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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Kobbie Mainoo shouts out more of his favourite food spots in Manchester
Danny Jones
Man United star Kobbie Mainoo is back putting people onto his favourite places to eat in Manchester, and judging by his picks, he doesn’t just know football – he knows his food spots too.
The Stockport-born footballer turned 20 years old this month, and as well as celebrating leaving his teens with that impressive goal in the comeback against Lyon, the Manchester United midfielder was met with a birthday cake by his club, along with a fun little game of 20 questions.
Sharing the short but insightful Q&A, in which the number 37 dove into his favourite parts of matchdays, the best birthday gift he’s ever received, as well as the tried and tested dream dinner guest lineup.
Naming a very sporty trio of Mike Tyson, Michael Jordan and Jon Jones, the only logical next step was to ask him where his favourite places to eat around Manchester were, to which he answered…
That’s right, spotlighting a personal favourite of ours, the first Manc venue on his list was Pho Cue, the authentic family-run Vietnamese spot known for great value, top-quality street food such as their big hitter bánh mìs, as well as big queues every lunchtime.
If you don’t know already, then get to know.
As you can see, the second place he mentioned with the booked-up-till-kingdom come Onda Pasta Bar, which went viral for its ‘Tiramisu drawer’ last year and opened their first proper restaurant back in June.
Since then, it’s fair to say it’s more popular than ever and you’re lucky to get a table; if you, however, you’ll be treated to some of the most luxurious and indulgent pasta not just in Manchester but probably anywhere in the country, if you ask us.
These latest shout-outs come after Mainoo famously put Salford’s culinary kings, Burgerism, on the nationwide map after name-dropping them in his British GQ interview in November 2024.
You can watch the full thing HERE, but you already know the biggest takeaway from that chat, quite literally: the boy knows his burgers.
Kobbie is actually just one of several famous faces to have proclaimed Burgerism as the best in the business, at least in Greater Manchester of late.
Not only have British influencers Ollie Ball and Jacob Pasquill now become seemingly regular presenters on their social media, but online content creator turned boxer and WWE star Logan Paul also visited the beloved burger joint and reviewed it during a recent visit to the UK.
We’ll confess we’re more likely to take the local lad’s word on board over the bloke who used to make Vines, but it’s just yet more proof that the Manc food scene is top tier.
Come on, just look at the state of these selections:
Not a bad little spread there, Kobb… (Credit: The Manc Eats)
We’re not sure how much of this stuff Mainoo is allowed on the diet sheet, but we can at least confirm that Kobbie knows his Manchester food, and as far as favourites go, we might just stand a chance of becoming best friends yet.
Happy birthday to a young man with a very bright future and hopefully a very active metabolism.
Featured Images — Manchester United/The Manc Group
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Greater Manchester cleans up at first-ever Festival of Women’s Football Awards
Danny Jones
This week marked the inaugural Festival of Women’s Football Awards (FWFA), which not only saw a whole host of female talent from up and down the English pyramid celebrated, but Greater Manchester in particular picked up a number of accolades.
Of course, we all know that 0161 is the true home of football, with Manchester’s rich sporting heritage known worldwide, but it’s always nice to see our region recognised for its continued contribution to the beautiful game.
That reputation goes double for the women’s game too, as the 2025 FWFA saw a trio of local clubs and a trio of different players winning across multiple categories.
Starting with the blue side of Manchester, Manchester City Women star Yui Hasegawa picked up Player of the Year from a strong shortlist of midfielders.
Joining the club back in the summer of 2022, Hasegawa famously scored on her debut and was named in the PFA Team of the Year that season.
Playing in 92 of the 96 games since her arrival, she is widely considered not just one of the best midfielders in the Women’s Super League (WSL) but the world.
As for the red half of the city, not only did Phallon Tullis-Joyce – who has shone since filling the very big boots of Mary Earps – pick up the award for the best shotstopper, but centre-back Maya Le Tissier was named both Defender and Young Player of the Year.
Latics Women only launched their squad this season but have already amassed a passionate following, hence the award, and also won the Lancashire Women’s County League Championship at the first time of asking.
Congratulations to all the Greater Mancunian footballing organisations and sports personalities recognised at this year’s Festival of Women’s Football Awards – here’s hoping for even more in 2026!
🏆 We were delighted to attend this evening’s Festival of Women’s Football Awards in London…
It was an honour to be shortlisted for eight national awards, and take home the ‘Best Fan Experience’ prize! 💙#wafc 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/OoeN92Vxwv