Eddie Hearn has donated £1,000 to charity after winning a bet when Liam Smith defeated Chris Eubank Jr.
Eubank Jr went toe-to-toe with bitter rival Smith in a domestic pay-per-view clash at the weekend, which saw him knocked out in devastating fashion after being on the receiving end of a fourth round barrage. Many were surprised by the result, with 'NextGen' the marginal favourite going into proceedings.
It will now be a tough ask for Eubank Jr to rebuild his career after suffering a third defeat on his record, but he could yet receive an opportunity to take an immediate rematch. Despite it being a tough night for Eubank Jr, it was a much better evening for promoter Hearn who shook on a bet with Napper Fitness from Nova Sport Management that Smith would defeat the 33-year-old.
Hearn posted a clip of the pair agreeing to the bet on his Instagram story, before providing proof of his donation to charity Haven House Children's Hospice who care for children with life-threatening conditions. Influencer Napper Fitness later issued a statement following the wager which read: “Eddie was a stand up guy and told me to donate his winnings to charity.
"So we donated it to Haven House Children’s Hospice. I know these types of donations make a big difference to smaller charities I was absolutely confident Chris was going to win this fight being the bigger guy. George Groves, Arthur Abraham and James DeGale couldn’t hurt or beat Chris. With Liam being smaller than them I just couldn’t see how he would pose a threat.”
Napper Fitness and Merah Vodianova have launched Nova Sport Management and have signed Eubank Jr has one of their first clients. They worked with him for years before and are working with him to represent fighters through grassroots from around the world.
What did you make of Chris Eubank Jr's performance against Liam Smith? Let us know in the comments section below
Hearn later revealed in an interview that he had watched the fight with interest given his previous working relationship with Smith. And he appeared to heap a portion of the blame on Eubank Jr's cornerman Roy Jones Jr for the surprise loss. He told iFL TV: “I saw what we knew, which is Liam Smith is very good, very composed against another guy who is completely lost in his boxing.
“Technically, Eubank has never been great, but what he’s always had is a fearless mentality, a great chin and a great engine. What he’s done with Roy Jones is completely take all of those assets away and try and build things that he either hasn’t got or he isn’t capable of having. It was such a novice display in terms of defence, going back in straight lines with his chin up in the air, and he looked lost.
“Even in the ring walk, he has this unbelievable aura, Junior, and I felt for him because I feel like he’s had a lot happen in his life, unfortunate things, and I think sometimes we don’t realise how difficult it has been for him to deal with those things.”
