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I think Chris Eubank Jr is done, he was terrified

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Smith dropped and stopped Eubank Jr in the fourth round in January Photo Credit: BOXXER / Lawrence Lustig

Liam Smith will face Chris Eubank Jr in a rematch on June 17 in Manchester.  Photo: BOXXER / Lawrence Lustig
Liam Smith will face Chris Eubank Jr in a rematch on June 17 in Manchester. Photo: BOXXER / Lawrence Lustig

Liam Smith believes Chris Eubank Jr was afraid of being hit in their first fight and insists he will put in another forceful performance in the rematch.

Smith and Eubank Jr will fight for the second time at the AO Arena in Manchester on June 17 live on Sky Sports Box Office, almost five months after their first meeting, which Smith won with a ruthless fourth-round stoppage.

The pair went head to head at a press conference on Tuesday in London to promote the rematch, and Smith said he saw a weakness in the 33-year-old from the beginning of their first clash, which took place at the same venue in Manchester.

“It’s unclear whether I will do it faster than last time,” said the 34-year-old Heavenly sports.

But I know I can hurt Chris now.

“I know I can hurt his head and I know I can hurt his body now.

“What can he do differently? He can come and argue with me.

“But again, I’ll be candid with you and say: I don’t know why I think it’s finished.

“He was afraid of being hit.

“Chris Eubank can always fight and he does. From the minute we stopped in the first round, I thought, “you’re afraid you’re going to get hit, so I’m going to pin you down and see your reaction.”

“And when I did that, it was over.”

Smith went down and stopped Eubank Jr.  in the fourth round in January.  Photo: BOXXER / Lawrence Lustig
Smith went down and stopped Eubank Jr. in the fourth round in January. Photo: BOXXER / Lawrence Lustig

Eubank Jr was dropped twice in the fourth round before referee Victor Loughlin waved off the fight and the Brighton fighter disputed the decision during the press conference, claiming he had been in control of the fight up to that point and insisted he could continue.

“Beefy” dealt his rival his first defeat by knockout in January and believes the former IBO champion, who has previously only lost to George Groves and Billy Joe Saunders, has a lot to change.

“Chris is the one who has to change,” he added.

“I was asked what sparring I would take part in.

Smith and Eubank Jr came face-to-face at a press conference to promote their rematch.  Photo: BOXXER / Lawrence Lustig
Smith and Eubank Jr came face-to-face at a press conference to promote their rematch. Photo: BOXXER / Lawrence Lustig

“I’ll probably get the same sparring partners as last time because it’s not broken so I don’t have to fix anything.

“Chris can’t come and box me like he fought last time because it’s not working, he’s making too many mistakes.

“It’s up to Chris. Chris needs to change. Chris just got arrested. Chris just got dropped.”

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Interviews

Lennox Lewis predicts Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight

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Lennox Lewis defeated Mike Tyson back in 2002. Photo Credit: WBN

Lennox shared these thoughts after Friday's wild fight (Photo: AP, Rex)
Lennox shared these thoughts after Friday’s wild fight (Photo: AP, Rex)

Lennox Lewis shared his predictions for Friday night’s fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson.

Paul will face Lewis’ former opponent Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Texas, where about 65,000 fans are expected to attend hit event.

Most experts predict a victory for the brash YouTuber, believing that the over 30-year age difference will be too much for “Iron Mike” to overcome.

However, former undisputed heavyweight king Lewis, who stopped Tyson in 2002, is backing his former rival to get the job done.

In an interview with Schmo“The Lion” insisted the 58-year-old “still has it.”

Lennox Lewis defeated Mike Tyson in 2002. Photo: WBN
Lennox Lewis defeated Mike Tyson in 2002. Photo: WBN

“I think it will be a good fight. Mike Tyson, what he does is two-dimensional, he’ll come at you and try to knock you out.

“Now you must try to stay away from him and his powers.

“I saw him practicing one day and throwing some good combinations.

“Those six-punch combos. Paul needs to make sure he doesn’t get in their way because Tyson is a real fighter.

Paul is the bookmaker's clear favorite. Photo: Most Valuable Promotions/Esther Lin
Paul is the bookmaker’s clear favorite. Photo: Most Valuable Promotions/Esther Lin

“Tyson still has it, he can throw a punch, he can take a punch, so he’s doing something he’s used to.”

When asked about this, Lewis also had no doubts Nov 29 for his predictions.

“Mike Tyson will win.”

Tyson has not boxed professionally since his defeat to Kevin McBride in 2005. Photo: AP
Tyson has not boxed professionally since his defeat to Kevin McBride in 2005. Photo: AP

Even though the pair will only fight in two-minute rounds and will wear larger gloves, the fight is of a professional nature and will go down in their official records.

Many in the boxing world have expressed concerns about the health of the aging Tyson, with some even speculating that the fight scenario could have a predetermined outcome.

