British boxing takes the spotlight on Saturday when middleweights Chris Eubank Jr. and Liam Smith clash in a middleweight fight. The winner of this Eubank Jr. and Smith fight will move closer to a middleweight title fight, while the loser will slide further down the ranks and will struggle to make a case for a future title shot, even with an impressive streak of wins.
The final press conference deteriorated into a chaotic scene with personal and homophobic shots landed, adding fuel to an already explosive situation. We’ll review the recent performances and odds before making our Eubank Jr. vs Smith fight predictions.
Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Liam Smith Information
Chris Eubank Jr. (32-2-0, 23 KOs) vs. Liam Smith (32-3-1, 19 KOs) – Middleweight (12 Rounds)
Location of the game: AO Arena, Manchester, United Kingdom
Date: Saturday, January 21 | Main Card – 1:00 PM ET | Main Event – 5:15 PM ET.
How to watch: DAZN | Sky Sports Box Office
Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Liam Smith Info and Analysis
Eubank Jr. Performance Recap and Analysis
Chris Eubank Jr. enters the ring on Saturday night as the fourth-ranked middleweight in the world with a 32-2-0 record, scoring 23 knockouts in his career. Eubank Jr. won his last fight via unanimous decision on February 5th, 2022, dropping Liam Williams four times in the fight.
Chris Eubank Jr. is a former 2-time WBA interim middleweight and IBO super-middleweight champion, along with the British Middleweight title in 2016. Eubank Jr. has never been knocked down in his career, while his last loss was in the World Boxing Super Series to George Groves at super-middleweight in 2018.
Eubank Jr. has won six-straight fights since the loss to Groves, including three stoppages. However, two of those stoppages were due to retirement, with one stoppage being a shoulder injury to Matvey Korobov.
Liam Smith Performance Recap and Analysis
Liam Smith is riding into Saturday night’s fight confident that his sparring experience with Eubank Jr. has given him a blueprint to beat the favored Eubank Jr. While Chris Eubank Jr. has been dismissive of Smith’s claims, stating he doesn’t remember the sparring session as anything memorable as he batters all of his sparring partners, Smith remembers the sparring session vividly.
Smith has used this sparring history and a contractual rematch clause in mental warfare with Eubank Jr., looking for any advantage he can.
Liam Smith is the fifth-ranked super-middleweight and has a 32-3-1 record, winning 19 fights via stoppage. Smith has won three-straight fights via TKO, including stopping Jessie Vargas in the tenth round after peppering him with constant shots and pressure to get the referee to step in.
Liam Smith has a history of being cut over the eye, having four notable cuts, including in back-to-back fights against Anthony Fowler in 2021 and Vargas in 2022. Smith has been knocked down four times in his career over two fights, and he lost both of those fights.
Jaime Munguia knocked Smith down in the sixth round on July 21st, 2018. However, Smith stuffed three knockdowns and was stopped in the ninth round by Canelo Alvarez on September 17th, 2016. However, all three knockdowns were on body shots.
Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Liam Smith Odds
Before we can make our Eubank Jr. vs Smith fight picks, we need to check the boxing odds to make the best boxing predictions.
Chris Eubank Jr. is the moneyline favorite, listed at -300. Liam Smith is the moneyline underdog with +225 odds.
Bookies setting the odds for boxing tonight think the Eubank Jr. vs Smith fight will see the scorecards. The total rounds betting line is set to 10.5 rounds, with the over listed at -300 and the under is listed at +225.
However, if you like to bet on boxing, then there are numerous prop bet lines available. There are so many prop betting lines, like round-by-round betting on either fighter to win or to bet on an individual fighter to finish the fight in a certain round or within a group of rounds.
Will This Fight Go the Distance?
There are also alternative total round lines, ranging from 2.5 rounds to a high of 10.5 rounds. We’ll highlight some of our favorite prop bets for the Eubank Jr. vs. Smith fight.
One of our favored lines is a question with a yes or no answer: will this fight go the distance? The odds for the fight going the distance and being decided by the judge’s scorecards are -250, while the odds for the fight ending before the twelfth round are listed at +200.
Chris Eubank Jr. to win by stoppage or disqualification is listed at +225, while Eubank Jr. to win via decision is listed at +110. Smith to win by stoppage or disqualification s listed at +1100, while Smith to win via decision is listed at +330.
The odds for the Eubank Jr. vs Smith fight to go to a draw or a technical draw is listed at +1400
Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Liam Smith Betting Picks
Chris Eubank Jr. and Liam Smith share a common opponent: Liam Williams. Both fighters defeated Williams, with Eubank Jr. dropping Williams four times and scoring a unanimous decision victory in his last fight. Smith fought Williams twice in 2017. Smith won the first matchup via retirement when the doctor’s stopped the fight due to a double laceration compromising his vision.
Notably, Smith was cut in this fight and struggled to make the super-middleweight weight limit for the fight. Smith won the second fight via majority decision, with three very different judges’ scorecards.
With all of the information, let’s make our Eubank Jr. vs Smith fight picks.
Who Will Win?
Eubank Jr. is the better fighter and should be working the body and pressing Smith all night long. Eubank Jr. should focus on the body and use Canelo’s blueprint of left hooks to the liver to hurt Smith while using his jab when Smith turns up the pressure.
Smith is going to use a high guard and charge forward, mixing his shots up. Because of this style, Smith is more likely to get another cut over the eye from a clash of heads in tight. However, being close and pressing the action is where Smith succeeded in stopping Vargas.
Moreover, will Smith struggle to make the middleweight limit? He has struggled to make the super-middleweight limit in the past, so this could be an issue in a lighter-weight class. You should check the weigh-in results, which could give you information and more betting options.
Our pick is to take Chris Eubank Jr. to win this fight via decision. Both fighters have been very durable in their careers, making the oddsmakers belief that this fight will go the distance more likely.
Our Boxing Picks: Eubank Jr. to win, over 10.5 rounds
Fight to Go the Distance: Yes
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.