Chris Eubank Jr. is the son of Chris Eubank, the famous boxer. But when he fights Liam Smith on Saturday, he will be facing another boxing family with a long history in Britain. The Smith family is the most ordinary and yet most interesting family in sports. Over the last ten years or more, the brothers have been at the center of some of the biggest events in British boxing.
When one brother is fighting, the other brothers won’t be far away. The Smiths have deep roots in their hometown of Liverpool. They don’t have a strong desire to become famous. They are still close to the amateur boxing club where they began.
Even if he was boxing on Saturday night, Liam Smith still plays for his local football team on Sunday mornings. Sky Sports News found out this week that he has even kept up with his snooker. The brothers feel most at ease when they are with each other. They look fine. “Yes,” said Liam Smith. “Family is all that matters.” “This fight is short,” he said next. “Boxing is a short-term job, and when it’s over, what’s next?”
“When you’re done boxing, nobody wants to know you anymore. It’s a crazy loop.” But it’s impossible to think that another family in British boxing could ever do what they have already done. British champions include Liam, Paul, Callum, and Stephen Smith.
All of them have tried to win world titles. Both Liam and Callum Smith have already won the world title. Paul Smith, who was the oldest, showed them the way. Liverpool’s Echo Arena was complete when he fought for the British title.
In 2010 and 2011, he lost to George Groves and James DeGale, but he returned stronger. He worked his way up to a fight with Arthur Abraham for the world title, and they fought twice. He even played Andre Ward, who will be in the Hall of Fame, in Oakland.
Stephen Smith had won the British and Commonwealth featherweight titles by the time he finished his 12th professional fight. In 2016, he fought Jose Pedraza for the IBF featherweight title and Jason Sosa for a WBA “regular” title. He lost on points to both. In 2021, he retired with his brother Paul Smith.
The Smith brothers have a history of success in the sport, but Liam and Callum are still looking for second-world titles. Callum Smith, the youngest of the four brothers, is a skilled amateur like his brothers. Andrew won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games, following in his brother Paul’s footsteps.
Paul had won the British title the year before. In 2006 he was very unlucky not to get a spot at the Olympics that year as a boxer for Great Britain, just like Anthony Joshua and Josh Taylor. He did well as a professional.
In 2015, he defeated Rocky Fielding at the Echo Arena in Liverpool with a first-round knockout. In this match, he wins his fourth British super middleweight title. This was followed by another first-round victory for his European super middleweight title.
He fought in the World Boxing Super Series, a tournament in which he reached the final. He beat George Groves to win the Muhammad Ali trophy and become the WBA champion. He also avenged his brother Paul’s loss to Groves by defeating him.
He lost his world title to Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez in 2020. Still, he came back as a force at a light-heavy weight. Most recently, he beat Mathieu Bauderlique badly (in a match held on June 21, 2021), confirming that he is the mandatory challenger for the WBC title.
Callum Smith and Liam Smith have the same opponent to beat in Canelo. In 2016, Canelo fought Liam Smith at super welterweight in an outdoor stadium with no roof. It was one of Smith’s biggest fights, and he had already won titles in the UK and the rest of the commonwealth by then.
He won the WBO title against Liam Williams. When he first beat him, he won an interim title. In Las Vegas, he faced Jaime Munguia. Even though he lost that fight on points, he returned to his best shape. Since then, he’s boxed in places like Liverpool, Russia, and New York, which are close to home for him, and Mexico, where many people can see his potential as a fighter.
The Smith brothers know that their fight with Chris Eubank Jr. will be their biggest night in the UK. If they win on Saturday, it will be another chapter in their history. “It’s a big fight,” Liam Smith told Sky Sports. “It’s not just because of what it means to me as an individual, but it’s also because of what it means to my brothers.”
If we win this weekend, it will only add to everything we’ve achieved so far.” They have all been British champions, and both have held world titles. They have fought in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Las Vegas and Monaco.” This is just another step for us.” It adds to everything we’ve already done.” A movie or book about our family would include this fight.”
Even Groves, who used to be against them, had to admit what they’d done. “They’re very good for British boxing,” he told Sky Sports. “They’re a very talented family.” The next oldest brother, Stephen, was a tremendous amateur fighter who didn’t make it to the Olympics but was in the running.
The younger Smith brothers—Callum and Liam—are more meaningful than their older brothers. Maybe they had to be more meaningful because they had older brothers. But Smith does throw a nasty punch. That kind of aggression is a part of his style that helps him do well against opponents like Eubank Jr., who fights best when angry.
Liam Smith disagrees that he is always mad. “I think that’s how people see me. “That’s why many people say Eubank is getting to me,” he said. “I’m argumentative. That’s how I act. You won’t get me to play any of Eubank’s games or tricks. I would never sit there and tell myself, All I need is 60% and I’ll beat him.”
Paul Smith has seen his brother box as well as anyone else. He says that Liam fights best when he’s mad. “When Liam is mad, you don’t want to be in there with him,” Paul Smith said.
“That’s when he’s at his best.” When Liam Smith smiles during a fight, Paul knows it’s time to worry. When he smiles, it means trouble. People think that when Liam smiles, it’s a sign of weakness, but many fighters underestimate him and become sorry later on.
Once it begins, we can unwind. On Saturday, at the Manchester Arena, the three brothers will be present and keeping an eye out for just that. Liam Smith thinks that the fact that they’ve all been through tough times together is fundamental to their success.
As he put it, “we’ve been here before;” with how close we are and how much we’ve accomplished together. One of us went on to compete in a world championship, another, and another. The same applies to titles in the United Kingdom. We’ve all been there before, that’s all. We’ve all been there before when someone prepares for a big night or a significant challenge. Indeed, it has benefited everyone involved.
When fighting, the Smith brothers often wear shorts with the word “autism” emblazoned across the back. They’re trying to get the word out about the illness and its societal implications. The motivation came from their own life experiences. They have a sibling who has autism.
A long time ago, when it occurred, the brothers were still young and unable to grasp the implications for society fully. “It seems like yesterday that my mom told us she was autistic,” Liam Smith stated on Behind the Ropes. “She replied, ‘It’s considered a disability, and she may never speak,'” the woman recalled. “We’ve been told that if she doesn’t start talking by the time she’s 10, she likely never will.”
“No one at that time had any idea what autism was. That’s why we’ve spent countless years—and continue to spend—trying to get the word out. Now people have a better understanding.
We wear the symbol of our struggle on our shorts and shirts designed to support the autism community. When she first told us she had autism, we didn’t know what the term meant. We’re pretty happy with her autism spectrum disorder.”
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