Middleweight contender Chris Eubank Jr. is scheduled to face veteran Liam Smith on Saturday night in Manchester, England on DAZN.
CHRIS EUBANK JR. (32-2, 23 KOs) vs. LIAM SMITH (32-3-1, 19 KOs)
- Date: Saturday, Jan. 21
- Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
- Where: AO Arena, Manchester, England
- TV/Stream: DAZN
- Division: Middleweight (160 pounds)
- At stake: No major titles
- Pound-for-pound ranking: None
- Odds: Eubank 2½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
- Also on the card: Richard Riakporhe vs. Krzysztof Głowacki, cruiserweights; Joseph Parker vs. Jack Massey, heavyweights; Ekow Essuman vs. Chris Kongo, welterweights
- Prediction: Eubank UD
- Background: Chris Eubank Jr. was scheduled meet rival Conor Benn in a much-anticipated 157-pound bout last Oct. 8 but the fight was scrapped after Benn tested positive for a banned substance. Three months later Eubank will face another fellow Englishman, former 154-pound titleholder Liam Smith. Eubank, 33, is on a roll, having won six consecutive fights since losing a unanimous decision to then-world titleholder George Groves in 2018. He last fought in February of last year, when he put Liam Williams down four times and won a wide decision. Smith, 34, also has enjoyed success recently. He has won three in a row since losing a unanimous decision to Magomed Kurbanov in May 2021. His most-recent fight was last September, when he stopped Hassan Mwakinyo in four rounds in a scheduled 12-round 160-pound bout. Smith is ranked at 154 pounds by all four major sanctioning bodies. He might be best known for losing his 154-pound title to Canelo Alvarez by a ninth-round knockout in 2016 at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas.
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