That said, the event is expected to attract tens of millions of viewers, thanks in enormous part to its live broadcast on streaming giant Netflix.

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Jaron Ennis vs Karen Chukhadzhian fight 2

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Ennis dropped Chukhadzhian in the fifth round Photo Credit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

Jaron Ennis defeated Karen Chukhadzhian in a rematch on Saturday in Philadelphia. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Jaron Ennis defeated Karen Chukhadzhian in a rematch on Saturday in Philadelphia. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

Jaron Ennis successfully defended his IBF welterweight title for a second time, scoring points over fiery Ukrainian challenger Karen Chukhadzhian in their rematch at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Saturday.

Ennis eliminated Chukhadzhian in the fifth round, but was forced to settle for a major unanimous decision victory.

The two met previously, in January 2023, when Ennis (32-0, KO29) won all twelve rounds on all three scorecards to capture the IBF interim title. “Boots” then knocked out Roiman Villa in ten minutes before being promoted to full champion, where he made his first defense in July, forcing the tough David Avanesyan to retire after five rounds.

Chukhadzhian (24-2, KO13) earned a rematch, becoming the IBF mandatory challenger following his victory over Harry Scarff in May.

Their second meeting was much more intense and in the opening round both were successful, with the challenger momentarily bending the knees of the home favorite with a left hook.

Ennis eliminated Chukhadzhian in the fifth round. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Ennis eliminated Chukhadzhian in the fifth round. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

The Ukrainian also had a sturdy second, but Ennis quickly took up the task, cornering his man and unloading in the third before landing an uppercut in the fourth.

The 27-year-old then made the breakthrough in the fifth over with a wobbly cut from Chukhadzhian before another attack forced the visitor to a knee.

The knockdown halted the 28-year-old’s momentum in the next few rounds, with Ennis’ moves and combinations securing the rounds, and the championship rounds started badly for the Kiev fighter as he was deducted a point for excessive holding.

Ennis defended his IBF welterweight world title Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Ennis defended his IBF welterweight world title Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

He continued to fight and showed signs of life in the penultimate frame, and the final round was also encouraging as he let go of his hands and landed some powerful punches.

However, the efforts were ultimately in vain as Ennis retained his belt with scores of 119-107, 117-109 and 116-110, and the American suggested increasing weight for his next appearance.

Ennis’s promoter Eddie Hearn revealed that talks are underway about the February fight with Vergil Ortiz Jr, as a result of which the fighter from Philadelphia will enhance to 154 pounds and will probably relinquish the belt.

“My performance was okay,” Ennis said DAZN after the fight.

“I think it’s time to move on to ’54.

“I felt good, but I felt that in 1954 I would be much better and my pop would be what it should be.

“Now I’m getting older. I’m 27 years aged. Next year I will be 28 years aged.

Bam attacks Guevara

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez scored another impressive victory, defending his WBC super flyweight title for the first time in his second term as champion with a dominant third-round knockout of Pedro Guevara, who had never been stopped before.

Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KO) finished Guevara (42-5-1, 22 KO) with a keen left hook in the third period, and although the Mexican got the count over, a vicious right uppercut on the restart sent the challenger to the ground on his back and the fight was over. end.

Bam Rodriguez blew Guevara away. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Bam Rodriguez crushed Guevara. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Ford is back to winning ways

Ray Ford lost his WBA featherweight world title to Nick Ball in his last fight, but he made an impressive move up to super featherweight here, defeating Orlando Gonzalez twice en route to a crushing victory on the cards.

Ford (16-1-1, 8 KO) defeated Gonzalez (23-3, 13 KO) in the second round with a right hook, and with the same shot scored another knockdown in the eighth round, then won by two scores of 100–88 and one score 99–89.

Coe stunned by Gallegos

Prospective delicate heavyweight contender Khalil Coe (9-1-1, 7 KO) suffered a shock after his first professional defeat, fell four times before being stopped in the ninth round during his meeting with Manuel Gallegos (21-2-1, 18 KO).

Coe fell four times in the first stunning defeat of his career. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Coe fell four times in the first stunning defeat of his career. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Undercard remaining

The only fighter in the eighth round was a middleweight, and Austin “Ammo” Williams (17-1, 12 KO) returned from a loss to Hamzah Sheeraz in June, defeating Gian Garrido (11-2, 8 KO) in five rounds.

Ismail Muhammad (6-0, 3 KO) won all four rounds in the welterweight division against Nelson Morales (5-19, 2 KO) and Dennis Thompson (3-0, 2 KO) was the winner of the second round in the super bantamweight division against Edgar Ortiz Jr (8-6-2, 4 KO).

Rookie Zaquin Moses (1-0) scored a victory over Michael Ruiz (1-5) in the super featherweight division.

