Liam Smith says Chris Eubank Jr not even the second best fighter he’ll have ever faced

As Liam Smith prepares for his January 21 meeting with Chris Eubank Jr in Manchester, he tells Sky Sports that Eubank has disproportionately earned money in the sport of boxing relative to his actual achievements in the sport. That, according to Smith, is largely due to Eubank Jr riding off the name of his father who was a big British boxing star once upon a time.

“Because of the name, his second name, because of his demeanour and his attitude, he’s made himself a big name in British boxing,” said Smith. “It is a high profile fight. Do I think he’s a better fighter than Jaime Munguia? No, so I don’t think he’s the second best fighter I’ve fought either. But time will tell.”

Smith says Eubank Jr has managed to become a relatively big name on the scene despite never having won a major world title, but that he’s not going to let any of that — nor Eubank Jr’s needling of him — bother him.

He can only tip his cap to Eubank Jr for making the most of the hand that was dealt to him, but it’s certainly not something he’s particularly impressed by, especially when he believes there’s been much better fighters who haven’t earned anywhere near the amount of money Eubank Jr has earned over his career.

One thing is for certain, though. If Smith manages to pick up a win here, he’ll have an even bigger payday waiting for him on the backend.