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Liam Smith plays Sunday league soccer in Liverpool just hours after the brutal KO win over rival British middleweight Chris Eubank Jr… but misses a late penalty when his team lose!
Liam Smith took part in a Sunday League football match just hours after his brutal KO win over Chris Eubank Jr at Manchester’s AO Arena.
The Liverpudlian veteran stunned a jubilant Manchester crowd when he dropped Eubank Jr to the canvas twice in the fourth round, before referee Victor Loughlin stopped the fight.
Smith would have been forgiven for taking a day or two off after his big win, but he was up early in the morning for football duty at Heron Eccles, Liverpool.
Liam Smith took part in a Sunday League match just hours after beating Chris Eubank Jr.
The 34-year-old happily posed for photos with his brother and nephew after the match.
It didn’t go well for the 34-year-old, however, as he missed a crucial penalty in the dying minutes, and his side were knocked out of the cup in a 1-0 defeat.
He was happy to pose for photos with his brother and nephew after the final whistle.
Smith entered Saturday’s fight as the underdog, despite previously reigning as super welterweight world champion, but now he’s the one advancing to the middleweight elites.
Smith, speaking on Sky Sports following his victory, insisted that Eubank Jr, even with his reputation for having a big chin, was always in danger of being knocked out.
Smith shocked the boxing world with a brutal knockout victory at Manchester’s AO Arena.
“I don’t know if it was a shot or a build up, but I told you all week,” Smith said of his stoppage win.
Much was made of Chris’s big chin. I have a big chin, but there are plenty of fighters with better chins who have been knocked out in the past.
‘I told you all week, don’t be surprised, no one can get hurt.’
Promoter Ben Shalom revealed after the fight that there is a rematch clause in place, should Eubank Jr decide to activate it after his first stoppage loss.
Eubank Jr was dropped in the fourth round after a brutal uppercut from the Liverpudlian.
Meanwhile, Eubank Jr paid tribute to Smith after the controversial build-up to the fight, insisting that he respects him and his family.
‘Big congratulations to him. He caught me with a great shot,” Eubank Jr. said.
‘The buildup was the buildup, it got a bit ugly at the end. I was sorry about that. I respect you, I respect your family, I always have.
‘If the fans want to see a rematch, we can do it at Anfield. Big respect, man.
The fighters hugged after the match following what was a heated buildup between the pair.