In the immediate aftermath of his surprising fourth round stoppage loss at the hands of Liam Smith, Chris Eubank Jr spoke with Sky Sports about his perspective on what took place in the ring and where he goes from here.
Eubank Jr says he believes he was in full control of the fight until one flurry from Smith had him in trouble. According to Eubank Jr, he believes he was still capable of continuing on in the fight, but now looks forward to a potential rematch.
Eubank Jr on having a tough night against Smith
“A tough night? No, I wouldn’t even say that. I was having fun, I was landing my shots, I was enjoying the moment, and he caught me with a once in a lifetime shot. I got up, I recovered, he put it on me again, a few more shots, and the referee decided it was enough. I felt like I could go on, I felt like I was aware of what was happening. But it’s the referee’s decision, I have to respect it.
“I feel like I was dominating the fight before that happened, so I think we’ve got an exciting opportunity — at some point in the future — have that rematch.
“It’s boxing, it’s a sexy sport. Anything can happen. I never would’ve believed this could happen. I think a lot of people didn’t see this happening and it happened, and that’s okay. I’m okay with it. It’s a part of the journey, and I’ve still got a lot left. So we’ll see what happens at the end of the year.”
On getting caught by Smith’s flurry of punches that did most of the damage
“It was that one sequence of shots. He threw a bunch of shots and he just caught me with one and it dazed me. Before that I felt like I was in full control of the fight. That third round I was picking my shots nice, I was warming up, and you know, no disrespect but every dog has his day and this was Liam’s night.
“I respect him. I know things got a bit fiery in the build up. Again, that’s boxing. The end of the day we’re all athletes, people react differently to fighting. When you’re fighting another man, emotions get high. I get it. Again, the rematch is a very exciting proposition for the future.”
On if the rematch is his top priority
“Yeah. There’s losing a fight and there’s losing a fight. I was dominating the fight and then I got caught. So, to me, I’m still able to perform. In my mind I’m still the better fighter. Obviously I don’t really have much of an argument after a loss but I have an argument to prove I’m a better fighter because it was a shot that landed and it’s a fight that I think fans will still want to see further down the line. I didn’t just go out there and get blown away.
“Full respect to Liam, he did what he was supposed to do. He stayed in there, took some great shots, kept coming, and he landed. We’ll see what happens in the future.”
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