‘NEXT GEN’ vs ‘The Machine’ – Who wins and why?
England’s Chris Eubank Jr. (31-2, 23KOs) and Welshman Liam Williams (23-3-1, 18KOs) will meet on February 5 in Cardiff to decide who the top middleweight in Britain is.
The BOXXER promoted event will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in what will be the first TV boxing show of the year in the UK after the BBBofC cancelled all events under its jurisdiction in January.
It’s a fight that fans have been calling for, for some time now, with many believing it’s an evenly-matched contest.
However, Sky Sports pundit Johnny Nelson was quick to correct fans that it is not a 50-50 fight, instead favouring Eubank at 60-40, stating that Liam only stands a chance with the right game plan. He also stressed that it’s a must-win fight for both boxers because the winner will move forwards and the loser will have a hard road back to contention.
Eubank is already a 2/1 favourite with Betway, while Williams is the slight underdog, so let’s explore the fight in full to establish just who has the best chance of emerging victorious in this brilliant battle of Britain.
Styles
Under Hall of Fame boxer-turned-trainer Roy Jones Jr, Eubank has been far more patient and poised. In his prime, RJJ was technically brilliant and you can tell this is being passed on to his middleweight charge, who now enters fights with a different mentality, opting to be more evasive and exact instead of going to war every time.
He has swapped being bullish and primitive in favour of being measured and economical. He has always been confident in himself – it’s the defining Eubank family trait – but now he seems even more assured than ever before.
Williams is known for being very aggressive and for coming forward relentlessly, complemented by a high boxing ability after an extensive amateur background captaining Wales internationally.
He has had a few months now with newest trainer Adam Booth, who is known for encouraging his students to combine decent footwork with explosive speed and power.
Booth briefly worked with Eubank Jr. for two fights in 2016, so has an intimate knowledge of Williams’ next opponent, which will be hugely advantageous in their preparation, but this new pairing is only a couple of months in the making, so it’s going to be interesting to see how much they have gelled within that short time, and whether Booth can imprint his style and knowledge impactfully into a fighter that is unlikely to change a great deal in just a couple of months.
Strengths
Williams is a big puncher and as tough as they come. Despite being cut and hurt in previous bouts, he has only been stopped once, by default, when he had to retire on his stool due to a serious laceration on his right eye, caused by a head clash. When he is hurt, he keeps going. He took a lot of punishment from Andrade, but still heard the final bell. He wobbled and went down, but got back up again.
Eubank is much the same in that he is a big puncher with durability. He possesses a great engine and will be the bigger man in the ring on the night having boxed up at super-middleweight at least half a dozen times, whereas Liam has come up to middleweight from super-welter.
It has to be said that Williams has a far better boxing IQ and skillset than Eubank Jr., who we have seen outboxed in fights a few times now.
Last Fights
Williams was exposed at the highest level against WBO World middleweight champ Demetrius Andrade who wobbled him with a left hand in the first 30 seconds of their April 2021 fight, and then he was floored with an accurate one-two in the last 30 seconds of the opening round.
He couldn’t land anything meaningful on the slick American and took a lot of punishment in return, eating uppercuts all fight long. The Welshman did have some success in the ninth where he looked like he hurt Andrade, who was forced to hold on, but he was well beaten over the 12-rounds, only winning two rounds on two judges’ scorecards.
Eubank Jr’s previous foe was not a fighter anywhere near the level of William’s last dance partner, so it’s hard to draw many comparisons from it, but what we have seen in his last couple of fights are glimpses of Roy Jones Jr’s teachings and influences, which are adding extra dimensions to the Brighton boxer's game.
Defeats
Eubank Jr. crudely threw everything he had at George Groves in their 2018 fight, desperately swinging wildly, but he was beaten by the quicker, more accurate and experienced Londoner. Eubank showed his heart in that loss though, by fighting through 10 gruelling rounds with a bad cut and taking a lot of big shots to still keep on firing all the way to the final bell. But he was wild and boorish and beaten by the better man.
His only other defeat was when he took on Billy Joe Saunders, probably a bit too soon, in just his 19th bout. Despite taking his first ‘L’ as a pro, he dominated the second half of the contest after being handily outboxed early on. BJS tired as the fight wore on but it was an uphill climb that he couldn’t quite overcome within the timeframe despite a valiant attempt.
Eubank has two defeats on his record and Williams has three, but one of those was arguably unfair. Liam Smith inflicted the first two defeats on Williams, who was unbeaten in 17 bouts when they met in 2017, but the first was very controversial. Williams was leading on the scorecards until a frustrated ‘Beefy’ appeared to deliberately headbutt him in round nine. The cut was so severe, Williams couldn’t come out of his corner for round 10. Smith is known for his close-range fighting skills and pressure, but he was outboxed both at distance and on the inside.
In the rematch, seven months later, Smith made adjustments and managed to defeat the now familiar foe on points in what was still a close contest, with one judge seeing a draw.
His third and final loss was the aforementioned schooling at the hands of undefeated world champion ‘Boo Boo’ Andrade.
Levels
Williams just fell short to a former world champion, but was completely outclassed by a reigning world champion, so he has yet to prove himself at the highest level. Domestically, the two-weight British champion is head and shoulders above the rest of the pack, although Felix Cash could be an interesting potential future opponent to match him.
Eubank Jr. is a two-time world champion, although many would question the authenticity of this statement. He has won the IBO World super-middleweight title twice, plus the interim WBA World middleweight strap, and both belts have the word ‘World Champion’ emblazoned across them, but the creditability is clearly questionable, so many would opt to say he has had just one world title fight and lost (to George Groves).
His record against world champions is currently 2-2, which includes wins over faded former world rulers Arthur Abraham and James DeGale, who were both at the tail-end of their respective careers. The two reverses were both competitive defeats against compatriots Saunders and Groves.
Verdict
An improved, more mobile, measured and calculated Chris Eubank Jr. to win on points.
HÖRFA are proud sponsors of British Boxing News