Eubank Jr v Smith: Next Gen favourite to beat British rival
Published:
Chris Eubank Jr is the clear favourite at 2/5 to get the better of Liam Smith when the pair meet at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday night.
There has been no love lost between the pair in the build-up to the fight as we look at the options in the Eubank Jr v Smith odds.
Long wait for Eubank
Eubank is finally returning to the ring after his fight with Conor Benn in October was called off when the latter failed a drugs test.
Next Gen last fought in early February when he knocked down Liam Williams three times in the opening four rounds before going on to secure a unanimous points win in their grudge middleweight contest at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff.
Eubank now has 32 wins – 23 inside the distance – and two defeats in his professional career, and has insisted throughout the build-up that he only needs to be at 50 per cent to prevail against 34-year-old Smith.
The 33-year-old said: “I’m cutting weight right now, so I’m at a good solid 44-45 per cent right now, but I’ll be a strong 50 per cent on the night and that will be more than enough to take care of the man on my left.”
𝐕𝐎𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐄 𝐔𝐏! How HEATED was yesterday's face-off! 🔊🤬#EubankSmith pic.twitter.com/4yCHBCPe2K
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) January 20, 2023
Smith (32-3-1, 19KOs) poured scorn on that assertion ahead of a bout in which both fighters can put themselves back into world title contention with a win.
Smith said: “That’s Chris being Chris. Nobody believes him. He doesn’t believe that himself.”
Strong support for Smith
Smith is the 11/5 underdog but the Liverpudlian is likely to have the majority of the support and the former WBO light-middleweight champion is no stranger to the big occasions, having fought Canelo Alvarez in front of more than 50,000 fans in Texas.
Speaking about Eubank, he said: “He’s making a big mistake fighting me in front of thousands of my fans in the north-west.
“Every time he has fought at the top level, he has failed. I know I am at that level and I’m confident he’ll lose again.”
Smith’s three defeats have all been against world-class fighters and the Eubank Jr v Smith odds suggest a long night with the fight just 1/2 to go the distance.
Eubank is 11/10 to win on points and 13/8 to get a unanimous decision while Smith is 4/1 to get the verdict despite his opponent having a weight advantage.
Eubank is 5/4 to score a knockdown in Coral’s #YourCall betting market while both fighters to be knocked down is 11/1.
Either fighter to win by split decision is priced at 7/2 while either to win after being knocked down is 9/2.
All odds and markets correct at date of publication
