Liam Smith versus Chris Eubank Jr 2- A must win for Eubank.

“An absolute miracle,” he said, “is what happened.”

The words of Chris Eubank Jr. describing what happened to him last January in the ring against underdog Liam Smith on Behind the Ropes.

Smith, who fights Eubank again this Saturday, calmly replied.

“Dented his pride,” said Smith of Liverpool. “Embarrassed him. Done everything I was told I couldn’t do.”

WAR OF WORDS! 🔥 | Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr do NOT get on

Eubank was ridiculously confident going into his first fight with Smith.

His diet would consist of fast food, he said. He’d only need to train 50 percent to win. A knockout was likely. Eubank was right about one thing. A stoppage did occur. Only, it happened to him.

Ouch. Eubank boxed pretty well in parts of the fight one. His trainer, Hall of Famer Roy Jones, was pleased, while Eubank was relaxed. Maybe too much.

Smith forced Eubank into the ropes in round four and caught the cocky one with several blows – punctuated by an uppercut and right hand that deposited Eubank on his back.

THE GLOVES ARE OFF! | Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr 2 | Full Episode

An unsteady Eubank beat the count, but a right floored him. The referee waved off the contest.

Smith rocked and rolled with joy. Eubank stood in his corner, stopped for the first time in his career, still wobbly and stunned in multiple ways.

Fight one was called a crossroads affair. Smith was on a four-fight winning streak. Eubank hadn’t lost a bout since 2018 (George Groves), but his record needed a win over a name. Smith fit the bill – a former WBO junior middleweight champion who appeared to be on the back nine of his run.

Fight two must be considered Eubank’s last stand. He realizes this.

“I can’t let this man walk through life for the rest of his life saying that he beat me,” Eubank said on BBC 5 Boxing. “I have to right that wrong. I have to even the score. I have the show the people that I am the better fighter. I know I’m the better fighter. But most of the people now think Liam Smith is the better fighter. I can’t live with that.”

Smith wasn’t surprised at the outcome.

“The result was nothing that I didn’t expect,” Smith said. “I never once had defeat in my mind. So to do what nobody thought could be done is the more satisfying thing for me.”

Can Smith do it again?

Yes.

FIGHT HIGHLIGHTS | Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Liam Smith

Questions surround Eubank.

Is he psychologically over his loss?

Hard to say. Eubank accepts it but calls it a fluke.

Whatever he thinks it is, he hired Brian McIntyre to train him for the sequel. McIntyre’s man, Terence Crawford, whipped Errol Spence Jr. last month.

Eubank has a reputation for being unresponsive to trainers.

“He’s coachable to me,” said McIntyre.”He trusts in me. He listens to me. “Obviously, I’m here for a reason.”

Eubank must win. Could he?

Yes.

Smith (33-3, 20 KOs) believes he has Eubank’s (33-3, 23 KOs) number.

Maybe, but perhaps Eubank had an off night. Could he have been complacent, as he now claims? He’s given plenty of reasons or excuses.

No excuses this time.