{"id":286414,"date":"2023-09-05T16:35:51","date_gmt":"2023-09-05T16:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/?p=286414"},"modified":"2023-09-05T16:35:51","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T16:35:51","slug":"liam-smith-apologises-to-his-team-for-stoppage-defeat-to-eubank-jr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/boxing\/liam-smith-apologises-to-his-team-for-stoppage-defeat-to-eubank-jr\/","title":{"rendered":"Liam Smith apologises to his team for stoppage defeat to Eubank Jr"},"content":{"rendered":"
Liam Smith has apologised for his flat display against Chris Eubank Jr after he was stopped in the tenth round of their grudge match in Manchester on Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Liverpudlian went into the rematch as the slight favourite after stunning ‘Next Gen’ in their first fight earlier this year with a knockout of his own, but he looked off the pace from the first bell and was punished by his rival throughout.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Smith looked as though he had trouble with his footwork and balance – which he had attributed to a gruelling weight cut for the fight – and he has now posted on social media graciously admitting defeat and congratulating his opponent.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘We shout when we win and I can take defeat if I lose,’ he said on Instagram alongside a picture of him clapping while Eubank’s hand was raised on the night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘Gutted about how I lost but, the performance speaks for itself. All I will say, my family, my team and all my fans, I\u2019m sorry and I love you all. 100 per cent i’ll be back for [you lot].<\/p>\n
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Liam Smith has graciously accepted his defeat to Chris Eubank Jr and apologised to his fans<\/p>\n
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Smith said he was ‘gutted’ about the nature of his loss and congratulated Eubank Jr<\/p>\n
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Smith was dominated by Eubank Jr in their rematch in Manchester before being stopped in the 10th round<\/p>\n
‘Congrats to Chris, he boxed well, and has evened the score!!!’<\/p>\n
Smith’s humility marks a change in attitude from the pre-fight taunts he had exchanged with Eubank Jr in the build-up to both fights. In the final press conference before their clash on Saturday, Smith goaded him over his lack of ‘intelligence’.<\/p>\n
‘You are trying to convince people you’re intelligent? You’ve been fit, you’ve been durable, you have an engine, but you’ve never been classed as intelligent.’<\/p>\n
And last month he had labelled him ‘deluded’ after Eubank Jr claimed he was dominated their last fight in January before he was stopped.<\/p>\n
‘I was complacent after the third round of success, I guess maybe I got a little bit too comfortable and paid the price,’ said Eubank.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Smith hit back: ‘Are you really that deluded that you’re drawing on that twenty second period at the end of round three – are you really drawing on that for some confidence?’<\/p>\n
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Smith claimed he was left feeling ‘flat’ after a gruelling weight cut for the showdown<\/p>\n
However, Smith was gracious in the aftermath of his defeat, though he insisted he felt ‘flat’ from the off after struggling with the weight cut.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘You don’t have to be a genius to see how flat [I was] from 40 seconds of the fight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘I think everyone knows and Chris knows how I was with the weight, to say at the weigh-in.<\/p>\n
‘After the injury, I came down three stone and so [that is] a lot of weight to shift in a short space of time.<\/p>\n
‘But that’s all I can put my finger on, I was flat, flat as they come from the get go I couldn’t move my feet and Chris was sharp early on so fair play to him.<\/p>\n
‘Chris was the better man tonight. I shout when I win, I take my defeat when I lose.’\u00a0<\/p>\n