Chris Eubank Jr. suffers severely swollen eye following defeat against Liam Smith
He was largely the favourite to win, especially following Smith's controversial remarks before the fight, but was ultimately stopped in the fourth round.
Boxer Chris Eubank Jr. suffered a badly swollen right eye following his defeat to Liam Smith in their middleweight fight this weekend.
The biggest fight of 2023 so far was held in Manchester‘s legendary AO Arena on Saturday, 21 January, with the hype around the much-talked-about match-up only further exacerbated by the ugly scenes that ensued in the press conference beforehand.
Fighter Smith, 34, made the step up from light-middleweight to face the son of British boxing legend, Eubank Sr., who was on an eight-fight winning streak prior to the bout and a year younger than his Liverpudlian opponent.
Lasting just four rounds, Smith ended up dropping Eubank twice, who looked dazed as he got to his feet on both occasions and had to be separated by trainers from each corner as he seemed initially unaware that the fight had been stopped.
The fourth-round stoppage is just the third loss in Eubank Jr.’s 35-fight career, having made his debut back in 2011.
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Despite landing several of his own shots and having been up on the scorecards in the opening three rounds, Smith launched a flurry of punches to knock him down for the first time before following up with a clinical volley of blows to finish him off just moments later.
Speaking to Sky Sports in the aftermath, Eubank said he “was enjoying himself” until Smith caught him with “a once-in-a-lifetime blow”. He went on to insist that he felt he was dominating the fight and could have continued had the referee not made his decision.
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Nevertheless, it was not to be and the Hove-born boxer was left with a rather sizeable swollen eye.
While the victory on the night might have gone his opposite number’s way, Eubank Jr. has received a raft of praise for his handling of the unpleasant situation that transpired in the pre-match presser.
Although he apologised for his own reaction to Smith’s antagonist and what many considered offensive comments, with Sky forced to issue an on-air apology for the “personal and homophobic remarks made on stage”, many have applauded him for standing up for the LGBTQ+ community.
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For those unaware, Smith made several suggestions regarding Eubank’s sexuality, with the latter responding: “I’d rather be gay than a cheat”.
While Eubank Jr.’s eye might have been heavily damaged, his pride was not and, if anything, his popularity has increased in the wake of Smith’s outburst.
Following the fiery face-off, Eubank made it clear that he stood in solidarity with the gay community by donning the rainbow armband in the subsequent weigh-in and went on to write on Twitter: “We don’t discriminate… we don’t alienate. We want boxing & sport as a whole, to be all-inclusive.”
As for Smith, he has since apologised for remarks, insisting that “I’m not homophobic in any way, shape or form, I’m far from it”.
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However, for many, his backtracking has been seen as an empty sentiment made to protect his public image and highlights how much more still needs to be done to combat the culture of homophobia that still prevails throughout modern sports.
🗣️ "I apologise to anyone I've offended."
Liam Smith has apologised for his comments in the build-up to his fight against Chris Eubank Jr. pic.twitter.com/hIm3Gg6nBw
Featured Image — Sky Sports/Michael Benson (via Twitter)
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An official and completely FREE Manchester Marathon fan zone is returning for 2026
Danny Jones
Yes, last year’s newest and official Manchester Marathon fan zone is returning for 2026, promising more positive pre- and post-race vibes than the first time around.
Here’s hoping for some lovely sunshine to go along with the atmosphere on 19 April.
Set to host the city centre’s runners and spectators for just the second time, Circle Square’s Symphony Park will be home to the 2026 Manc Marathon fan park, complete with independent pop-ups, big screens to watch all the action on, plus plenty more.
Best of all, it’s completely free to enter all day long for participants and those of you cheering your loved ones along, as well as being an ideal all-ages spot for families to relax and enjoy.
Located just moments from the finish line, just outside the University of Manchester along Oxford Road Corridor, you simply follow it down towards the tall Vita Group and Bruntwood SciTech buildings.
Circle Square itself hosts many events and activities all throughout the year, and they couldn’t resist getting back in on the raceday party once again, as more legends are set to take part than ever.
For context, 2025 saw more than 35,000 sign-ups, but this April is expected to see a whopping sold-out crowd exceeding 42,000 – a record number for the annual event.
With that in mind, finding a place to fit all of them and the countless fans who come along to cheer them on from the sidelines is paramount, so it’s a good job the Symphony Park x MCR Marathon fan zone will be open from 9am on the day.
Here are some more scenes from the last edition:
Credit: Jody Hartley (supplied)
Although more are set to be revealed nearer the time, visitors can expect “a lively schedule of entertainment, food and drink pop-ups, family-friendly activities and special offers from our community of independent businesses and brands.”
Set to close around 5pm as the hordes of runners will doubt either head home for a long bath, leg rub or straight to the pub for their victory pints, we can assure you lots of time will be spent on the square.
Featured Images — Jody Hartley (supplied via SH Comms)
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Bruno Guimaraes’ talks over potential move to Manchester United this summer said to be ‘true’
Danny Jones
With the conclusion of the 2025/26 campaign fast approaching, eyes are already shifting towards next season and the upcoming transfer window, and one player who has already been linked with a move to Manchester United this summer is Bruno Guimaraes.
Currently the captain at Newcastle, it’s fair to say it would take some doing to swap Uniteds, but stranger things have happened.
Man United seem to be linked with a new midfielder almost every week at this point, with several names floating around in the same sentence as Old Trafford, but this is one that looks to have increasing traction to it.
With talks between the club and Bruno Guimaraes’ representation having reportedly taken place over the past month or so, some have even gone as far as to claim that discussions have already progressed to an ‘advanced’ stage.
🚨 BREAKING:
A meeting took place a few weeks ago between the agents of Bruno G & Manchester United!
As per ever-reliable transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, while he refuted the claims that any direct negotiations have taken place with Newcastle themselves, he stated that “a meeting did take place in recent weeks.”
Believed to have happened a little while ago, rather than more recently, as some reports have suggested, he went on to add that “the information from Brazil is accurate: a meeting was held, and United maintain a good relationship with the agency.”
He also qualified that although it is true that Guimaraes is admired by those at Carrington, he is among a number of shortlisted candidates that they could potentially bring in from June onwards.
For instance, names such as Elliot Anderson, previously pursued Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton, as well as two Wolves players and even Bruno’s midfield partner Sandro Tonali have all been rumoured.
However, it’s thought that the 28-year-old Brazilian international and compatriot is the only one that current cog in the middle of the park, Casemiro, is said to have ‘personally’ recommended.
That’s according to the likes of Sports Illustrated, ESPN and others, who say that the veteran midfielder and fellow national teammate has put his Bruno G as the man to follow in his footsteps and fill the key central position when he eventually departs.
Meanwhile, with Bruno Fernandes still the talisman for the Red Devils, you would imagine he wouldn’t mind having another Portuguese-speaking playmaker alongside him.
Whether or not the Magpies secure another year in at least one of UEFA’s continental tournaments will factor into his decision to stay long-term or not remains to be seen, but the feeling is that he could be allowed to leave if they miss out on the Champions League.
As for selling to a relative rival in the table these days, on the other hand, it would likely take some fee for the North East side to let one of their most important stars leave St James Park.
Then again, it looks like Manchester United aren’t willing to simply settle for just the Europa League, given their upturn in form under Michael Carrick, and were they to end up back in all four competitions next year, they could do with all the strength in depth possible.
Danny Jones -
22nd January 2023 
