Liam Smith vs. Chris Eubank Jr 2 Betting Tips: Beefy to make it a repeat in Manchester

Eight months removed from their first meeting, Chris Eubank Jr is out to avenge his TKO loss to Liam Smith. The pair return to the scene of the crime at Manchester's AO Arena for this hugely exciting British rematch.

That first fight on January 21st ended in a way that very few predicted. Prior to the fourth-round stoppage, Eubank Jr had never been put down by an opponent, let alone stopped or knocked out. So when "Beefy" put Jr in serious trouble for the first time in his career, the referee was left with no other choice than to call an end to their contest.

But those events weren't without controversy. Eubank Jr maintains that the stoppage was not conclusive, and has repeatedly claimed that Smith landed an elbow in the salvo of punches that brought a close to proceedings. He enters this career-defining rematch with undiminished confidence and resolve to right his wrong.

Smith, of course, denies those allegations, which only stands to make their second exchange even juicier. Both fighters, who are similarly aged and share almost identical records, have stoked the fire of a British rivalry that fans didn't realise they wanted, but now that it's there, they can't take their eyes off it.

Beefy impressed with his approach to that first fight. Every punch was laced with ill intent and looked to carry real power behind it. He put his shots together nicely and left fans speechless with his nine-punch combination that forced the referee to intervene.

Frustratingly, those first three rounds were shaping up for a really entertaining fight before happening to be stopped sooner than we'd have liked. This time out, expect to see a more even battle take place.

There's no denying that Chris Eubank Jr was having some success in those first few rounds against Liam Smith. Between quickly finding range with his jab and reeling off a number of flashy uppercuts, he'll have felt relatively pleased with his showing heading into the fourth.

Between that and the devastation we saw Smith inflict, there's a strong case to be made that we could see both fighters hit the canvas.

This bet landed in their previous dance, when the Liverpudlian followed up his first knockdown with another just seconds later after Jr returned to his feet.

It's easy to forget that Eubank Jr was the favourite for January's meeting, and does still carry a 71.88% knockout rate, making those who count him out from replicating Smith's feat a foolish bunch.

Our guess is that this plays out in the rock-em-sock-em fashion fans are hoping for. Eubank Jr has promised to make this a firefight and we're inclined to believe that'll be his exact game plan in this rematch.

For as skilled and as dogged as Eubank Jr is, something seemed off in his last performance. Perhaps as many have declared the 33-year-old simply struggles too much at the weight, beckoning calls for a step up to super middleweight. He has relied on his granite chin and unrelenting grit but that can only get you so far if weight cuts are leaving you a shell of your former self.

The method of victory proved shocking in January, but Smith now holds that confidence of knowing he can hurt his man. All it will take is a similar situation to that first fight when Eubank Jr was trapped on the ropes for Smith to offload a barrage of punches and potentially remove the decision from the judges' hands.

Eubank Jr probably underestimated Beefy first time around too, so he'll pay him a lot more respect in their second meeting. Given how things panned out, he'll want to keep this fight longer than the last, meaning a stoppage in the back stretch is more likely than a repeat of January's early TKO.

Smith was guilty of waiting too long to make his move, and trainer Joe McNally let him know exactly that at the end of the third. There wasn't much in the opening nine minutes but Smith could have been punished for biding his time and waiting for the right time to pounce.

When all is said and done, it's impossible to keep a fighter like Beefy away for 12 rounds. His constant pressure and stalking will see him get to Eubank Jr at some point, and when he does, we're anticipating that to be this fight's conclusion.