Liam Smith responds to ‘elbow’ claim from Chris Eubank Jr’s team: ‘Nobody believes you. You’re embarrassing yourself’ | Boxing News
3 min read
Liam Smith has dismissed the claim that an elbow hurt Chris Eubank Jr within the devastating combination he landed to conclude their contest last Saturday.
Liverpool’s Smith triumphed in four spectacular rounds at the AO Arena in Manchester last weekend.
But after his dramatic victory, Roy Jones, Eubank Jr’s trainer, suggested on social media that this alleged elbow might have been a contributory factor and Kalle Sauerland, Eubank’s promoter, told Sky Sports they were even considering an appeal to the British Boxing Board of Control.
Smith considers these suggestions ridiculous.
« They are clutching at straws. As much as it might be a shock for people to see Chris sitting on his backside like that, just take it on the chin, » Smith told Sky Sports.
« You lost, you got stopped, come back from it, » he added.
« Nobody believes you. You’re embarrassing yourself. »
For Smith, there’s a more obvious way to settle any point of contention.
« Go file your complaint by all means, » he said. « If that’s the case, just take the rematch. What are you waiting for?
« You’ve got three or four weeks to activate the rematch clause. If it was caused by an elbow, go ahead and activate it and let’s move on. »
Eubank Jr personally did not blame his loss on a rogue elbow.
« I got caught, so to me I’m still able to perform and in my mind, I’m still the better fighter, » he told Sky Sports News after the fight.
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« Obviously I don’t have much of an argument after a loss, but I have an argument to prove I’m the better fighter. It was a shot that landed, and it’s a fight I think the fans will still want to see further down the line. »
Reflecting on how Eubank Jr handled the defeat himself, Smith said: « He had just been humbled like never before. He hadn’t just lost a close decision with Billy Joe Saunders where he can say he won the fight.
« He hadn’t just lost a close fight with George Groves. He’d been very, very humbled there.
« He was stumbling round the ring, didn’t know where he was. He had to handle the defeat in that way. »
The Liverpudlian also believes people shouldn’t attribute Eubank Jr’s defeat to being drained at the weight. He points out that his rival had spent much of his career at middleweight while it was Smith who moved up from super-welter to take this fight.
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« People are forgetting I fought him at 160lbs. He came in at 159lbs. If he’s struggling that bad, come in at 160lbs. A pound is a lot when you’re tight at the weight. A pound is an awful lot. You’re not stupid. Why give away an extra pound? I fought him at his weight. I didn’t drag him to no catchweight. I fought Chris at Chris’ natural best weight, 160lbs, » Smith said.
« I’m not a 160lber, I’m a 154. I’ve had two fights at 159lbs my whole career. Let’s not beat round the bush. I fought Chris at Chris’ [hoped for] world-title weight.
« People clutching at straws, people don’t want to give me credit, they’re all trying to find something, » he added.
« Keep hitting me with the comments, but let me tell you this – I’ll do the exact same in the rematch. »
