Chris Eubank Jr admits he has ‘everything to prove’ and Liam Smith aims to punish opponent’s mistakes in rematch

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Chris Eubank Jr and Liam Smith will meet in the ring again on September 2 at the AO Arena in Manchester, former world champion Smith produced a knockout victory when the two fought at the start of 2023; you can watch the rematch live on Sky Sports Box Office

Chris Eubank Jr admits he has 'everything to prove' and Liam Smith aims to punish opponent's mistakes in rematch

Chris Eubank Jr has admitted he has “everything to prove” in his rematch with Liam Smith, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Eubank Jr is looking for revenge after being knocked down by Smith in a frenetic fight at the start of this year.

The rematch takes place on September 2 at the AO Arena in Manchester, with Brian McIntyre, the trainer of Terence Crawford, in Eubank Jr’s corner.

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There’s much more on the line now, much more danger in this fight now. He has his newfound confidence, which he didn’t have in the first fight,” said Eubank Jr as the pair faced off online.

Smith responded: “Look at the interviews we did (before the first fight). I said I can beat you every week and twice on a Sunday.”

Following more back and forth, Eubank Jr continued: “Talk is cheap. I know you didn’t believe what was gonna happen, nobody did. It’s not gonna happen again and that’s why this fight is gonna be so much more exciting because I have everything to prove.

“Before it was like, I just need to go in there and win now. Now it’s, if I lose if and this happens again, where do I go? That wasn’t the case in the first fight, so it’s going to be very interesting to see how that kind of affects my performance.”

Chris Eubank Jr admits he has 'everything to prove' and Liam Smith aims to punish opponent's mistakes in rematch

Smith: I respect Eubank Jr as a fighter

Smith and Eubank Jr were scheduled to meet again in July but their showdown had to be postponed after the Liverpudlian suffered a minor injury in training camp.

The enmity simmering between them reached new heights with each passing month and is set to reach boiling point on September 2.

“I respect him as a fighter, it’s why I took the fight on,” said Smith. “I knew I need to be in good shape to beat Chris. He’s a good fighter on his day but he prides himself on his chin, his air of invincibility has gone and he knows he can be hurt.

Chris Eubank Jr admits he has 'everything to prove' and Liam Smith aims to punish opponent's mistakes in rematch

“More importantly he knows it’s me who’s done it to him. He’s always been able to compete at a high level because he’s tough, game and has a good chin.

“The man he’s in front of is the man who cracked all them. All the chinks in the armour, it was me who did it. He’s lost that now.”

Another stoppage on the cards?

Chris Eubank Jr admits he has 'everything to prove' and Liam Smith aims to punish opponent's mistakes in rematch

Smith had reigned as the WBO light-middleweight champion from 2015 to 2016, before suffering the first defeat of his professional career to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.

The manner of his victory over Eubank Jr, who had entered the first fight proclaiming to be at “60 per cent”, proved a stark reminder of his continued title credentials. Both fighters suggest the rematch will not last the 12 rounds.

“One of us is going to get stopped, that’s for sure. It’s not going to go 12 rounds, it can’t go 12 rounds and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that it’s a Chris Eubank Jr win,” said Eubank Jr.

Chris Eubank Jr admits he has 'everything to prove' and Liam Smith aims to punish opponent's mistakes in rematch

Smith added: “I was shocked how easy he folded in the first fight. I touched him one and he was like Bambi on ice. I was shocked how much he folded off one right hand, left upper cut, left hook and a little elbow in the middle of it.

“What way can Chris come next time? Come and have a fight with me and you are there to be nailed. Try boxing like that again and do whatever he did last time, he will make too many mistakes and I will punish him.”

Watch Smith vs Eubank Jr II live on Sky Sports Box Office on September 2

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