SOURCE: Chris Eubank Jr To Activate Liam Smith Rematch Clause, Smith vs Eubank 2 Date Eyed
Smith vs Eubank 2 Could Land May 27 With Manchester And Liverpool Eyed As Potential Locations
A source has told NoSmokeSport that Chris Eubank Jr (32-3, 23 KOs) will activate his rematch clause against Liam Smith (33-3-1, 20 KOs) with a second fight between the pair eyed for the coming months.
The targeted date for Smith vs Eubank 2 is May 27, but this is not set yet. Liverpool and Manchester are the locations in the running with Anfield being unlikely per the source. The contest will be a BOXXER/Wasserman co-promotion live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Smith sensationally stopped Eubank Jr in the fourth round when they met last month in Manchester. It was the first stoppage defeat for the man from Brighton, with the Liverpudlian an underdog going in.
Eubank has always been praised for his punch resistance and many felt that Smith’s KO victory was the result of the weight cut which saw him have to be 157 lbs for the Conor Benn super fight – a clash that never happened in the end.
Eubank’s team told Sky Sports that they were considering appealing to the British Boxing Board of Control about an elbow allegedly connecting in the middle of Smith combination which ended the fight.
“We’re hearing all indications that they are going to trigger,” Smith’s promoter Ben Shalom told Sky Sports on Feb 3. Eubank’s promoter Kalle Sauerland responded to this with the Daily Express “I’ve told Ben (Shalom) we will be using the full time to consider our options. We haven’t had much communication on it and we certainly haven’t given any indication that we’re going to be exercising the rematch clause.”
Other options for Eubank Jr would’ve included a rescheduling of the Benn fight or a move up to 168 that may see a rematch with Billy Joe Saunders. Benn is expected to return to boxing in May should the WBC officially rule in his favour as has been widely reported.
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