On The Watch “It’s All About Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr. 2″

Middleweight Throwdown

Tonight’s Sky Sport/Boxxer Main Event was a much-needed rematch between Liam Smith (33-4-1, 20 Kos) and Chris Eubank Jr. (33-3, 24 Kos) at the AO Arena in Manchester Lancaster, UK where the outcome of this bout was completely different from their first encounter.

Tonight, Eubank Jr. came into this bout calm and laser focussed with one mission in mind, to rectify and redeem himself from the brutal loss obtained from Liam’s hands seven months ago.

With new head trainer Brian “Bomac” McIntyre leading his corner, Eubank showed dominance once again right from the jump but this time followed the “game plan” constructed and did not miss a beat. Eubank systematically broke Liam down round by round disabling his opponent from ever getting his offense going. Eubank showed way more activity with his punch output and a strong steady jab that kept Liam covered up with nothing to answer with. This version of Eubank seemed too much for Liam inside that squared circle. Liam was being battered around like a punching bag round by round and eventually succumbed to a right uppercut that dropped him for a quick 8 count. However, he survived the round due to the referee taking his sweet time collecting his displaced gum shield and bringing it to his corner giving Liam more time to recover.

Regardless of the referee’s stalling tactics, Eubank continued his dominance by administering constant pressure with some very good work from the body to the head coming from all angles with no real resistance from his opponent. This was a one-sided beatdown that continued all the way to the tenth round where Liam was at the receiving end of a barrage of punches that eventually sat him down once again for another 8 count that saw him rise up to his feet only to again receive another onslaught of abuse prompting the referee to step in and stop the bout.

With this dominant performance over Liam, Eubank has now silenced all the naysayers who doubted his capabilities inside that squared circle. This was a must win for Eubank and tonight he showed improvement and discipline under the guidance of McIntyre.

I’m intrigued to see how well this partnership can be, until then congratulations Chris on another resounding performance.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Chris Eubank Jr. vs Liam Smith”

Middleweight Throwdown

Tonight’s Sky Sports/Boxxer Main Event between Chris Eubank Jr. (32-3, 23 Kos) and Liam Smith (33-3-1, 20 Kos) at the Manchester Lancaster, UK was a proper domestic showdown that shocked the fans in attendance and the world watching. Real Talk!

Former WBO Light Middleweight Champion Liam moved up in weight to challenge the former WBA Interim Middleweight Champion Eubank Jr. at the full Middleweight Division and asserted himself quite well at the new weight and stood his ground going toe-to-toe with the naturally bigger man inside that squared circle.

While Eubank used a nice stiff jab from the jump to keep Liam at bay, Smith kept coming forward never deterred in applying as much pressure as he could round by round.

Both combatants had their moments looking very active with their hands but in the third round, it looked like Eubank was about to take the lead until the unexpected happened throughout the fourth round when Liam backed Eubank to the corner and teed off on him with a series of accurate punches that dropped Eubank for the first time in his career. Although Eubank did get up, he clearly had no legs or the sense to survive the round. Seeing Eubank visibly hurt, Liam wasted no time at putting Eubank out of his misery by seizing the moment and dropping him to the canvas one more time prompting the referee to stop the bout at 1:09 of round four. Unbelievable!

No disrespect to Liam who is a good fighter, I never anticipated this type of finish by his hands. Liam flattened Eubank who was said to be the bigger and stronger fighter of the two in such a devastating fashion never seen before by any of his previous opponents. This is the type of finish that has you rethinking what the hell went wrong.

The build-up to this bout had a lot of heat from both sides but it was Liam who walked it like he talked it and stole the show in the blink of an eye.

This bout was a great domestic win for Liam but it was also the type of win that will bring up even greater opportunities ahead in the 154- or 160-pound Division.

Congratulations Liam, you walked inside that squared circle the underdog but walked out the “Top Dog” of the night. Well done!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Chris Eubank Jr. vs Liam Williams”

Middleweight Throwdown

Tonight’s grudge match between Chris Eubanks Jr. (32-2, 23 Kos) and Liam Williams (23-4-1, 18 Kos) at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff Wales got put to bed indefinitely.

Eubank Jr. got himself into a proper dust up with Liam and handled him accordingly. There was a lot of animosity going back and forth prior to the bout but things got settled fittingly inside that squared circle.

Chris came out the gate quite composed and proceeded with a proper “game plan” that saw the aggressive Williams get dropped in round 1, 2, 4 and 11. That said, Liam put up a good fight and stayed competitive but clearly underestimated Chris’ boxing abilities inside that squared circle.

