Chris Eubank Jr was left with a badly-swollen right eye after his fourth-round stoppage defeat by Liam Smith.
Smith produced a devastating display to upset the odds and leave Eubank Jr's career hanging in the balance when he launched a stunning attack. The Liverpudlian dropped Eubank Jr to the canvas after a barrage of blows in the corner.
Although the son of a legend rose to his feet and convinced the referee to allow him to continue, Eubank Jr was soon down again and this time the fight was waved off. But the beaten man will be reminded of his defeat when he wakes up as he began to sport a huge bulge under his eye.
With the build-up overshadowed by unpleasant exchanges during Thursday’s final pre-fight press conference, there was little love lost between the fighters as they walked out to a packed AO Arena. Smith, a former WBO light-middleweight champion with 32 wins from 36 fights, made the better start and although Eubank Jr recovered, he was put down twice in the fourth before the referee stepped in to end the contest.
With the public slanging match done and the action finally under way, it was Liverpudlian Smith who made an early impact when landing a short right hand in the first round. Eubank Jr regrouped for the second, following up a jab with a couple of slick combinations as he looked to get back on level terms and then broke through with some uppercuts in the third round.
The contest, though, was brought to a swift conclusion in the fourth round when Smith forced Eubank Jr into the corner and then sent him onto the canvas with a left uppercut and hook combination. Although Eubank Jr bravely got back to his feet, he was soon down again from another right-hand shot which prompted referee Victor Loughlin to step in and give Smith a fourth straight victory which puts him in prime position for a shot at a second world title.
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Earlier on the undercard, Richard Riakporhe put himself in the frame for a world title shot as he stopped former WBO cruiserweight champion Krzysztof Glowacki in the fourth round. ‘The Midnight Train’ had troubled Glowacki with a booming right hand shot in the second round and remained on the front foot.
Londoner Riakporhe, 33, went on the offensive again in the fourth and pushed Glowacki into the corner, with the referee swiftly stepping in to save the Polish fighter further punishment. Former heavyweight champion Joseph Parker defeated Derbyshire’s Jack Massey on points after 10 rounds.
In a first fight since losing against Joe Joyce in September, New Zealander Parker outscored Massey, who has stepped up from cruiserweight, in a unanimous decision. Ekow Essuman retained his British and Commonwealth welterweight titles on a majority decision over Chris Kongo, with one of the judges scoring the contest even.
