Christopher Livingstone Eubank Jr vs. Liam Mark Smith & Joseph Dennis Parker vs. Jack Massey RBR.

Sure, I like to pat myself on the back and brag, but it wasn't all that hard to predict for me. I'll let you into my thought process. First, you have to clear your mind of any preconceptions you might have, and open yourself up to any and all possibilities. Now... can Eubank hurt Liam was the first question I asked myself. Well, Canelo KO'd him with a body shot, and while Munguia dropped him with a head shot, it was the body shots that did the most damage. Beefy's head is like a cinderblock, and Eubank tends to be a headhunter. He certainly never squares up and goes looking for a body shot KO. So in all likelihood, no... not enough to get him out of there, and even if he did drop him, he's a terrible finisher lately... so I ruled that out. Is Eubank a master boxer? Far from it. He overly relies on his athleticism, but the reality is, he's looked terrible in most of his recent outings and his gas tank is questionable, since those bursts he's known for have gotten fewer and farther between. Sure he dropped Williams 4 times, but if you really watch that match closely, and don't allow yourself to get caught up in the moment or the headspace of, uh oh... Williams is on the verge of getting KTFO. Then you could see like I did, Williams basically won every round he didn't get dropped in, with 113-111 and 112-112 both being perfectly feasible scores. And when you consider.... Liam Williams is pretty terrible when it comes to cutting off the ring. That means Eubank is there for the taking against a guy who has a good chin, cuts the ring off well and can land consistently.

Now, as someone who has seen almost every Eubank fight, I know for a fact that the idea that he has this iron chin, is pretty much an illusion, a fantasy made up by delusional fanboys that desperately want that to be the case. Spike hurt him, Saunders hurt him, Blackwell hurt him, Williams hurt him, but he hid it well. George Groves dropped him twice, and somehow the biased ref ruled them both slips. The only thing truly great about Eubank is, he's quick, holds really well, and is great at going ultra negative and surviving. So Saunders isn't a killer who goes for KO's, Groves isn't a killer that goes for KO's, both are risk averse because of their gas tanks and tend to be safety first anyway, and the rest barely realize when they hurt someone, and simply have no ability to go for a KO effectively. So they all rock him with a shot, and either don't follow up or can't follow up. So he can recover quite quickly.

Now, what is one of the things Liam does best? He's gotten incredible at cutting off the ring and applying intelligent pressure with solid defense. His head movement, upper body movement, parrying skills and tight high guard are all very impressive, so he's gotten more and more well rounded as his career has progressed. It's very obvious he does little things to work on and hone his craft. He's also become an absolute beast on the front foot, he works behind his jab incredibly well, and puts his opponents under damned near relentless persistent pressure from the opening bell, usually after ceding half of the first round to them as a feel out. He's gotten really good at cutting off the ring, dare I say, Golovkin like. He definitely utilizes a caveman like version of the shifting technique that GGG does so effectively. He's not perfect at it, but he's gotten a hell of a lot better at moving laterally, cutting off the exits fairly well. So with punching while shifting into another stance, which basically serves as sitting down on a shot while moving, instead of needing to plant one's feet. That meant Eubank was pretty much screwed from the outset. Because he isn't that fleet of foot to start with, and he excels against lead footed fighters that need to set their feet to punch.

So do the math, Liam is a beast at cutting off the ring now, he has an excellent chin but weak body. Eubank usually avoids planting his feet and trading, rarely goes to the body. Chris is easy to hurt, but hard to put down, because most of his opponents aren't combination punchers with power in both hands with excellent place placement, and lack the know how to follow up effectively and go for the kill. Liam has always had brilliant killer instincts and has become a vicious combination puncher. So I knew when he hurt Eubank, and that was inevitable, since Eubank isn't a natural Middleweight anymore. Liam who looked sturdier and heavier handed at Middleweight the last time out, would trap him, not allow him a chance to recover, outmuscle him on the inside, make damned sure that he stayed hurt and finish his ass off. It wasn't the one shot that stunned him, it was the 7 or 8 he landed afterward that did the trick. So... there you go.

 

I thought so, here's my scorecard for it.

Round 1 Smith 10-9
Round 2 Kurbanov 10-9
Round 3 Smith 10-9
Round 4 Smith 10-9
Round 5 Smith 10-9
Round 6 Kurbanov 10-9
Round 7 Smith 10-9
Round 8 Kurbanov 10-9
Round 9 Smith 10-9
Round 10 Smith 10-9
Round 11 Kurbanov 10-9
Round 12 Smith 10-9

116-112 Smith

 

Check my above assessment, I probably should've written it before the fight, but I like upset picks in Kirk's thread, so I kept my cards close to my vest for a change. Also, I can be a bit lazy at times.

 

Sorry about that.... next time you plan on tossing a ton of cash on someone, consult me first.