Eubank Jr’s team could appeal to BBBofC over loss to Smith

By Boxing News - 01/26/2023 - Comments

By Barry Holbrook: Kalle Sauerland, the promoter for Chris Eubank Jr, is considering appealing to the British Boxing Board of Control [BBBoC] about the alleged elbow that Liam Smith appeared to land to the head of his fighter in the fourth in the sequence that led to the first knockdown.

It’s believed by some that the elbow that Liam connected with in the fourth damaged the right eye of Eubank Jr.

The odds are slim that the BBBofC will overturn Eubank Jr’s defeat because if they did this, it would open the floodgate for every fighter fouled in a way that led to their defeats to appeal as well to have their losses overturned in UK fights.

In slow motion video of the sequence, Smith (33-3-1, 20 KOs) appears to nail Eubank Jr with a left elbow, which raises his head up, making him susceptible to a devasting right and another left that puts him on the canvas.

With Eubank Jr. (32-3, 23 KOs) already possessing a rematch clause, he doesn’t need the BBBofC to order the fight because he can activate the clause he has in his contract to force.

Even without a rematch clause, Eubank Jr would get the immediate second fight with the 34-year-old Smith anyway because he’s his best option for a big payday.

Smith mentioned after the fight about wanting Canelo Alvarez & Gennadiy Golovkin, but those guys aren’t going to bother fighting him because he’s not a big enough name in the U.S. for it to be worthwhile.

We are looking at it,” Kalle Sauerland told Sky Sports about a possible appeal. “We obviously have that rematch clause, but we’ll let the dust settle,” Sauerland has told Sky Sports.

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“We’ve got a few weeks to activate that. We’ll take an internal discussion, see what the best way forward is for Jr and go from there,” said Sauerland.

If this is just a PR move on Team Eubank Jr’s part to make an excuse for his loss to Smith, it’s not going to work because the boxing world has already formed their opinion about him after the way he was taken apart by a faded, non-relevant former 154-lb champion.

Losing to an average fighter like Smith was a crushing blow to Eubank Jr’s career, and he’s going to undo that by throwing up fluff about getting allegedly destroyed by an elbow in the fourth.

“Avoid Roy Jones Jr as a trainer! Never mind this elbow,” said Roy Jones Jr on social media, mentioning the elbow incident from Eubank Jr’s fight with Smith.