BOXXER CEO Ben Shalom sits down with bet365's Rob Tebbutt to discuss the hotly-anticipated rematch between Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr at the AO Arena in Manchester, the return of Adam Azim and a number of other relevant talking points in the world of British boxing.
The first middleweight showdown between Smith and Eubank Jr at the same venue in January was a firecracker. with the bout ended in the fourth round after Smith landed a ferocious flurry of punches in the corner to pull off what was deemed an upset at the time.
Eubank Jr has been hell-bent on a rematch with Smith ever since, and following the postponement of two previously arranged dates in June and July for the second bout due to a hand injury picked up by the Liverpudlian, we are finally set to see the two Brits battle it out in the ring once more.
There is a lot on the line for both fighters in this one, with Smith aiming to become a 2x world champion and Eubank Jr also striving to put himself back in world title contention.
Ben Shalom, founder and CEO of BOXXER, is expecting a pulsating encounter in the main event of Saturday night's stacked card of boxing at the AO Arena.
"I think what we are going to see is the fight we all expected the first time.
"I believe we'll see a well prepared, well conditioned Eubank Jr, which should see this fight go longer and turn into a proper battle," Shalom said.
The BOXXER promoter also discussed the return of the highly-rated Adam Azim, with 'The Assassin' taking on dangerous Ukrainian Aram Faniian on the undercard in Manchester this weekend.
"He's one of the best talents we've currently got in this country, and he is determined to become one of the youngest world champions ever," he said.
Shalom also provided his thoughts on the current outlook of the cruiserweight division following Chris Billam-Smith's stunning victory over ex-stablemate Lawrence Okolie to claim the WBO belt at the Vitality Stadium in May, as well as the rapid development of Caroline Dubois in the female ranks.
