.
He did reiterate that he had forbidden McIntyre from bringing a towel to pull him if he gets hurt again. He doesn't want an "easy way out" in Eubank's own words.
Smith immediately pounced on that, accusing McIntyre of being irresponsible when he needed to look out for his fighter.
"He'll blame you once he loses this time round," Smith said. "He'll blame everyone else bar himself. Chris Eubank got it wrong.
"You made the mistakes. Take it on the chin."
Eubank does acknowledge he is in this position for the first time - rematching an opponent who's defeated him. "It is a new pressure that I have never had to deal with before. But I'm enjoying it," he said.
"I'm enjoying the hardship I'm having to go through mentally and physically to execute the game plan on the night.
"I'm excited to go out there and see how I react."
Ultimately that will only be shown on Saturday night.
Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr II is live on Sky Sports Box Office on Saturday. Book it now
