By: Hans Themistode
Liam Williams and Chris Eubank Jr. hurled every derogatory curse word in the book at one another during the lead-up of their showdown. Although Williams promised that he would dish out relentless punishment to the middleweight contender, it was Williams who found himself on the wrong end of a fairly one-sided encounter.
Moments before the pair officially met in the center of the ring at Motorpoint Arena in the United Kingdom, the pair refused to shake hands or show any respect before the opening bell.
As their contest kicked off, an aggressive Williams came marching straight ahead with lunging and looping right hands. A composed and relaxed Eubank Jr., however, took a step back and landed a clean right-hand jab. As a result, Williams went crashing down to the deck.
Seemingly undeterred by what took place, Williams rushed back to his feet and egged Eubank Jr. on. In the following round, Williams once again charged forward. He boxed, moved, and aggressively attacked the midsection. During one of his more active exchanges, he left himself wide open for a damaging left hand, something Eubank Jr. would connect with before sending him back to the deck again.
With several of the opening rounds already banked safely, Eubank Jr. settled into a more boxing role. He casually jabbed his man from a safe distance, while carefully taking a step back whenever his rival would let off a barrage of his own.
Considering the amount of animosity both sides showed towards one another during much of their pre-fight buildup, it came as no surprise to see their contest turn into a rough and rugged one.
Following the conclusion of the third round, Williams began throwing punches at his man well after the bell. Refusing to allow those blows to go unanswered, Eubank Jr. went right after his man, connecting on a few shots of his own before they were separated.
With things getting heated, Eubank Jr. turned to his strong and steady jab and produced his third knockdown of the night in the fourth. Though Eubank Jr. appeared to be cruising along, Williams began finding his rhythm as he continually forced Eubank Jr. to fight off his back foot.
Although Williams began slowly crawling his way back into it, Eubank Jr. ended his momentum in the 11th as he registered yet another knockdown. As the final few seconds ticked off the clock, neither man appeared ready to put an end to their rivalry, refusing to acknowledge each other even after the fight.
Still, despite the bad blood, Eubank Jr. officially laid their rivalry to rest, picking up the unanimous decision victory.