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Liam Smith apologizes for ‘homophobic’ comments to Chris Eubank Jr after knocking out British rival… as boxer says he ‘completely regrets’ dismissively questioning Next Gen about his sexuality at their press conference pre fight
- Liam Smith defeated Chris Eubank Jr on Saturday night in Manchester via knockout
- But the pre-match buildup largely focused on the pair’s final press conference.
- Smith hinted that his opponent was gay as they traded personal insults.
- The man from Liverpudlian said on Monday after the fight that he was ‘not homophobic’
Liam Smith has apologized for his comments to Chris Eubank Jr in the build-up to their fight on Saturday, saying he is “far from homophobic” after implying his opponent was gay.
The pair’s fight was highly anticipated, but much of the attention was focused beforehand on the final press conference, where Smith told Eubank Jr. “nobody in this room has ever seen you with a woman.”
But after knocking out his opponent in the fourth round on Saturday night, Smith retracted his comments Monday and expressed remorse.
Liam Smith won by fourth-round knockout against Chris Eubank on Saturday
The fight ended one minute and nine seconds after the fourth round in Manchester.
“I’m completely sorry, and it’s looked so bad the way I played [it] and I wanted it to be,’ he told talkSPORT’s White & Jordan.
“I shouldn’t have said it anyway, but it was a press conference and it was a bit… there are cameras and, like I said, there are millions of people watching. So I’m completely sorry for all the buildup and I apologize to anyone who was offended by it.
‘I’m not homophobic, I come from a good family’.
Chris Eubank Jr and Liam Smith stand face to face during a press conference on Thursday.
Sky Sports presenter Anna Woolhouse has been forced to apologize for “offensive” and “homophobic” language used during the press conference, while Eubank and Liam Smith face an investigation by the British Boxing Board of Control into the event.
Smith told Eubank: ‘Do you have anything you want to tell us?’ to which Eubank replied: ‘That’s a very personal question to ask me directly. You can swipe my DMs or you can do it right now.
Smith then replied, “I’m not that type, man, I like women.”
Later in the press conference, Eubank accused his looming opponent of cheating on his wife ‘on occasion’.
Fight puts Smith in the bathroom of potentially adding to his collection of titles
Eubank looked despondent after the fight and also sported an extremely swollen eye.
“I’d rather be gay than a cheater,” he said while referencing the earlier dispute.
“You don’t have a lady to fool,” said Smith.
Smith’s war of words with Eubank concluded Saturday night when he knocked out his opponent one minute and nine seconds into the fourth round.
And while the victory has put Smith on the path to more titles and a possible fight against Conor Benn, he acknowledged Monday that he had done irreparable damage in the eyes of some.
“I’ve lost fans that I’ll probably never get back,” he said.