Chris Eubank Jr and Liam Smith settle their differences inside the ring on a massive night of British boxing at the Manchester Arena. There is plenty of dislike between the middleweight rivals and no shortage of simmering animosity, with their final press conference descending into unpleasant, offensive chaos. Eubank Jr wore a rainbow armband to yesterday’s weigh-in in response to homophobic remarks.
Both fighters will hope to put those ugly rows behind them in this evening’s much-anticipated main event, with Eubank Jr looking to move past the Conor Benn saga and Smith aiming to keep his dreams alive of becoming a two-time and two-weight world champion. It’s a battle of style and speed against relentless pressure that should make for a cracking spectacle.
There is also quite the undercard to look forward to on Saturday, with Richard Riakporhe taking on Krzysztof Glowacki, Joseph Parker returning against Jack Massey and a battle between Ekow Essuman and Chris Kongo. Frazer Clarke moved to 5-0 after Frankie Stringer and Matty Harris kicked off the night with wins. Follow Eubank Jr vs Smith live below!
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Parker vs Massey
Here we go then!
Into the 10th and final round.
Parker will be miles ahead on the cards, but this has been quite an effort from natural cruiserweight Massey in his first heavyweight bout.
Expect fireworks in the final three minutes.
Parker vs Massey
A really entertaining penultimate round as Massey stands and trades at close range, popping off some stinging shots on the inside but Parker fighting fire with fire.
“What he’s trying to do is obvious,” Massey is told in the corner.
“Stay off the ropes.”
That left eye of Massey is showing some real damage now.
Parker vs Massey
Massey’s growing momentum in the eighth is ruined by the referee deciding to deduct a point from the Brit. That seems really harsh.
Massey doing some good work on the inside and his movement is causing Parker issues the longer this bout has gone on.
Parker has been mostly dominant, busier and landing the bigger shots, but he’s looking somewhat slow and one-paced at times.
He wants to back Massey up against the ropes whenever possible.
Parker vs Massey
More of the same in the seventh, with Massey still gaining in confidence and having his moments, but Parker staying the busier and landing the better and of course heavier punches.
Both fighters have received multiple warnings from the referee, though everyone seems a bit bemused as to exactly why. It hasn’t been a dirty fight by any stretch.
7-0 Parker for me, but he needs to step the pressure back up because Massey is more and more happy to come forward.
Parker vs Massey
The sixth is Massey’s best round of the night.
A spirited response to being on the receiving end of a shuddering right uppercut that landed flush.
Massey is gaining in confidence and landing some eye-catching shots of his own, but his size means they aren’t particularly hurting Parker.
You’d probably still give the sixth to Parker, who is still dominant despite those flashes.
6-0 to the Kiwi, but he needs something more impressive than this, surely.
Parker vs Massey
He’s lost every round, but this is still an admirable effort from Massey through five.
He eats a couple of big punches in round five but comes firing back before the bell, with Parker then receiving a warning from trainer Andy Lee about getting lazy with the jab.
He’s also told not to get greedy and complacent here.
Taylor and Catterall spat at ringside
Plenty of famous faces arriving now as Jamie Carragher is seen backstage, hot on the heels of Eubank and Beefy.
Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall have also engaged in another spat at ringside, having to be separated by security.
Reports today suggested that their rematch has been postponed from March 4 due to a foot injury suffered by Taylor.
When exactly they will finally step into the ring together again is unclear at this point.
Parker vs Massey
That could be a turning point at the end of the fourth as Parker just about gets through with a heavy shot that lands behind the ear.
Massey was clearly buzzed by that, getting hit by a heavyweight is a whole different ball game.
Now it will be up to the Kiwi to step on the gas from here and drive that advantage home.
He’s safely got all four of these rounds in the bag, but will want an eye-catching stoppage to restore some pride and start the journey back to world title contention.
Parker vs Massey
Massey is frustrating Parker at times, evasive and light enough on his feet to avoid becoming the victim of any sustained onslaughts.
Parker is staying busy but he’s not landing as often or as cleanly as he would like, though there’s another sharp right that finds the target on the inside.
This is all about patience for Parker.
The smaller Massey is not shirking the challenge but you struggle to see how he could really win this.
Parker vs Massey
Massey doesn’t look overawed and has had one or two moments in the first two rounds.
But Parker is dominant as you might expect, applying plenty of pressure and looking to unleash some heavy shots.
He traps Massey against the ropes late in the second and rattles in a couple of stinging blows up top.
