BOXXER, the next generation boxing promotion, are delighted to announce four exciting additions to the undercard for the highly-anticipated rematch between Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr on Saturday, September 2nd at the AO Arena, Manchester, live and exclusive on Sky Sports Box Office.
Bitter middleweight rivals Smith and Eubank Jr will meet in the middle of the ring for a second time following their epic January encounter, which saw ‘Beefy’ claim a stunning fourth-round stoppage victory.
Hostilities have escalated since their first fight and are set to reach boiling point when they return to the AO Arena on September 2nd.
Eubank Jr is out for revenge, believing Smith used an elbow in the combination that sent him to the canvas, while Smith is eager to secure another decisive win to put an end to their rivalry and Eubank Jr’s career once and for all.
Demand for the rematch is huge, with over 70% of tickets snapped up during a record-breaking pre-sale, and is set to become even bigger following the announcement of four exciting additions to the undercard.
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Bronze Medallist Frazer Clarke returns to action having banked 10 invaluable rounds against former world title challenger Mariuz Wach at York Hall in June and is set to lock horns with ‘The White Rhino’ Dave Allen.
Now 7-0, Burton’s Clarke will be aiming to continue his transition from highly-regarded amateur to successful pro as he takes on Allen in a tantilising ten round domestic heavyweight dust up.
Allen, who is undefeated in his last four contests, has brought in the expertise of sought after coaches Jamie Moore and Nigel Travis to work alongside Roger Sampson to prepare him for this fight.
Having previously shared the ring with the likes of David Price, Tony Yoka, Luis Ortiz and Dillian Whyte, and secured high-profile wins over Lucas Browne and Nick Webb, the Doncaster fan favourite will be looking to claim another sizable scalp in front of a raucous Manchester crowd.
‘The Albanian King’ Florian Marku will take on Ireland’s Dylan Moran in a ten round welterweight contest.
Marku has recovered from the hand injury he took into his memorable homecoming fight against Miguel Parra at Air Albania Stadium last year and will want to continue to showcase improvements made under coach Grant Smith.
Like Marku, Moran is fresh from his own homecoming fight having secured a stoppage win against Mauro Maximiliano Godoy at the WIT Arena in Waterford in April. The 28-year-old southpaw now has the opportunity to prove if he is ‘The Real Deal’, as his ring moniker suggests, and to boost his profile against his popular opponent.
2020 Olympic Silver Medallist Ben Whittaker continues to dazzle and delight with his stylish approach to the sweet science. Trained by SugarHill Steward, the Wolverhampton wonderkid secured his fourth professional win with the eighth-round stoppage of Vladimir Belujsky on the undercard of Savannah Marshall’s undisputed clash against Franchón Crews-Dezur in Manchester. Whittaker will make a swift return to the AO Arena on September 2nd and have the chance to showcase his star power on the big stage once again.
In another mouth-watering domestic clash, Oldham’s Mark Heffron will defend his British and Commonwealth Super Middleweight titles against Jack Cullen.
Heffron, who trains out of Manchester’s Champs Camp gym under the guidance of Joe Gallagher, was forced to pull out of a scheduled defence of his British title against Zak Chelli on July 2 due to injury. Now fully fit, the 31-year-old will defend his belts against ‘Little Lever’s Meat Cleaver’, the former WBO and IBF International Champion, who is looking to bounce back from a stoppage loss to dangerous Californian Diego Pacheco.
Ben Shalom, BOXXER’s promoter and CEO, said “We’re delighted to announce the first four additions to what promises to be an action-packed undercard. The response to Smith-Eubank II has been incredible. Manchester is going to be rocking on September 2nd. We look forward to releasing more undercard announcements soon.”
Smith knocked out Eubank Jr just one minute into the fourth round during their January clash at the same venue. Yet, Eubank seemed unfazed at today’s press conference and wouldn’t concede that Smith was the superior fighter.
“If he manages to beat me again, I won’t have anything to say against it,” Eubank asserted. “But trust me, what I bring to the ring on Saturday will be nothing short of extraordinary.”
Smith was quick to dismiss Eubank’s portrayal of his previous victory as a “miracle.” “Miracle? The real miracle was how effortless that win felt. If he messes up again, he’ll pay for it,” Smith fired back.
Eubank did acknowledge the unique pressure of facing an opponent who has already defeated him. “It’s a fresh kind of pressure for me. But I’m here for it, thriving on the mental and physical challenges of this rematch. I can’t wait to see how I’ll handle it.”
