DIFFERENT FIGHTERS , DIFFERENT MEN, BUT THEY SHARE ONE AIM
Eubank Jnr & Smith is a clash of styles and lifestyles but victory is everything
CHRIS EUBANK JNR arrived in a chauffeurdriven Rolls-royce, Liam Smith drove himself.
One was wearing a garish coat with fur trim, the other in a team tracksuit.
Eubank Jnr was well preened and ever conscious of his appearance while Smith was happy to mock himself and his grey hair.
This was just for the press conference before the air turned blue and the vile taunts began on Thursday, which forced Sky into a grovelling apology.
But it was as good an example as you’ll get to show how different these two characters are in tonight’s middleweight battle at Manchester Arena.
Brighton’s Eubank Jnr is hungry for fame as well as success while the Liverpool man is content with glory and a life away from the limelight.
“We are the total polar opposites in life, not just in a boxing sense,” said Smith. “An example is this – I’ve just driven here on my own, parked up and I walked down on my own.
“Chris will probably be chauffeured with his team, be pictured getting out of a Rolls-royce. That’s how opposite we are.
“We live totally different lives. I’ve got the family, I’ve got a circle close to me. Chris has a load of hangers-on. He’s a lone wolf and he has no close people around him.”
Eubank Jnr proudly wore a PRO-LGBTQ rainbow armband – as well as a Manchester United shirt – as he stepped on the scales at yesterday’s weigh-in. The
British Boxing Board of Control are investigating Smith’s comments as he made accusations about Eubank’s sexuality at the tawdry press conference.
They are also looking into Eubank’s claims in response as he accused Smith of ‘cheating’ on his partner.
Eubank Jnr said: “We don’t discriminate and we don’t alienate. We want boxing and sport, as a whole, to be all-inclusive.”
He kept the armband on during the face-off with his rival after he was booed by Smith’s Liverpool fans for wearing a United shirt.
The BBBOFC said they were aware of the comments made by both boxers at the press conference and would consider their conduct directly.
Inside the ropes, the contrast in styles is intriguing. Smith, 34, is rugged, determined and a front-footed fighter who has the boxing brain to match the brawn.
The Scouser, who won a world title at lightmiddleweight, will dart in and out of range, pick his punches and throw in volume to the body and head.
While the 33-year-old Eubank has been accused of having more style than substance. He’s a boxer who sometimes admires his work rather than builds on momentum he can generate when he puts his shots together.
Under the tutelage of Roy Jones Jnr, he has tried to box on the back foot more, even mimicking the great multiweight world champion’s trademark moves.
“You have options as a professional,” said Eubank
Jnr, who has lost two of his 34 outings. “You can box and you can fight or you can brawl and you can slug it out, or you can be on the back foot.
“These are all different ways to approach a fight. I have multiple ways of winning.”
Smith often targets the body but, in the only stoppage loss out of his three defeats, it was the body work of Canelo Alvarez which crumpled him.
Eubank Jnr hopes victory could tee-up a shot at IBF and WBA middleweight title holder Gennady Golovkin.
“There’s definitely more for me to lose,” added Eubank Jnr. “There’s a lot in the pipeline that will get messed up from a loss.
“I know it is a very risky fight.”