Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr rematch targeted for May/ June says promoter Shalom

The fight between Chris Eubank Jr. and Liam Smith at middleweight is already being planned by promoter Ben Shalom of Boxxer.

In the fourth round of their fight last month, Liam knocked out Eubank Jr. by dropping him twice. Smith, a previous 154-pound world champion, switched to middleweight to compete.

A clause in the contract that stipulated an instant rematch was available to Eubank, which the boxer used. The second encounter is anticipated to take place sometime in May or June, according to Shalom.

Shalom is surprised that Eubank is the betting favorite in the second battle given the result of the first encounter. He anticipates the rematch to be more significant than the first encounter.

"I received an email directly from Wasserman [Eubank's promoter] to officially trigger the rematch," Shalom told Sky Sports.

"We'll try and get a date that's suitable for all parties but it looks like the Eubanks and Wasserman and everyone really want the rematch and that's we'll get. I think it's a huge fight. The first time I think a lot of the casual fans didn't really believe Liam Smith could do it, despite everyone saying that he could. I don't think there was that belief.

"Liam Smith hadn't been in a pay-per-view fight before in the UK. He was new to that. He was a new name in a Box Office fight. But since that knockout he's now catapulted in profile. The bookies, from what I've seen, still have Eubank as the favorite, which is crazy to me. But it shows how much interest there is and how big this fight will be. Now Liam Smith is firmly on everyone's radar. May/June I expect it to happen. No injuries on either side and I think they both want to get on with it."