Chris Eubank Jr suffers a HORROR eye swelling after his brutal stoppage by Liam Smith as shocked fans claim the middleweight was left ‘looking like Popeye’ after twice being put down by his bitter rival
Chris Eubank Jr was left with a horror eye swelling after his shock defeat to Liam Smith at the AO Arena in Manchester.
Smith landed a jolting uppercut followed by a fearsome left hook to send Eubank Jr to the canvas for the first time in his professional career. Eubank Jr rose to his feet on unsteady legs, but after another barrage of punches by Smith, the fight was waved off.
In the aftermath, the damage done by Smith was apparent, with Eubank Jr hardly able to open his right eye which was tennis ball like.
Chris Eubank Jr was left with a horror eye injury after his shock defeat to Liam Smith
Fans have taken to social media to react to the injury, with some criticising Eubank Jr for his lack of preparation.
One fan wrote on Twitter: ‘That’s what happens after going in at 50%’, in reference to Eubank Jr’s claim in the build-up that he would need to put in 50% effort to beat Smith.
Another boxing fan said: ‘Man, Eubank Jr looks like popeye, I guess no one saw this coming’.
Chris Eubank Jr (left) was destroyed by Liam Smith (right) in Manchester on Saturday
Eubank Jr was floored in the fourth round following a brutal uppercut by the Liverpudlian
‘Letting Knocked down is one thing, but that batty under his eye is hilarious. Still love yuh Chris. congrats to Liam aswell,’ a third fan wrote.
Eubank Jr paid tribute to Smith in the aftermath despite the controversial build-up to the fight, insisting he respects him and his family.
‘Big congratulations to him. He caught me with a great shot,’ Eubank Jr 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.’
Eubank Jr had set his sights on fighting Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez later this year, but his chances of fighting either man now look to have gone, with the Brit facing an uncertain future after such a damaging loss.
