Liam Smith said any rematch with Chris Eubank Jr will be "on my terms" after the former world champion produced a devastating fourth-round stoppage victory in Manchester on Saturday night.
Eubank Jr, the son of British boxing great Chris Eubank, was the pre-fight favourite for this middleweight bout at the Manchester Arena, and he looked to be gaining early control after dominating the third round. But Smith came flying out for the fourth and after a flurry of punches, had Eubank down on the canvas.
Eubank quickly rose to his feet but was visibly unsteady, and after referee Victor Loughlin allowed the fight to continue, Smith moved in to finish the contest and deliver his opponent his first stoppage defeat.
"This is the best atmosphere I have ever felt," said Smith, who was cheered on by the majority of the 18,000 capacity crowd. "I said all week that Chris was kidding people about his chin. I knew I could hurt him, I knew I was the bigger puncher and that’s a fact."
A rematch clause was inserted in the contracts for this fight, opening up the possibility for Eubank Jr to attempt to seek revenge, but Smith insisted he will dictate the terms of a second bout.
"If Chris wants the rematch we can do that on my terms," said Smith, who took his professional record to 33 wins, three defats and one no contest, having held the WBO world title at super-welterweight.
“I agreed to the rematch clause beforehand so we can see. I can beat all the best fights at 160lbs and 154lbs.”
For Eubank, the defeat compounds a challenging few months after his highly-anticipated bout with Conor Benn - the son of Eubank Sr's fierce rival Nigel - was cancelled the week of the fight after it was revealed Benn had failed a doping test.
"Big congratulations to him. He caught me with a great shot," said Eubank Jr, who has now lost three of his 35 professional fights.
"The build-up was the build-up, it got a bit ugly at the end. I regretted that. I respect you, I respect your family, I always have.
"If the fans want to see a rematch, we can get it on at Anfield. Big respect, man."
