Chris Eubank Jr banishes demons by stopping Liam Smith to cap off slick showing

Chris Eubank Jr gained revenge against Liam Smith on Saturday, stopping his rival as the Britons returned to the scene of their first clash. Smith dropped Eubank Jr twice at Manchester’s AO Arena in January before the referee waved off the middleweight bout, but the boxers’ roles were reversed on Saturday. In the same building, it was Eubank Jr who dropped Smith twice before securing a TKO in the 10th round. Eubank Jr, 33, looked the slicker fighter all night, switching targets between the head and body while picking his shots wisely. Meanwhile, 35-year-old Smith looked languid and was watching rounds slip away from the first bell. The first knockdown came in the fourth round – the frame in which their first fight ended – as Smith was dropped to a knee and smartly spat out his mouthguard to buy time. In fact, he bought more than he might have imagined, briefly quelling Eubank Jr’s momentum. When the action resumed, Eubank Jr sought a finish but – as it eluded him – he elected patience as the bout wore on. In the 10th round, however, he put down Smith again with a left hook after a fast start to the round. Smith let out a deep breath as he rose to beat the referee’s count, with blood trickling from a cut above his right eye. The Liverpudlian was only delaying the inevitable, however, as Eubank Jr backed him up to the ropes and unloaded shots, overwhelming Smith. Eventually, referee Kevin Parker stepped in to wave off the fight, sealing Eubank Jr’s redemption. “It had to be [revenge], I had no other choice,” Eubank Jr said in the ring, after shaking hands with Smith, who applauded the Brighton-born fighter. “There are too many other big fights out there for me that the fans wanna see me in – and that I wanna be involved in. “Liam is a warrior, I respect him and his whole team, his family – his brothers. He fought until the last second. Big up to Liam and his team. “What happened tonight was supposed to happen in January, but it wasn’t my night. “I’m not a bad guy. I know I got booed when I came in here, there’s a few cheers now – which I appreciate. I’m turning a few people around.” Eubank Jr also called out the retired Kell Brook, who was sat at ringside, and Conor Benn, whom he was due to box last October before Benn’s failed drug tests were revealed. Eubank Jr also named Gennady Golovkin as a desired opponent. Meanwhile, Smith suggested that he had rolled his ankle early in the fight, which marked Eubank Jr’s first outing under Brian “BoMac” McIntyre, who also coaches Terence Crawford. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Finally, Ricky Hatton has his happy ending Errol Spence Jr triggers Terence Crawford rematch clause in bid for redemption The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings Eubank vs Smith LIVE: Results from rematch after late TKO Chris Eubank Jr and Liam Smith in heated debate over decisive factor in rematch Eddie Nketiah wins England call-up – Thursday’s sporting social