Chris Eubank Jr. Caught Off Guard, Loses Fight After Homophobic Comments By Opponent

Middleweight contender Chris Eubank Jr. found himself blindsided by his opponent, underdog Liam Smith, after Smith uttered homophobic comments on Saturday night in Manchester, England.

"In a fight where Eubank appeared to have taken control by the end of the third round, Smith opened up with an arsenal of big shots in the fourth to drop Eubank hard. Eubank barely made it up, before getting decked for a second time and the fight was waved off," according to the website Boxing Scene.

.

Eubank seems to be leaning in the direction of exercising his immediate rematch clause.

"Big congratulations to him. He caught me with a great shot," Eubank said. "The build-up was the build-up, it got a bit ugly at the end. I regretted that. I respect you, I respect your family, I always have. If the fans want to see a rematch, we can get it on at Anfield. Big respect, man."

When asked about the fight, he said: "A tough night? No I wouldn't even say that, I was having fun, I was landing my shots, I was enjoying the moment."

"And he caught me with a once-in-a-lifetime shot," he told Sky Sports in an exclusive interview. "I got up, I recovered, he put it on me again with a few more shots and the referee decided it was enough. I felt like I could go on. I felt like I was aware of what was happening, but it was the referee's decision and I have to respect it."

"I felt like I was dominating the fight before that happened, so I think we've got an exciting opportunity, at some point in the future, to have that rematch. Listen, it's boxing, it's a sexy sport, this is the sport we love. Anything can happen. I never would have believed this could happen."

He added: "I was dominating the fight and then I got caught, so to me I'm still able to perform and in my mind I'm still the better fighter. Obviously I don't have much of an argument after a loss, but I have an argument to prove I'm the better fighter. It was a shot that landed, and it's a fight I think the fans will still want to see further down the line."

The ugliness Eubank referred to was the claim that he was gay made by Smith just prior to the fight.

"Sky Sports were forced to apologize after homophobic comments were made between Chris Eubank Jr and Liam Smith during their pre-fight press conference," according to Express. "The pair are set to face off in Manchester this weekend in an all-British middleweight grudge match."

"There have been a number of verbal spats between the pair in the build-up to the fight but tempers spilled over on Thursday as they met for the press conference," Express continued. "And Sky Sports presenter Anna Woolhouse was forced to apologize for comments at the end of the broadcast."

She said: "We would like to apologize if you have been offended by the offensive language, personal and homophobic remarks made up on stage."

Express reported, "The comments in question were made by both men during an [exchange] where Smith questioned if Eubank Jr had a partner."

Eubank sported "a rainbow armband at the weigh-in Friday before his middleweight bout against Liam Smith after a nasty exchange at a news conference," EDGE reported.