Liam Smith has apologised for his flat display against Chris Eubank Jr after he was stopped in the tenth round of their grudge match in Manchester on Saturday.
The Liverpudlian went into the rematch as the slight favourite after stunning ‘Next Gen’ in their first fight earlier this year with a knockout of his own, but he looked off the pace from the first bell and was punished by his rival throughout.
Smith looked as though he had trouble with his footwork and balance – which he had attributed to a gruelling weight cut for the fight – and he has now posted on social media graciously admitting defeat and congratulating his opponent.
‘We shout when we win and I can take defeat if I lose,’ he said on Instagram alongside a picture of him clapping while Eubank’s hand was raised on the night.
‘Gutted about how I lost but, the performance speaks for itself. All I will say, my family, my team and all my fans, I’m sorry and I love you all. 100 per cent i’ll be back for [you lot].
Liam Smith has graciously accepted his defeat to Chris Eubank Jr and apologised to his fans
Smith said he was ‘gutted’ about the nature of his loss and congratulated Eubank Jr
Smith was dominated by Eubank Jr in their rematch in Manchester before being stopped in the 10th round
‘Congrats to Chris, he boxed well, and has evened the score!!!’
Smith’s humility marks a change in attitude from the pre-fight taunts he had exchanged with Eubank Jr in the build-up to both fights. In the final press conference before their clash on Saturday, Smith goaded him over his lack of ‘intelligence’.
‘You are trying to convince people you’re intelligent? You’ve been fit, you’ve been durable, you have an engine, but you’ve never been classed as intelligent.’
And last month he had labelled him ‘deluded’ after Eubank Jr claimed he was dominated their last fight in January before he was stopped.
‘I was complacent after the third round of success, I guess maybe I got a little bit too comfortable and paid the price,’ said Eubank.
Smith hit back: ‘Are you really that deluded that you’re drawing on that twenty second period at the end of round three – are you really drawing on that for some confidence?’
Smith claimed he was left feeling ‘flat’ after a gruelling weight cut for the showdown
However, Smith was gracious in the aftermath of his defeat, though he insisted he felt ‘flat’ from the off after struggling with the weight cut.
‘You don’t have to be a genius to see how flat [I was] from 40 seconds of the fight.
‘I think everyone knows and Chris knows how I was with the weight, to say at the weigh-in.
‘After the injury, I came down three stone and so [that is] a lot of weight to shift in a short space of time.
‘But that’s all I can put my finger on, I was flat, flat as they come from the get go I couldn’t move my feet and Chris was sharp early on so fair play to him.
‘Chris was the better man tonight. I shout when I win, I take my defeat when I lose.’