Chris Eubank Jr has said he ‘enjoyed’ the ‘new experience’ of being dropped in his fight with Liam Smith, as the Britons prepare for a rematch.
Smith defeated Eubank Jr in the fourth round of their middleweight bout in January, in what was widely deemed an upset, and the pair will clash at the AO Arena in Manchester again on 17 June.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday (25 April), Eubank Jr, 33, discussed his first fight with Smith, 34, saying: “I’ve been hurt – of course I’ve been hurt, I’ve been buzzed. [But] I’d never been dropped, never been on the canvas.
“So, yeah, it was a new experience. I enjoyed it. You know, it was something. Imagine you’ve been in a sport your entire career, and something new happens to you. It’s exciting.
“The thing I regret is not being given the chance to kind of get through it. As you guys saw, I wanted to continue; I wanted to see if I could overcome that adversity, and I feel like I was robbed of that challenge.
“It didn’t really sit well with me that I wasn’t given every opportunity to recover [...] I think every fighter, especially if they’re demanding to continue, should be given the opportunity. I’m a grizzled veteran in the sport, I know how much I can take and when I can’t go on.
“In my opinion, he didn’t stop me; the referee stopped me.”
Eubank Jr’s loss to Smith was the third of his professional career. His previous losses as a pro came on points against Billy Joe Saunders and George Groves.
Meanwhile, Liverpudlian Smith improved his record to 33-3-1 with the win over Eubank Jr.
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