Fri. Nov 22nd, 2024
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Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr pose for pictures at a news conference
Liam Smith is aiming for a fifth stoppage win in a row in June

Chris Eubank Jr says he “enjoyed” his defeat by Liam Smith as the Britons prepare for their rematch on 17 June.

Eubank, 33, activated his rematch clause and on Tuesday said he was “determined” to come back stronger.

“I enjoyed it. I imagine you’ve been in the sport your entire career and something new happens to you, it’s exciting,” he said.

“A lot of guys can’t come back after a big loss.

“It breaks them. It breaks their spirit, it breaks their confidence, it breaks their rhythm.

“For me, it just makes me more determined to improve, to figure why things went wrong and fix those mistakes.

“And that’s exactly what’s going to happen in the rematch.”

In the co-main event in Manchester, Briton Savannah Marshall will face undisputed super-middleweight champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn.

Marshall, 31, has not fought since she lost her own grudge match against Claressa Shields in October, but has a second chance to become undisputed champion.

American Crews-Dezurn holds all four world titles in the division and the only defeat on the 35-year-old’s record is by Shields in 2016.

‘He was falling all over the place’ – Smith

After their last news conference was marred by homophobic taunts and taunts about class, there were no such unsavoury scenes in London this time, aside from a few isolated expletives.

Eubank and Smith were fined by the British Boxing Board of Control for their previous behaviour, but this news conference was at times insightful as well as humorous, as the two fighters bounced off each other, with Smith jumping in to question a reflective Eubank when he could.

At one stage the Liverpudlian wondered aloud if Eubank had paid an audience member to laugh at his jokes.

Smith took particular interest in Eubank’s assertion he could have continued and won the fight had the referee Victor Loughlin not stopped the contest after the second knockdown.

Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr face off
Eubank offered some interesting insight into his feelings about the defeat in January

“The thing I regret is not being given the chance to get through it. I wanted to continue. I want to see if I could overcome that adversity. I feel like I was robbed of that challenge,” Eubank said.

“In my opinion he didn’t stop me. The referee stopped me. In a sense we both got robbed – he got robbed [of the chance] to finish me conclusively.

“And that could have happened. And I got robbed of the opportunity to overcome that bad instance and to maybe come back and win the fight.

“That’s what the fans really want to see.”

Smith replied: “You don’t need to be a genius to see he was falling all over the place.”

‘I’m at world level’ – Marshall

Franchon Crews-Dezurn and Savannah Marshall pose for the media
Crews-Dezurn and Marshall have both lost to Claressa Shields, the only defeat on each of their records

Marshall dives back into the deep end against undisputed champion Crews-Dezurn eight months after suffering the first defeat of her career and losing her WBO world title to Shields.

That was a historic night not just for Marshall but for women’s boxing, as two female fighters headlined at the O2 Arena for the first time.

Marshall was her usual self during the news conference, quietly confident, while Crews-Dezurn offered some verbal sparring for her challenger.

Crews-Dezurn said Marshall was ‘dog walked’ by Shields in their last fight, claimed she was robbed of victory in a test fight against Marshall before London 2012 and suggested the Englishwoman has ducked her in the past.

The American said her “life’s work” was on the line against Marshall.

“When you lose, you get babysit,” Crews-Dezurn told Marshall, looking directly at her across the top table. “You ain’t got nothing. I got it all and I’m going to keep it.”

“We’re here right now and I’m telling you, 17 June is going to be very fun for me,” she added.

“You’ve got a great trainer, but there are some things in boxing you can’t teach and I’ve got what you can’t teach.”

Peter Fury, Marshall’s trainer, said a rematch with Shields at middleweight was the preferred option, but that a deal could not be reached.

“It’s how you come back from defeat. Not about the loss. It’s what you do when everyone says you’re finished,” he said.

Fury praised Marshall and Crews-Dezurn for making the fight, comparing it to the men’s game where the biggest fights often fall by the wayside.

Hartlepool native Marshall insisted there was no option but to step into another big fight.

“How can I go back down to an eight-rounder and build myself again? I believe I’m world level and these are the sorts of fights that I want,” she said.

“I’m coming up 32 now and I’ve been boxed 21 years. If I’m not ready now, I’ll never be ready.

“Time is of the essence.”

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