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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Kate Scott praised for impassioned speech following more racism in Champions League
Danny Jones
Football pundit and sports presenter Kate Scott has been met with plenty of praise for her ‘expert’ handling of the fallout following more racism in the Champions League this week, delivering an emotional and impassioned speech about discrimination live on TV.
The Manchester-born broadcaster, formerly Kate Abdo, was serving as the host on her usual CBS Sports panel on Tuesday, 17 February, when the story of the playoff game between Benfica and Real Madrid – which included a worldie from Vinicius Jr. – was overshadowed by more allegations of racial abuse.
In case you missed it, Argentine player Gianluca Prestianni was accused of making racist remarks by both Vini Jr and Kylian Mbappe, but supposedly covered his mouth so as not to be caught on camera; the match was then stopped for more than 11 minutes.
Speaking in the aftermath amid the following European fixtures the next day, the Withington-schooled journalist and University of Salford graduate delivered an eloquent reaction to the controversy with peak professionalism.
Absolutely pitch perfect, and all those involved in preparing the statement should be applauded.
While Scott herself recognised that it’s a shame we even have to keep talking about issues like these rather than the sheer simplistic beauty of, well, ‘the beautiful game’, her response is an example of the job being done at arguably its very best: factual, ethical, moving and inspiring.
As you can see, Scott goes on to say, “This isn’t Real Madrid versus Benfica – it is right versus wrong. Vini Junior and Kylian Mbappe said that there was repeated racial abuse.
“Gianluca Prestiani said they misheard, but he covered his mouth to hide what he said from the cameras, and hopefully, we can all agree that if what you are saying on a football pitch is shameful enough to have to hide it from the public, then you’re wrong.”
The Portuguese club, which ultimately lost 1-0 in their first leg at home on the night, have released a statement reaffirming their commitment to “equality, respect, and inclusion” but reiterates that they believe Prestiani and feel he is now the subject of a “defamation campaign”.
Conversely, in a definitive and emphatic closing message, she signs off by adding the following: “The racial diversity on a football pitch in the Champions League is the representation of the global love for this game and the global belonging in this game. This is the very spirit of football.
“And if you don’t agree, then respectfully, you are the one who doesn’t belong.”
This is what the Athletic is supposed to be. Telling important stories & giving in depth analysis. I hope this signals that it will be its focus moving forward.
From CBS ‘Golazo’ show being applauded for tackling the subject head-on, to Cross herself being labelled as everything from “a role model” and “a benchmark” to “the best on the planet” in the outpouring of reactions on social media, it’s fair to say they absolutely nailed it.
Sadly, this is one of many recent examples of prejudice being shared publicly across various UEFA tournaments and beyond in recent years, but the only way we can truly help anti-hate initiatives is by continuing to call them out.
Stockport County defender Tyler Onyango out injured for the rest of the season
Danny Jones
Stockport County defender Tyler Onyango is set to be ruled out for the rest of the season as the club confirms he has injured his hamstring yet again.
County manager Dave Challinor delivered the unfortunate news in his most recent pre-match press conference ahead of the local clash against Wigan Athletic, revealing that the injury, which saw Onyango forced off in the defeat against Bradford City, as feared, is fairly serious.
The young Luton-born full-back has played a baker’s dozen worth of games already this campaign – already three more than his first term last year – but is now scheduled to be out for a number of weeks and isn’t likely to return before Stockport’s promotion race ends.
With the Greater Manchester club having stayed well in and amongst the playoff scrap spots, currently sat in 5th, losing a player in a key wide position is the last thing the Hatters need.
Damaging his hamstring once more, and not for the first time (suffering multiple related setbacks since 2023), the 22-year-old has racked up a number of concerning injuries at a young age.
As well as a hernia problem, Onyango fractured his ankle in 2021 and was sidelined for more than a third of the year in 2022/23 with a hip flexor issue.
He only returned to action after his last muscle strain this past December and did look to be finally enjoying a decent run in Challinor’s side.
On the other hand, the Everton loanee’s performances haven’t always been consistent, and while many fans recognise he’s a “good player when fully fit” and has progressed since he arrived in SK3, other supporters fear he may not be a reliable enough option.
Writing on X, one user said: “A player who has improved since last season and adds quality to the group. My question to the club is, at what point is maintaining good injury-prone players a potential detriment to the squad rather than a positive ‘gamble’ given we haven’t had consistent wingbacks all season?”
Sadly for the young right-back, who has shown promise in spells bombing down those flanks, his second stint at Edgeley Park is being cut short just like his last one.
Detailing that Onyango “will now go for surgical opinion”, a club statement put simply, “Whatever the outcome, the setback brings his second loan spell at Edgeley Park to a premature end.
Praising the versatile defender for his efforts and resilience thus far, they go on to add: “We wish Tyler all the best and will continue to offer our support throughout his recovery. We thank him for his efforts during his time as a Stockport County player.”
It remains to be seen whether or not they will attempt to keep him close and secure a third temporary deal come the summer.
One player they have decided to help complete his loan trilogy is returning winger Louie Barry, who isn’t expected to be back in action until March, but could provide plenty of solutions on the pitch.
You can see Dave Challinor’s post-match presser following the double defeat to Bradford here.
Danny Jones -
22nd January 2023 