Chris walked it like he talked it and proceeded to give Liam a proper beating for the trash talking he gave up prior to the bout. It was clear to me that Chris wanted to punish Liam round after round instead of knocking him out when it presented itself and in doing so gave Liam hope as the rounds progressed.

That being said, after 12 full rounds of action the Judges scored it 116-109, 116108 and 117109 all in favor of Chris Eubank Jr.

Haters will talk their talk as usual but truth be told Junior has showed mass improvement under the guidance of Roy Jones Jr. hands down.

With this convincing win Eubanks edges one step closer to a title shot either with the WBA where he is ranked No. 1 or with the WBC where he is ranked No. 3. with the governing bodies.

Until then, keep working on perfecting your craft, Chris.  Your time will come – just stay ready for that call.

Blaze

On the Watch “It’s All About Chris Eubank Jr. vs Marcus Morrison”

Middleweight Showdown

Chris Eubank Jr. (30-2, 22 Kos) had himself some much-needed rounds tonight on the Matchroom/DAZN card at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England when he took on Marcus Morrison (23-4, 16 Kos).

No disrespect to Marcus who was a tough Dude that showed up ready to fight, but it was clear after round 2 that Marcus was way over his head and did not belong inside that squared circle with Chris. As the rounds were piling up you could clearly see that Chris was purposely keeping him around in order to get some rounds in. I don’t blame him for doing so considering Chris hadn’t fought in 17 months and was working with a new trainer in Roy Jones Jr. in his corner.

Chris was visibly capable of stopping Marcus whenever he pressed the action but personally, I was pleased in seeing Chris listening to his corner and executing the instructions given while boxing with patience and dominating his opponent with ease.

After 10 full rounds of action all three Judges scored it 98-92, 98-92, 98-92, in favor of Eubank. Job well done.

I can definitely see the positive work you’ve been putting in with Roy Jones – now keep at it and keep the momentum going.

Until then, congratulations on your win.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About James DeGale vs Chris Eubank Jr.”

IBO Super Middleweight Championship

Tonight’s domestic British dust up at the O2 Arena between James DeGale (25-3-1, 15 Kos) and Chris Eubank Jr. (28-2, 21 Kos) wasn’t pretty but definitely a good showing by Eubank who dropped DeGale two times to win the bout by unanimous decision with the score of 114-112, 115-112 and 117-109.

Eubank showed a lot of patience under new Head Coach Nate Vasquez. As the rounds wore on you could see Eubank working his way through the “Game Plan” as required. DeGale tried hard by making it real ugly with his excessive holding but Eubank stuck with it and out-work and out-punched DeGale round by round.

At times Eubank threw some heavy wild punches but when composed, he connected efficiently and made them count. Eubank pretty much controlled the bout from start to finish and was never in any danger.

As for DeGale, he looked like a shell of himself, he fought tentatively and seemed to be in retreat mode throughout the entire fight. It was sad to see such a decorated British boxer succumb to this at this point in his career. No disrespect, but this loss will require DeGale to do some serious soul searching and re-evaluate his future in Boxing. James talked a good game to the build-up of it but failed miserably under the bright lights tonight.

That being said, this bout was by far Eubank’s most improved showing to date. It’s clear he’s still a work in progress under Coach Nate Vasquez but tonight’s convincing victory over DeGale is a good sign of better things to come.

Congratulations Chris on becoming once again IBO Super Middleweight Champion. Now on to the next!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About James DeGale vs Chris Eubank Jr.”

Super Middleweight Challenge

Rumors have been swirling around for quite some time and now it has officially been confirmed. The domestic British dust up between James DeGale (25-2-1, 15 Kos) and Chris Eubank Jr. (27-2, 21 Kos) is set to take place on February 23, 2019 at London’s O2 Arena.

The trash talking between the two combatants has been going on for years and it’s only fitting to end all talks inside that squared circle. There’s a lot on the table here. A loss for either combatant will have a serious gut check when it’s all said and done.

This bout is more about “Pride Fighting” then “Prize Fighting”. A lot has been said about where both warriors are at in their respective careers to date. Some in the boxing community see DeGale as a shot fighter on the decline while others in the boxing community see Eubank Jr. as an underachiever who chokes when tested by legitimate competitors.

I personally, see this bout as an opportunity for either combatant to show the naysayers that they still got what it takes to get bigger and better fights in the Super Middleweight Division. It’s “Show and Prove” time. Enough with the talking it’s time to step up and back it up.

