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For the second time this year, Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr. will square off in the ring opposite one another. Smith upset Eubank as a moderate underdog per the boxing betting odds back in January, and Eubank has been eager to prove that the defeat was a fluke rather than a sign that he has hit his ceiling. Eubank has said all the right things ahead of their rematch, telling Sky Sports that he slipped into complacency ahead of Smith’s fourth-round knockout of Eubank, but the oddsmakers haven’t bought into that story. Currently, the boxing betting line has Eubank listed as an underdog to Smith ahead of their rematch this weekend.
British boxing fans will be excited to see two of their country’s best clash in the ring on Saturday, September 2, 2023. Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr. will face off at the AO Arena in Manchester, England with the card set to get underway at 1 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. ET UK. Ring walks for the main event are expected to take place at 5 p.m. ET / 10 p.m. ET UK with ESPN+ airing the action in the United States and Sky Sports showing it in the United Kingdom.
Boxing Betting Odds at BetRivers Sportsbook
Liam Smith -167
Chris Eubank Jr. +125
We always see mention of ‘bad blood’ in boxing with the goal of hyping up a fight between two contestants, but there is serious ill will between Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr. The two British fighters have exchanged words consistently over the last seven years after some sparring sessions left both sides feeling aggrieved. That made Smith’s victory in the first fight back in January especially sweet, and what was so surprising was that it came out of nowhere. Eubank dominated the third round and looked like he was set to finish the fight early, but Smith roared back and caught Eubank multiple times in the fourth round to earn a knockout victory. It was the first time that Eubank had ever been knocked out in his professional career.
Smith told reporters afterwards, “I don’t know if it was one shot or an accumulation, but I told you all week. A lot got made of Chris’ great chin. I’ve got a great chin, but there’s many fighters with better chins who have been knocked out in the past. I told you all week, don’t be surprised, nobody can not be hurt.”
Now, Smith (33-3-1 in 20 knockouts) is the favorite in the rematch, and he will have the crowd at his back too. The former WBO light middleweight champion didn’t suffer his first defeat until he was knocked out by Canelo Alvarez seven years ago, and his other two losses were by unanimous decision to two strong fighters in Jaime Munguia and Magomed Kurbanov. Smith took on Munguia for the WBO light middleweight title in July 2018, and he lost to Kurbanov in May 2021.
Eubank Jr. (32-3 with 23 knockouts) won his first 18 fights before facing Billy Joe Saunders in November 2014. It was one of the best bouts of the year in Britain, but Eubank Jr. came up short and lost by a split decision. However, he didn’t let that loss deter him and ended up winning his next eight fights. Eubank earned the IBO super middleweight belt with a knockout of Renold Quinlan, and he successfully defended the strap twice before falling in a unanimous decision to George Groves.
It looked like Eubank was about to challenge for another title before his loss to Smith earlier this year. However, Eubank is now facing some serious adversity as a second loss to Smith would send him down the pecking order, and he is also dealing with some family disharmony as his father has called him soft.
We have seen Eubank bounce back from adversity in the past, and I like his chances here as an underdog after he was a sizeable favorite against Smith earlier in the year. Eubank is an inch-and-a-half taller than Smith, and he has a three-inch reach advantage, so that should help him get revenge as long as he is mentally focused.
