Chris Eubank Jr has a chance to launch his 2023 off on a booming note Saturday night against Liam Smith at the AO Arena in Manchester.
A splashy win and Eubank (32-2, 23 knockouts) could position himself for a world title shot in the middleweight division later this year. An upset from Smith (32-3-1, 19 KOs) would prove that the 34-year-old 'Beefy' still has quality rounds to offer at 160 pounds.
Will Eubank deliver a statement victory? Or will Smith put an end to his six-fight winning streak?
With the stakes soaring for this middleweight tilt, DAZN lists the keys to victory for each fighter.
Liam Smith’s keys to victory
Stalk while letting go of hands more
Over the course of his career, Liam Smith has shown a penchant to slowly stalk his opponents effectively. He’s not going to change that style against Chris Eubank Jr but he must let go of his hands more versus his fellow Brit. Smith is going to lower his head and close the space. That's to be expected. Turning his punch volume up a notch, though, will make those stalking and walking down efforts all the more pointed.
Time Eubank Jr with counters after he throws shots
Eubank has a tendency of sometimes dismissing returning to a tight guard after lunging for a punch, especially when he gets low and aims at the midsection with a jab. It’d behoove Smith to time those situations and counter with a stiff shot to put Eubank on early notice of his power. Just making Eubank think twice could be an advantage for Smith who enters this bout riding a three-fight winning streak.
Piece power punches together and bang
The way that Liam Smith lowers his head and fights forward, he’s likely going to have to take shots in order to give them. And Smith has shown a history of being OK with that. Eubank, being coached by Roy Jones Jr, might very well abandon the sweet science to bang which is something Smith would relish in.
When those fiery exchanges erupt, Smith must put his power punches together and sit on them heavily to have a chance to upset Eubank. If he doesn’t let his hands go enough, as aforementioned, the chances of that happening will plunge.
Chris Eubank Jr’s keys to victory
Snipe with the left hand
He showed it in producing four knockdowns en route to a unanimous decision over Liam Williams last February and in several previous fights. Point blank: Chris Eubank Jr is an excellent sniper with his left hand. Many times his guard is completely down when he generates that whiplashing but stiff laser beam of a left. But when landed, it thumps, and should be an effective, open-season weapon against Liam Smith who lowers his head when stalking forward.
Get back to the guard after recoil
What Eubank should be a bit cautious of is returning to a tight guard after firing away. At times, Eubank dips low to jab to the body and abandons his guard while rising up afterwards. He can’t afford to do this against a credible puncher like Smith who can make him pay for such a lapse. Output must follow by returning to his guard.
Go for stoppage
Listen — to land a shot at heavy hitters of the division such as Gennadiy Golovkin, Jaime Munguia or Jermall Charlo next or in the near future, Chris Eubank Jr must make a splash against Liam Smith.
If his sweet science, guided by Roy Jones Jr, is immediately effective, Eubank must put power behind those heat-seeking sniping shots. Smith has only been knocked out once in his career — by Canelo Alvarez in September 2016. So Eubank going for the stoppage against Smith and getting it with boxing skills and power would definitely make a statement at middleweight to put the division on notice.