Eubank Jr. is the younger of the two with less mileage. He’s at a peak point of his career and has serious skills inside that squared circle when focused. with a full-time trainer now by his side, it’s time for Eubank Jr. to perform and steal the show.

DeGale keeps talking about this bout being a “retirement fight” for the loser but truth be told he needs to step up his own game up to avoid that specific outcome on February 23, 2019. He could be the odd man out if he doesn’t come correct and focused come fight night.

There is absolutely no shortage of confidence when it comes to these two opponents, but truth be told the pressure is on 100 for them two to deliver and look convincing doing it.

The winner at the O2 Arena on Saturday night February 23, 2019 will get a positive boost within the Super Middleweight Division and possibly a Championship bout looming on the horizon?

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About George Groves vs Chris Eubank Jr.”

World Boxing Super Series (WBSS)

Tonight at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, George Groves (28-3, 20Kos) humbled Chris Eubank Jr. (26-2, 20Kos) by successfully defeating him for the IBO and Super WBA Super Middleweight titles.

This bout wasn’t a pretty one but I have to tip my “B” hat to Groves for sticking to the game plan and neutralizing Eubank’s high volume offence. There are levels to this boxing sh*t and Groves backed it up by proving to all the naysayers and myself that he’s a notch above what Eubank possesses. The better man literally won tonight hands down.

I was confused and disappointed by Eubank’s passive approach. He did not have the right game plan to stunt on Groves’ tonight. Eubank talked a good game to the build up of the bout but simply got outclassed on that big stage come fight night. This was supposed to be a big bout for Eubank but tonight my man dropped the ball heavily. He let an extremely great opportunity slip through his hands.

Tonight’s World Boxing Super Series Super Middleweight semifinals winner George Groves proved to the remaining competitors why he’s the number one seed in the Muhammad Ali Tournament.

Congratulations Groves on your highly convincing win tonight, now on to the Finals.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About George Groves vs Chris Eubank Jr.”

World Boxing Super Series (WBSS)

In his first fight of the World Boxing Super Series Saturday night October 14, 2017, George Groves’ (27-3, 20 Kos) number one seed and WBA Super Middleweight Titleholder successfully defended his title by knocking out previously undefeated challenger Jamie Cox (24-1 13 Kos) in just four rounds at Wembley Arena in London, United Kingdom. Congratulations George for this emphatic statement.

To me size and experience played a major factor in this bout. Jamie Cox looked good in short spurts but definitely not long enough to do any serious damage to Groves.
Tonight George was just too strong and physical for a limited and inexperienced Jamie Cox. Maybe the stage and the moment were just too much for Cox to take in.

With this win Groves will now advance to the World Boxing Super Series Semi-Finals where a very eager fellow British countryman, IBO Super Middleweight Titleholder Chris “Next Gen” Eubank Jr. (26-1, 20 Kos) is awaiting to take his beloved WBA strap away from him.

The Semi-Finals of the World Boxing Super Series Groves vs Eubank Jr., in January or February if all goes according to plan will be a very intriguing fight considering they have past sparring history with stories for days depending on who you ask.

Styles make fights and this domestic bout between them two Kats on such a big stage is bound to be breathtaking. Eubank Jr. is the newbie in the Middleweight Division while Groves has been vacationing in the Division far longer then him. Groves is the No. 1 seed in the tournament trying to carve his name in the History books while Eubank Jr. is on a mission of attempting to take over the Division the only way he knows how with a high work rate style unmatched by his opponent.

When this bout comes into fruition it might just be the most highly anticipated matched up of the World Boxing Super Series. Your thoughts on this one?

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About Chris Eubank Jr. vs Avni Yildirim”

World Boxing Super Series (WBSS)

Tonight, Saturday October 7, 2017, at Hanns-Martin-Schleyer in Stuttgart, Germany, Chris Eubank Jr. (26-1, 20Kos) successfully defended his IBO Super Middleweight World Title vs Avni Yildirim (16-1, 10Kos) in taking part of the quarterfinals of the Super Middleweight Division in the World Boxing Super Series.

From the jump Eubank Jr. showed Yildirim what it meant being in the ring with him. There are levels to this sh*t. Eubank Jr. came in that squared circle focused, determined and ready to put on a show.

Tonight, Chris Eubank Jr.’s performance was proof of that flawlessness when he dismantled previously undefeated Avni Yildirim with a third round knockout. REAL TALK!

With such a convincing win Chris has put the other competitors in the Super Middleweight Tournament on notice. Congratulations Champ you are one-step closer to your goal. Who’s next?

Blaze