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Interviews

Liam Davies vs. Shabaz Masoud

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Liam Davies has been riding the crest of the wave ahead of his showdown with Masoud. (Photo Credit: Stephen Dunkley, Queensberry)

Davies vs Masoud fight is one of the best domestic offerings of the year (Photo: Queensberry)
Davies vs Masoud fight is one of the best domestic offerings of the year (Photo: Queensberry)

A breathtaking fight of the undefeated will culminate this Saturday at Resorts World in Birmingham, where Liam Davies defends his IBO super bantamweight title for the first time against venerable amateur rival Shabaz Masoud.

TNT Sports will broadcast the Davies vs. Masoud fight live in the UK, with Frank Warren and Queensberry on promotional duties.

Davies (16-0, 8 KO) has made huge progress over the past two years, starting with winning the British title with a handy scoring win against Marc Leach in June 2022. The Telford man backed this victory he overtook Ionut Baluta for the European crown five months later and stopped Jason Cunningham in the round last July to maintain his momentum.

After stopping Vincenzo La Femina in five fights last November, Davies was sidelined once in 2024 and defeated Erik Robles Ayala in two in March to claim the vacant IBO crown, which he defends this weekend.

Liam Davies is riding the wave ahead of his fight with Masoud. (Photo: Stephen Dunkley, Queensberry)
Liam Davies is riding the wave ahead of his fight with Masoud. (Photo: Stephen Dunkley, Queensberry)

Masoud (13-0, 4 KO) has defeated Davies twice in unpaid mode and will be looking to complete a hat-trick here in the professional ranks. The Stoke-on-Trent ‘Maverick’ has only been dropped twice since stopping Jack Bateson in the twelfth and final round in November 2022, with the first time taking a ten-round split decision against Jose Sanmartin in November last year.

While waiting to face Davies, Masoud dismissed Marvin Solano in the first round of their July meeting before winning all eight sessions.

Masoud hopes to upset favorite Queensberry. Photo: Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing
Masoud hopes to upset favorite Queensberry. Photo: Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing

Prediction: This might be a technicality as both will be successful, but I’m leaning towards the more experienced Davies winning the third game, probably clearly on points.

Cameron argues with Berghult.

The card features four ten-round fighters, led by former undisputed super lightweight world champion Chantelle Cameron (19-1, 8 KO). She will face Patricia Berghult (17-1, 4 KO) for the WBC interim title at 140 pounds.

Cameron had two thrillers with Katie Taylor in 2023, winning by majority decision before dropping one in the rematch, but the move to Queensberry was a needy debut for her as she took another majority decision, this time against Elhem Mekhaled.

Berghult is a former WBC super welterweight champion, but her only loss was a crushing loss to Natasha Jonas in September 2022. Since then, she has won two modest six-round victories.

Berghult was well defeated by Natasha Jonas. Photo: Lawrence Lustig/BOXXER
Berghult was well defeated by Natasha Jonas. Photo: Lawrence Lustig/BOXXER

Prediction: Cameron will be looking to impress here and I don’t think Berghult will cause too many problems. Cameron can perform well on the scorecards.

Essuman, James and Taylor return to action.

Ekow Essuman (20-1, 8 KO) is fresh off a thrilling last-round stoppage of Owen Cooper to capture the WBO European welterweight title in July and could set another undefeated record here when defending against Ben Vaughan (10-0, 3 ) KO), who never exceeded six frames. Essuman is selected after being retained at the end.

Essuman is a player who cannot be beaten at the national level. Photo: Queensberry Promotions
Essuman is a player who cannot be beaten at the national level. Photo: Queensberry Promotions

Ethan James (12-1, 0 KO) was beaten by Cooper in his last outing and retired after nine in March in Birmingham, but he can get back to winning ways here, defeating Jermaine Osbourne-Edwards in ten rounds in welterweight and scoring points (11-0, 1 KO).

In the delicate heavyweight division, Ezra Taylor (9-0, 6 KO) may win the fight against Latvian Kristaps Bulmeistars (12-2, 5 KO).

The remainder of the bill covers four circular issues.

Eoghan Lavin (2-0, 0 KO) can win his middleweight match against Remi Scholer (4-12, 1 KO) on points, and in the super flyweight fight Bradley Thompson (5-0, 2 KO) should defeat Sean Jackson ( 0-25-1), on the referee’s card.

Eoghan Lavin is tipped to be a future Irish boxing star (photo: Queensberry X)
Eoghan Lavin is tipped to be a future Irish boxing star (photo: Queensberry X)

Also in the super flyweight division, Mykyle Ahmed (1-0, 1 KO) may need all four sessions to claim victory over Yin Caicedo (10-24-4, 4 KO), while heavyweight debutant Lewis Williams will also likely need time. to raise his hand in the fight against Lamah Griggs (3-9-1, 0 KO).

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