The troubled return fight between Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jnr has another new date – September 2nd; the venue is The O2 in London. As fans know, Smith stopped Eubank in the fourth round back in January, and with Eubank then activating the rematch clause he had at his disposal, the sequel was on. Then it was off due to Smith suffering a “minor” yet “niggling” injury.
During the time that Smith was healing up and getting himself back to full fitness, there was talk of Eubank perhaps moving on and getting that big fight with Conor Benn that was supposed to have taken place last year, only for Benn to sensationally test positive in two drug tests (Benn has of course been vehemently denying any wrongdoing ever since). But now Eubank, 32-3(23), has confirmed it will be the rematch with Smith, 33-3-1(20), in September.
“Eubank vs. Smith 2 at the O2 September 2nd
@LiamBeefySmith #LetsDoThis #NoMoreExcuses #Revenge,” Eubank tweeted.
And promoter Ben Shalom has confirmed to Sky Sports that Smith is now “100 percent fit” for the return fight.
“We’ve had the news on Liam Smith this week, really good news about his fitness; he’s 100 percent fit for a date we’re looking at,” Shalom said. “Chris wants a rematch….he’s talked about revenge; there is a reason he activated the rematch clause.”
Smith, a year older than Eubank at age 34, has spoken of his desire to become a two-time world champion; Smith having reigned as the WBO light-middleweight champion in 2015/2016. A repeat win over Eubank would perhaps see Smith to another world title opportunity. So, will it be repeat or revenge come September 2? It seems a long time ago when Smith and Eubank fought, and it is true that some fans have lost a little interest in this particular rivalry.
With so many pay-per-view fights coming up over the coming weeks and months, some of them unmissable, it’s possible some fight fans will end up giving Smith-Eubank II a miss unless the price is dropped by a significant amount, which is, of course, very unlikely.
What say YOU on this rematch – hit or miss?