Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Smith Odds: Eubank the favourite to beat Smith in grudge match
Chris Eubank Jr will be returning to the ring for the first time since February 2022 against Liam Smith in a fight that promises to be explosive.
Eubank sure knows how to sell a fight and there has been no love lost between the two here. They've been going at it nonstop on social media and their press conference provided a fair few interesting moments, needless to say, these two don't like each other.
We'll be taking a look at the odds for the fight and going through the various markets the bookmakers are offering.
Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Smith Tips
Eubank Jr
Eubank comes into the fight as a decent favourite at around the 2/5 mark. He has looked excellent after his loss to George Groves and despite having frightening knockout power, he has proved to the world he is more than comfortable when it comes to going to the distance and outboxing his opponents. Just one of his last six wins have come via way of knockout which is crazy to think when 72% of his wins have been knockouts.
This change in style can be accredited to his switch in trainers. Eubank struggled with trainers in the past and made the move over to the US to work with Roy Jones Jr and it seems to be working out well for the Brit.
Eubank was all set to fight Conor Benn but following two failed drug tests for Benn the fight was called off just days before it was meant to go ahead. Instead, Eubank will be fighting an opponent that isn’t undefeated but is much more experienced than Benn. Both Eubank and Smith have very similar records with both fighters having 32 wins on their record, but Smith has suffered defeat more than Eubank with three losses on his record and one draw.
The step up has always been tough for Eubank as you could argue he hasn’t delivered on the big occasion multiple times. Billy Joe Saunders was his first big step up and he lost comfortably in the end via decision, he bounced back after that winning eight in a row and then fought George Groves who he then lost to via decision. He did however eventually get his big win against James DeGale but he was past his best at this point.
Thankfully, with Eubank’s change of style, he seems to be more comfortable going the distance which could pay off huge against Liam Smith who has only been stopped once which was a brutal stoppage against Canelo.
Boylesports Enhanced Fight Odds
If you open a new account with Boylesports as well as receiving a £20 free bet on your initial £10 deposit you can also claim enhanced odds of 7/2 (from 5/2) for Eubank to win the fight by KO/TKO with the bookmaker.
#AD 18+. New UK customers (Exc NI) only. Mobile exclusive. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Payment method restrictions. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. T&Cs apply. Prices subject to fluctuation and availability. Max stake £10.
Whilst the trends are pointing to a new Chris Eubank who is more than happy to outbox his opponent, I don’t think that’s the right play. I’m expecting Eubank to go back to his hard-hitting style in this grudge match and finish Liam Smith. Eubank is by far the bigger man and when he wants to, can land some huge punches that will put your lights out.
Eubank is the rightful favorite for this one and with his lack of success in the big fights going the distance, a stoppage could well and truly be the bet. He is 5/2 to win via KO/TKO and it’s 13/8 for the fight to not go the distance. I think they’re both great bets.
Liam Smith
With all that mentioned for Eubank, we can’t count out Liam Smith. Smith has fought the best of the best in his division and more often than not has come out on top with a 32-3-1 record, he is another huge test for Eubank.
The three losses on Smith’s record have been to two undefeated opponents and Canelo Alvarez, there is no shame in those losses and he has taken them on the chin. He has bounced back every time and at the age of 34 he is still knocking people out.
Beefy is currently on a three-fight win streak, all of them coming via way of knockout and they’re against some fairly decent opponents. Whilst it is hard to envision a world where Eubank gets stopped by Smith, crazier things have happened and it’d be foolish to disrespect the punching power of the Liverpudlian.
As mentioned previously, these two are not fans of each other and this could be a feisty one in the ring, I think both fighters are going to be looking for a stoppage as neither of these will be wanting the judge to decide who wins the fight.
With Smith seemingly becoming a knockout artist, this fight could be wide open for some big punches which I think further bolsters the bet for this fight to not go the distance at 13/8. Many are expecting this to be nailed on to go the decision but with both fighters having solid knockout records and the pure hatred between the two, this could see some huge punches landed and good luck getting up from those.