Chris Eubank Jr 32-3 (23) has no chance of defeating Liam Smith 33-3-1 (20) in their rematch at the AO Arena in Manchester, England this Saturday night because he is simply not good enough.
That is the view of retired former WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew.
The 33-year-old Eubank came up short in their first bout at the same venue in January when he was dropped twice in the fourth round and stopped.
Bellew believes veteran Smith, 35, has the right combination of amateur pedigree and pro experience at the top level to add another loss to Eubank’s ledger.
“I just think it will be a repeat of the first match but I don’t think he’ll knock him out this time,” Bellew said to Betting Sites.
“Liam’s from a fighting family, one of four and all of them have been fantastic fighters. They’ve done our city proud.
“I think Liam’s too clever, too strong and a better boxer. Liam has a better pedigree and is just a better all round boxer. He’s had to earn everything. He’s done it the hard way.
“Chris Eubank Jr has never been rated. Well I shouldn’t say never been rated, he’s never been a good boxer.
“Liam’s a former ABA champion and former world champion, British champion. He’s ticked all these boxes and nothing has been given to him, he’s had to earn everything. The fact is Chris Eubank Jr is just not as good as Liam Smith and he never will be.”
While it has been business as usual for Smith in the lead up to this bout, Eubank has made some changes to his camp in the hope of finding the extra edge he will need to get one over the former WBO junior middleweight champion in their 160-pound fight.
After sacking International Boxing Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr as his coach following the Smith loss, Eubank appointed Brian ‘Bomac’ McIntyre as his new trainer.
McIntyre has become one of the hottest commodities in boxing in recent years after training Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford 40-0 (31) to world championships in three separate weight classes, including undisputed status at both junior welterweight and welterweight as well as the number one slot on many reputable pound-for-pound lists.
The question is whether he can instill the necessary changes in Eubank in just one camp.
Bellew says the answer is a clear no.
“He’s being trained by Brian ‘Bomac’ McIntyre for this fight and he also trains Terence Crawford but unfortunately you’re not Terence Crawford. You can’t do what he can do,” Bellew continued.
“Terence Crawford is the pound-for-pound number one fighter in the whole world. By employing BoMac you’re not just going to magically turn into the best fighter in the world.”
