Chris Eubank Jr settled his grudge with Liam Williams in dominant fashion at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, scoring four knockdowns in a unanimous points win over twelve rounds at middleweight.
The match had been brewing for a while, with several words exchanged via social media had been pushed back twice. Williams (23-4-1, 18 KOs) was coming off a spirited points loss in a challenge for the WBO title against Demetrius Andrade in April 2021, while Eubank Jr (32-2, 23 KOs) had a quiet 2021, banking two low key wins, the last a fifth round retirement of Wanik Awdijan in October.
It was a busy start, with Williams a lot more patient than normal as he began well, but Eubank Jr timed a jab on the counter that dropped the home fighter, silencing the crowd.
Williams was caught and hurt on the resumption by a short left hand, but the bell came to his rescue. His respite would be short-lived, as he was clipped again by a right-left combination that left him on the deck for a second time.
The Welshman was hurt, but beat the count, and Eubank Jr was razor-sharp, proving too quick to handle, as the second round came to close.
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Williams was struggling to take the shots coming his way and was more aggressive in the third, but his punch resistance was alarmingly weak, and a straight well-timed left hand felled him once more.
Again he rose, but ‘NextGen’ was in total control, goading his opponent and doing pretty much as he pleased.
The deficit forced the 29-year-old to go on the charge towards Eubank Jr in round five, and he had a much better round as he hurried his opponent onto the back foot.
The sixth was also a good one for ‘The Machine’, landing with a decent left hook in the corner towards the end of the frame. Rounds seven and eight were also competitive, and Williams was forcing the Brighton back more and more as the contest went into the championship rounds.
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Eubank Jr seemed content to pot shot and move around the ring, and it was a risky strategy, but a chopping right hand to the back of the head scored him a fourth knockdown to seemingly rubber stamp the win.
The final round saw the 32-year-old dance around the ring with plenty of posturing thrown in as the fight went to the cards.
Scores of 116-109, 116-108 and 117-109 gave Eubank Jr the win.
Shields defends titles against Kozin, edges closer to Marshall
Claressa Shields made her UK debut, as she seeks a blockbuster showdown with Savannah Marshall, who sat ringside, and the Michigan native defended her WBC, WBA and IBF middleweight titles as expected, dismantling Ema Kozin (21-1-1, 11 KOs) in a landslide points win.
It was a one-sided beating, and went pretty much to type, with Shields (12-0, 2 KOs) beginning with body-focused attacks, and Kozin did well to hang in there under heavy fire at times.
.@SavMarshall1 & @ClaressaShields clash in a huge argument! 😡
WE. NEED. THIS. FIGHT 🍿@BOXXER 💥 pic.twitter.com/BE005kArdf
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) February 5, 2022
Try as she might, Shields just couldn’t shift the Slovenian, and had to settle for 100-90 tallies across the board.
Shields and Marshall were involved in a heated exchange post-fight, and the pair are expected to meet should Marshall defend her WBO title in her clash with Femke Hermens in Newcastle on March 12.
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Dubois wins on debut
Caroline Dubois (1-0) made her professional bow, and the amateur starlet made an impressive start, taking all six rounds in her lightweight assignment against the tough Lithuanian, Vaida Masiokaite (2-15-4, 1 KO).
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Wallin overcomes Sokolowski
Otto Wallin was a surprise addition to the card, and, after missing out on facing Dillian Whyte at the back end of last year, the Swedish heavyweight ticked over with an eight round points win against Kamil Sokolowski (11-25-2, 11 KOs).
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It was a forgettable affair that Wallin (23-1, 14 KOs) took a 79-74 verdict for the referee.
Jenkins beats Indongo
Chris Jenkins returned after losing his British and Commonwealth welterweight titles in his last fight, and the Welshman was too fresh for the shopworn, former unified ten stone world champion, Julius Indongo (23-5, 12 KOs), taking an eight round points win over the Namibian.
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Jenkins (23-4-3, 8 KOs) claimed a 78-75 win on the referee’s card.
Antwi defends English crown
The English title clash on the bill did not disappoint, and Samuel Antwi retained his welterweight belt with a thrilling decision win over Conah Walker (10-1-1, 3 KOs).
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The pair went toe-to-toe for almost the duration of the contest, but Antwi (14-1, 6 KOs) prevailed by scores of 96-95, 96-94 and 97-94.
Eubank retires Simion
The card was started by another Eubank, and super lightweight, Harlem Eubank (13-0, 5 KOs) remained unbeaten, forcing the faded Viorel Simion (22-8, 9 KOs) to retire after five rounds of action.
Robinson stuns Gill
Newcastle heavyweight novice, Steve Robinson (4-1, 3 KOs) was again showcased on live TV, but he was exposed and saw his four-fight unbeaten record go in a six round points loss to Shane Gill, who was 0-1 going into this one.
The referee adjudged Gill (1-1) a worthy 58-56 winner.
