By Craig Daly: Liam Smith’s promoter Ben Shalom says that Chris Eubank Jr will be activating the rematch clause for a second fight against his fighter. If the rematch takes place, it would go down in late May in Anfield, Liverpool.
Shalom says Eubank Jr’s “pride is hurt” from his fourth round knockout loss to Liam (33-3-1, 20 KOs) on January 21st, and he’ll go ahead and trigger the rematch clause because of that.
Naturally, the 34-year-old former WBO junior middleweight champion Smith wants to take advantage of his upset over Eubank Jr and transmute this victory to a lucrative fight against IBF & WBA middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin.
The money Liam could make from a fight with Golovkin would be a golden parachute for his retirement years to help him live comfortably without ever having to work a 9 to 5 job for the remainder of his life.
“We’re hearing all indications that they are going to trigger,” Ben Shalom said to Sky Sports about Chris Eubank Jr about to activate the rematch clause for a second fight against Liam Smith.
“His pride is hurt; he definitely wants a rematch. Liam wants the biggest names and the big nights.”
If Smith can dictate terms for the rematch with Eubank Jr (32-3, 23 KOs) by insisting that it take place at a catchweight of 157 lbs, that would certainly increase his chances of defeating him again.
Eubank Jr looked weak at the weight in their fight last month, and it would be even more pronounced if the rematch takes place at 157. If Eubank Jr had his way, he’d likely insist on the rematch taking place at 168, but unfortunately, he’s not going to be the A-side this time.
With the way that Eubank Jr foolishly let himself get backed into the corner by Smith in the fourth, he’d probably get knocked out again, even if the fight takes place at 168.
Letting the shorter fighter trap him against the ropes was a big mistake on Eubank Jr’s part, and he should have known better after being in the pro ranks for twelve years. However, Eubank Jr hasn’t been active, and he’s only fought a couple of talented fighters during his career in George Groves & Billy Joe Saunders, losing to both.
“For Liam, he wants to look at the Golovkins now. He’ll deal with Eubank if he has to. It’s Golovkin, Brook, and Eubank rematch; I think those are the three,” said Shalom. “If we were able to get Anfield, it would be the end of May.”
Shalom & Liam shouldn’t assume that Golovkin will bother taking a fight with them because there’s a good chance that he won’t. He’s very selective in who he fights, and he might not be excited by the idea of facing Smith because he’s not well known in the U.S.
Kell Brook is certainly a doable fight for Smith, and it would do well in the UK. It would be another fight for Smith against a faded British fighter who is no longer relevant.
