Chris Eubank Jr dragged his career back from the jaws of retirement with a stunning stoppage of Liam Smith in their rematch.
Smith had stopped his rival in the fourth round of their first meeting in January before Eubank Jr insisted on what appeared an ill-advised sequel. But having been the underdog going into the second instalment, he dominated from the first bell, dropping Smith in the fourth round and again in the 10th before the fight was waved off.
"I had to beat Liam tonight, I threw so many punches the lettering on my shorts fell off," said Eubank Jr. "Liam is a warrior, I respect him and his whole team and his family, his brothers. He put it all on the line, he didn't give up and he fought till the last. What happened tonight was supposed to happen in January but it wasn't my night. I dedicate my life to the sport and there are some big fights out there."
Chris Eubank Jr dominated against Liam Smith (PA)Eubank Jr was the busier fighter in the first round as he looked to establish his jab, but it was a scrappy opening from both men. Smith caught a jab-left hook on his gloves in the second session before Eubank Jr missed narrowly with an uppercut. Smith fell to the canvas at the end of the round but the referee immediately indicated he had been pushed.
Eubank Jr let his hands go at the start of the third, setting up an uppercut with his piston-like jab. He landed another left uppercut before switching downstairs to find a home for a hook with the same hand. Eubank Jr made another fast start in round four and earned his just rewards when he dropped Smith with an uppercut.
Chris Eubank Jr "rattled" Liam Smith with private messages ahead of grudge fight
Smith recovered but then appeared to drop his gumshield in order to buy more time. He managed to see out the remainder of the session but looked a different fighter to the one who demolished Eubank Jr at the turn of the year.
Eubank Jr almost finished the job in the fifth round with a barrage of shots against the ropes but Smith clung on and the pace slowed noticeably. Eubank Jr cracked home a one-two at the start of the sixth round as he again sensed a finish.
Smith was likely needing a stoppage as the fight ticked over the halfway mark while Eubank Jr, perhaps for the first time in his career, was content to box smartly to a game plan, knowing he was in complete control. The seventh session was a carbon copy with Smith showing no sign of a resurgence.
By now Smith looked to be struggling with an ankle injury as his efforts to work his back into the fight were hindered further. Eubank Jr, meanwhile, increased the pace in the ninth round as he returned to his tried-and-tested uppercut-hook combination.
Eubank Jr looked determined to enjoy an early night in the 10th round as he pinned Smith against the ropes - and the Liverpool man was dropped again. He recovered again to beat the count but the referee stepped in after another barrage as Eubank Jr celebrated the best performance of his career.
On the undercard, Dave Allen retired after the sixth round of his heavyweight clash with Olympic bronze medalist Frazer Clarke who was deducted two points for landing low blows. Allen returned to his corner at the end of the session before trainer Jamie Moore informed the referee he had pulled his fighter out.
It was later revealed Allen had suffered a perforated eardrum but Clarke accused his opponent of using the debate around Daniel Dubois' low blow against Oleksandr Usyk to his advantage: "If I strayed low and hit the belt, then I apologise to Dave right now, it was never intentional," he said.
"I felt a few of them were good shots and I felt like him being an experienced pro with an experienced corner, they tried to manipulate the referee. They've followed the media and what's been going on these past weeks. Fair play to them, they tried using it to their advantage."
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