‘He’s absolutely a dirty fighter’: Chris Eubank Jr says Liam Smith won’t get opportunities to use elbow in rematch

Chris Eubank Jr will get a second crack at Liam Smith this Saturday in Manchester, when the middleweights meet in a rematch of a controversial first fight back in January.

Smith stopped Eubank in the fourth round of that bout, a stunning method of victory that few — even those picking Liam — didn’t really see coming.

But there was an errant elbow that connected on Eubank, which some feel was the real difference maker.

Eubank says we won’t see that again, as he won’t let Smith get those chances, taking the blame for being in position for it in the first place.

“He’s absolutely a dirty fighter. I said that before the fight. And yeah, he proved it on the night. He snuck it in during a volley and he caught me, and it definitely affected what happened,” he said.

“But again, I’m not making any excuses, it was my fault. I shouldn’t have been there to receive that elbow. I shouldn’t have given him the opportunity. I did, he took advantage of that, and I paid the price. It’s the fight, you gotta do what you gotta do to win, and he did that. This time around, no opportunities. Nothing. No ground is going to be given to this guy.”

Eubank (32-3, 23 KO) is coming in a slight underdog this time around, with Smith (33-3-1, 20 KO) getting a lot more pre-fight support for the second meeting. Lewis Watson broke down some of the odds and best values on that fight and more in this weekend’s bouts.