Liam Smith believes Chris Eubank Jr will try to box him, but will eventually have to fight instead

With official word of a Jan. 21 fight date set for Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr, Smith talks to Sky Sports about why this is such a big opportunity for him. In particular, Smith says that a win over Eubank Jr will really elevate his name value in the U.K. and that he has all the confidence in the world that he’ll be able to pull it off.

Smith adds Eubank Jr has been trying to adopt more of a boxing style under the guidance of trainer Roy Jones Jr, but thinks in his heart of hearts he’s a fighter that likes to mix it up, and believes that’s exactly what it will come down to once punches start landing.

“The emphasis is going to be on Chris trying to box the way Roy’s got him boxing. I feel like I capitalise on that all day,” Smith continued. “[Then] he can only revert to what he likes and what he knows and that’s to come and have a fight. I think the fight can only revert to that and then once it reverts to that, it’s going to catch fire and I’ll welcome it with open arms.”

That being said, Smith knows that he has a bit of a task in front of him because Eubank always comes into fights in excellent physical condition, but still says there’s vulnerabilities in Eubank that he’s absolutely going to capitalize on. Smith may not be perceived as a fight with real one-punch power, but he’s certain that he can hurt anybody with 10oz gloves on.

The style matchup should surely make for a fan-friendly fight, and the build-up shouldn’t be all to shabby either.