Can Chris Eubank Jr stop Liam Smith in their January 21 grudge match? George Groves says yes

On Saturday, January 21st, Chris Eubank Jr and Liam Smith will clash in a bitter grudge match that is over seven years in the making. Both men come from British boxing dynasties and when they were starting out, they had a sparring match which has ultimately led to this bout.

With Eubank the naturally larger man, Smith claimed that he had inflicted pain on his sparring partner way back when and could step up to 160lbs at any time and win.

Now Liam Smith has put his money where his mouth is, stepping up from light middleweight to face off with Eubank. The winner of this fight will be a natural choice for a world middleweight title shot, an opportunity that is certainly there in the back of both men’s minds.

Speaking to Sky Sports, former super middleweight world champion George Groves, who handed Chris Eubank Jr one of his two career losses, has revealed that he thinks that not only can Eubank win the fight, but that he could actually get the stoppage.

“I’ve got a Eubank win. If he loses it’s his own fault. That sounds like you’re taking something away from Liam Smith. But the truth is Liam Smith is a good, solid, well-rounded pro.”

Groves points out that in order to stop Smith, Eubank will need to work the body perhaps more than he is used to.

“He can be hurt, he can be hurt to the body. If Eubank targets the body I think he might stop him.”

Groves makes clear that this assessment is not to take anything away from Smith.

“He was an elite amateur, he won an ABA title, he’s from a boxing family. He’s been a professional now for 12-plus years and he lives the life, he’s working hard, he’s been in big fights, he’s a former world champion but he’s giving away a lot of size against Eubank, who is not in the company of losing, he’s not in the mindset of losing.”

“If he punches with spite and volume, he might even stop Liam Smith, who has been stopped before by Canelo Alvarez.”

A victory over Smith would put Eubank into the line for a big-money world title challenge, but Groves thinks that a loss would likely end Eubank’s career.

“I think it would be extremely tough to come back from. Never write anyone off in that regard. I don’t know what Eubank’s intentions are after this. I’d love to see him chase a world title fight after this, a middleweight world title fight,” said Groves.

The rest of the fight card in Manchester, England is a tasty one. Apart from this main event, there will be fights including Joseph Parker, Krzystof Glowacki, and Frazer Clarke to whet the appetite. Here is the full list.