Promoter Ben Shalom is aiming for a date in May or June for the rematch between Liam Smith and Chris Eubank Jr to take place. Former WBO super-welterweight champion, Smith, claimed a fourth-round stoppage in Manchester knocking down Eubank Jr twice in the same round to claim a famous victory which has catapulted Smith into prominence in the middleweight division.
Chris Eubank Jr had a rematch clause in his bout agreement when he faced Smith on the 21st of January if he was to be defeated and has activated that option following the defeat to Smith,
Ben Shalom is expecting the rematch to be an even bigger occasion in comparison to the original fight and remains surprised that Eubank Jr remains the betting favourite leading into the yet-to-be-formally-announced encounter.
"I received an email directly from Wasserman [Eubank's promoter] to officially trigger the rematch," Shalom told Sky Sports.
"We'll try and get a date that's suitable for all parties but it looks like the Eubanks and Wasserman and everyone wants the rematch and that's what we'll get. I think it's a huge fight. The first time I think a lot of the casual fans didn't believe Liam Smith could do it, despite everyone saying that he could. I don't think there was that belief.
"Liam Smith hadn't been in a pay-per-view fight before in the UK. He was new to that. He was a new name in a Box Office fight. But since that knockout, he's now catapulted in profile. The bookies, from what I've seen, still have Eubank as their favourite, which is crazy to me. But it shows how much interest there is and how big this fight will be. Now Liam Smith is firmly on everyone's radar. May/June I expect it to happen. No injuries on either side and I think they both want to get on with it."
