Last year British boxing was hit with a January suspension. February came in strong with Chris Eubank vs Liam Williams, Amir Khan vs Kell Brook and Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall - the precedent was set for what we all believed would be the best year our sport had seen in decades.

Yet, boxing ended 2022 with a small hint of failure - failure to negotiate the biggest fights, failure to clarify doping rules, failure to work together…

Of course, there were huge positives. It is after all a very British outlook to be overly self-critical. However, in a time where other sports are piquing the public interest, boxing needs to lay down a marker ahead of an important year.

Here enters our 2023 opener, Chris Eubank vs Liam Smith.

A worthy opener it is. In fact, this is a fight that when stripped back, is arguably one of the hottest matchups in British boxing. It brings together two very different paths, two very different styles, two very different men.

See Eubank’s persona has never been understated, and for a while it was an image that sat perfectly. Sparkling performances bought an aura of invincibility. When that invincibility was wiped, he still sat on a throne of self-belief. One defeat was always a possibility. However, the second became an inevitability.

Two defeats later, and the cheap talk he sold himself with became ammunition for his ridicule. He fell below others in the boxing food chain. Canelo and Golovkin became no more than interesting headlines.

There was a feeling of disappointment in the boxing circle. Will we ever see the best of what Chris Eubank Jr had to offer? A comfortable win against Liam Williams put him in line for something big. But even then, did we see a fighter whose spark was behind him?

A family feud was ready to be reignited in October before boxing shot itself in the foot. Chris was, for once, playing the public ally. Nice I’m sure, but it is legacy he is after.

Enter Liam Smith.

No doubt in Chris’s eyes a man little more than a mere stepping stone on his rejuvenated quest to become world champion.

But this is Liam Smith we are talking about. A man who, unlike Chris, has seen the very top of the sport. Operating at such levels for almost a decade is no mean feat, and it brings with it the capability to disregard nonsense.

See Liam’s noise comes purely from his dense 34-fight record. He isn’t engaged by the tripe that can leave someone’s mouth. Whether you had KFC for dinner, or trained at 50 percent, Liam Smith will not let you get off the hook as soon as that bell rings.

This really is ‘chalk and cheese’.

Which sets us up in the ring for an absolute cracker.

Of course, you cannot navigate your way around this fight without considering the factor of size. Liam is a career 154lber, whilst Chris has fluctuated around the 160’s. Strength and power will therefore be on Chris’s side. But these attributes can only take you so far.

When it comes down to boxing fundamentals, Liam possesses those that others before him have used to stifle Chris. Yet his come-forward style could potentially play into the hands of his opponent.

Nobody is expecting Liam to box with the scintillating pace and confidence that Billy Joe Saunders did in 2014, nor stand and throw wide shots from distance like George Groves did in 2018.

If anything, I suppose we are expecting Liam to try and be cute with his aggressive approach - dip in, dip out, come up behind the jab. However, doing this against a man who is willing to throw punches for the sake of burning energy, will likely be extremely tough.

As simple as it sounds, it may genuinely come down to who can ride the rocky moments better. There is no way we do not see Liam whip venomous shots to the body in this fight. There is no way we don’t see Chris pin Liam into the corner and unleash in bunches.

Ride these moments, stick to what you know, and both men have a chance to pull off their win.

For whoever comes out on top, it will undoubtedly be one of the sweetest victories of their career.
 

Oscar Bevis 

Official reporter for iFL TV