By Mark Eisner: Chris Eubank Jr. is headlining tonight against Liam Williams in their middleweight grudge match in Cardiff. The fight card will be shown live on Sky Sports in the UK, beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Williams (23-3-1, 18 KOs) is coming into the fight as the underdog, but he’s got a puncher’s chance of pulling off the upset against the favorite Eubank Jr (31-2, 23 KOs). The winner of the fight could get a title shot in 2022.
In the chief support bout, Claressa Shields will be defending her middleweight belts against challenger Ema Kozin.
Boxing News will be giving live updates and results below.
Eubank Jr. vs. Williams undercard:
Claressa Shields vs. Ema Kozin
Chris Jenkins vs. Julius Indongo
Caroline Dubois vs. Vaida Masiokaite
Harlem Eubank vs. Viorel Simion
Otto Wallin vs. Kamil Sokolowski
Samuel Antwi vs. Conah Walker
Rhys Edwards vs. Ruslan Berchuk
Steve Robinson vs. Shane Gill
Eubank Jr doesn’t respect Williams
“What was supposed to happen is they were supposed to set a fight up between me and [Jermall] Charlo,” said Eubank Jr. to Gareth A. Davies on fight that Chris missed out on due to COVID.
“We were supposed to set up a fight between me and him,” Eubank Jr. said. “You just wonder what would have happened. COVID hadn’t hit, where would I be now?
“I could be world champion right now. I’m actually very happy being here in England fighting on Sky Sports. I got this big domestic fight [Liam Williams] that probably would have never happened if I had stayed in the states.
“From that, there are some big fights in 2022. We’re on track and these new few years are going to be massive, I believe,” said Eubank Jr.
“As you say, you’re still pushing for the Jermall Charlo fight, but also, I know you mentioned Gennadiy Golovkin as a fight that you really want,” said Davies. “I think it’s a brilliant stylistic match-up, but we mustn’t overlook Liam Williams.
“There’s an element of him feeling a grudge towards you. He says he doesn’t like you. We’ve seen you together at the press conferences, and the fights been delayed twice. It makes it bigger. Styles make fights, and we know this excites us.
“We know that Williams is a dog. He loves to fight, and he probably only knows one way to do it. He’ll probably want to draw you into a dog fight. I imagine you’re not overlooking him, and you have to take this fight very seriously because he’s a strong contender.
“Tell me about your feelings about him as a person and about the fight that we’re going to witness,” said Davies to Eubank Jr.
“As a person, it’s no secret that I don’t respect him and don’t like him,” said Eubank Jr. about Liam. “He’s the type of person that gives the sport a bad name, and people like him should be pushed out of the sport.
“That’s my plan. I want to get him out of the sport of boxing,” Eubank Jr. said of Williams. “Anyone that can talk the way he talks. Online, you’ve got kids looking at us as fighters and they copy us.
“So when you’ve got a guy talking about somebody’s family saying the things that say, kids look at him and say, ‘That’s what I’m going to do when I start fighting.’ It’s bad for the sport. So it’s going to be very spiteful on my part,” Eubank Jr. said.
Williams has a “doggish” style
“Like you said, he’s got a very doggish fight style that lends itself perfectly to me. I can box, I can fight, I can punch. I can approach this fight any way I see fit.
“I’m going to feel him out for a round or so, and then I’m going to decide which way I’m going to take him out. It’s going to be domination, complete domination on my part. I’ve trained very hard for this fight.
“The setbacks have been an issue, but we’ve both had to deal with them, so it’s fair game and I can’t wait,” said Eubank Jr.
“Obviously, you’re going up to Liam Williams’ territory up to Cardiff. It’s going to be of going into the lion’s den in a lot of ways because he will have the majority of the support, given that it’s a Welsh crowd,” said Davies.
“You could see that he didn’t want to be there,” said Eubank Jr. on him and Williams being filmed for the ‘Gloves are Off’ special for Sky Sports. “I buried the guy for half an hour.
“All talk, a true keyboard warrior, that’s what he is, and yeah, he dug himself a hole that he’s going to try to climb out of. He’s going to try hard, but it’s my job to go in and smother him and take him out of there,” said Eubank Jr. in describing what he plans on doing to Liam.
“So you’re predicting a stoppage victory for yourself?” said Davies.
“I think so, yeah,” said Eubank Jr. “He’s not one of these guys that runs. He’s not elusive. I don’t see any great defense, so I don’t see how the fight can last 12 rounds. He doesn’t have an amazing chin either. He’s been put down before.
“So, I don’t see any way he can win the fight,” said Eubank Jr. “He’s not going to outbox me, and he’s not going out-fight me. I don’t think he has the power to knock me out, but this is the great thing about boxing.
“Fighters can be so sure, and you can say all these things leading up to a fight, and then once we’re in the ring, one punch change everything. You never know when it’s going to come,” said Eubank Jr.
