Ben Shalom hoping to stage Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr rematch by end of summer

A rematch between Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr is still on the agenda, according to Boxxer promoter Ben Shalom, who admits to Sky Sports that the ongoing delay in setting that fight up has been frustrating for all those involved.

The first time Smith and Eubank met, Smith shocked many when he caught and stopped Eubank in the fourth round. Eubank has since indicated that he’s anxious to get that one back.

And while the Smith vs Eubank rematch was set to be held on July 1, a nagging injury on Smith’s side caused a postponement of that fight date. It had been expected that Smith’s injury would only delay the bout for a couple of weeks, but we’re still at a point where Smith hasn’t told his promoter he’s good to go while Shalom targets a late August fight date.

“It’s a fight that was scheduled and has had to be rescheduled because of Liam Smith’s injury,” Shalom told Sky Sports News on Monday. “It’s frustrating for him as much as anyone, but we can’t keep Chris Eubank Jr waiting forever.

“I did meet Kalle Sauerland (Eubank Jr’s promoter) last week. We expect a date to be finalised at the end of August, early September.”

With any luck Shalom is hoping to make a formal announcement of the rescheduled fight by next week.