British boxing’s midwinter hiatus ends on Saturday night in Cardiff as Chris Eubank Jr and Liam Williams meet in a grudge middleweight match which promises to be as bitter in the ring as it has been in the acrimonious buildup. Eubank Jr and Williams are both running out of time and opportunities at the highest level and defeat for either fighter will come as a heavy blow.
The British Boxing Board of Control put the sport into a self-imposed lockdown throughout January “to allow doctors and medical experts to prioritise their work with the NHS during the pandemic.” The doctors’ crucial work at ringside, while monitoring the risk and damage that boxers face, resumes in Cardiff in front of a sold-out arena. They will be especially vigilant when Eubank and Williams enter the ring. While neither man is an elite-level fighter, they offer a sobering reminder of boxing’s dangerous undertow.
