Chris Eubank Jr has added motivation to beat Liam Smith – in the form of a warning from Manchester United ’s stars.
The Brighton boxer was told by United aces – including Marcus Rashford – to ensure he doesn’t lose to a Liverpool fighter on Manchester soil again. Eubank Jr, 33, takes on Scouser Smith in a rematch this weekend at Manchester Arena.
The son of the former world champion was stopped in four rounds when they met at the same venue back in January. But after meeting up with United players while they were on tour in Las Vegas this summer, Eubank Jr got some wise words of encouragement.
“The message from them was I better not lose to a Scouser in Manchester again,” he said. Eubank Jr mingled with Erik ten Hag’s side after they played Borussia Dortmund at the Allegiant Stadium just off the famous Strip.
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After their first encounter saw Liam Smith knock out Eubank Jr in a major upset, Eubank Jr is now out for revenge. Following months of controversy and bad blood, the two fighters are set to meet once again in a highly anticipated clash and you can watch all the action live this weekend on Sky Box Office.
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“Any elite athlete inspires me. I know how hard it is to get to the top of a sport and perform at a huge level. These guys put everything on the line in front of huge crowds.
“These guys are big boxing fans, we were talking about their new signings and just being lads. A lot of those guys are very down to earth guys, I love going to watch them.”
Eubank Jr is now in Manchester but he prepared for the rematch in Vegas with new trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre who was fresh off guiding Terence Crawford to an era-defining win against Errol Spence in July.
The teetotal fighter spent his time in various gyms including Floyd Mayweather’s as he prepared to get revenge for the third defeat of his career. But he also sampled the delights of the Strip with the odd visit to a pool party and some poker nights in the gambling mecca.
“Some people it’s not their cup of tea,” said Eubank Jr. “Some people say ‘how can you spend so much time in Vegas because after a weekend I’m done?’ but you have to have real discipline to train in an environment like this.
“I have that discipline, I have the knowledge of the city and I know where to go outside of the craziness of the Strip. The Strip can drain you, it’s where some normal people go to enjoy but there is a normal city outside of the Strip which people don’t know anything about. I love it.”
Eubank Jr knows back-to-back defeats by Smith would spell the end of any real hopes of winning a world title at middleweight.
He added: “There is a pressure that I’ve never had before in my career. I’ve never fought someone who has a win over me.
“There’s much more on the line than the first fight. The first fight everyone expected me to blast him out, now he’s the favourite. People are telling me he will be a favourite.
“You’ve got to deal with that mentally. The one thing that is known about me is my mental strength is second to none.
“I deal well with pressure. The pressure is on for sure in this fight.”
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