'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABiAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABggQAAICAgIDAQAAAAAAAAAAAAECBAUAEQMhBgcTFAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQYRAAICAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEDAhEAEiEiMUFh/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwDOVP6YquWZ4PZ10pfmzgSY8mOrfVEbbuWU9u2yACOhrvIW/wDGfW0K9tIyVliF4JsjjUfp3oI5A7OMYZvM6djzC/P3KpK1Qi2lLNNobQEqAHq8/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Liam Smith vs. Chris Eubank Jr. appears to be back on for the summer.
'Next Gen' and 'Beefy' faced off earlier this year in the U.K. Heading into the contest, Eubank Jr. was a massive favorite. However, Smith wound up shocking the former champion with a fourth-round knockout.
Following the defeat, the former titleholder discussed his intention to activate a rematch clause and face Smith again. However, those plans were seemingly dropped in favor of Eubank Jr. facing Conor Benn. 'The Destroyer' has been suspended due to a positive drug test last October.
The welterweight prospect was suspended just days before a scheduled clash with Eubank Jr. Last month, Benn was cleared by the WBC and stated that he intended to compete outside of the U.K. to avoid the BBBoC ban. For their part, the council later lobbied against a possible return for the British star.
With Conor Benn's future again uncertain, it seems that Liam Smith vs. Chris Eubank Jr. 2 is back on the table. In a recent interview with iD Boxing, 'Beefy' confirmed that a rematch was looking more likely. He stated:
"We're basically waiting on Chris say-so, basically. In my opinion, we should've f****** him off a long time ago and went our own route. But, you know, the rematch seems back on now, and if that's the case, that's the route we will go."
See his comments in the video below:
Liam Smith vs. Chris Eubank Jr.: Harlem Eubank discusses 'Next Gen' mentality
Ahead of Liam Smith vs. Chris Eubank Jr. 2, Harlem Eubank has given his thoughts.
In a recent interview with Express, the cousin of 'Next Gen' discussed Eubank Jr. vs. 'Beefy'. In that outing, the latter scored a devastating knockout to get the biggest win of his career to date.
Following the defeat, the former champion, as well as his coach, Roy Jones Jr., blamed the loss on an illegal elbow. During the finishing combination, Smith seemingly landed an errant elbow which grazed Eubank Jr. They later announced their plans to contest the loss.
That never happened, but Harlem Eubank doesn't believe the elbow played a role. Instead, he believes the mentality of his cousin heading into the contest led to his demise. He stated:
“He seemed off [before the Liam Smith fight]. Chris has a very distinct body language which some people can mistake for ignorance. He’s unphased by everything going on around him and I didn’t see that sort of bulletproof Chris that I’ve seen in every one of his fights."
