The middleweight clash will take place on February 5 at the Motorpoint Arena Cardiff
WELSHMAN Liam Williams will face off against Chris Eubank Jr in front of a packed crowd next month after fears that Covid rules might stop the fight taking place in Cardiff.
A shoulder injury to Williams prevented the original December 11 clash and the rescheduled January 29 date then fell through after the British Boxing Board of Control suspended all boxing events due to Covid-19.
Last week, BBC Sport Wales reported that British Boxing Board of Control general secretary Robert Smith wrote a letter to First Minster Mark Drakeford stating the event would be important for Welsh boxing, but warned that a venue in England will be sought as a replacement unless clarity is offered on whether a full crowd can attend.
There were concerns that Williams, from Church Village, would lose his home advantage at the Motorpoint Arena, which holds 5,000 seating and 7,500 standing capacity.
But the Welsh Government’s announcement last week that indoor events will resume from 28 January gives the go-ahead for fans.
Williams’ (23-3-1, 18 KOs) last fight was back in April 2021. Despite a valiant effort, the Welshmans bid to dethrone the WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade ended in a unanimous decision.
Eubank Jr (31-2, 23 KOs) comes into the bout on the back of a fifth round stoppage win over Wanik Awdijan in Newcastle, last October. The victory was his fifth consecutive win since losing a unanimous decision to George Groves back in 2018.
There will be no love lost between the two after Eubank Jr hit out at Williams for being a “keyboard warrior” after the pair’s heated social media exchange in November last year.
Eubank Jr’s promoter Kalle Sauerland has called the bout “the biggest fight in British boxing right now”.
He said: “There is genuine bad blood between them, and their rivalry is only going to intensify as we get closer to fight night.
“This is the match up everyone has been waiting to see. The atmosphere in Cardiff is going to be incredible when these two warriors finally meet in the centre of the ring to settle their differences.”
A win for either man will strongly boost their chances of securing a world title shot in 2022.
The clash will bring a years-long war of words to an explosive conclusion and determine which boxer is the UK’s Number One middleweight.
Undercard
Two-time Olympic gold medallist Claressa ‘GWOAT’ Shields makes her UK debut as support to the main event. The American defends her WBA, WBC and IBF World Middleweight Championships against Ema Kozin.
Swansea born Chris ‘Rock ‘n’ Rolla’ Jenkins faces former Unified World Champion Julius Indongo in a mouth-watering welterweight showdown.
21-year-old Rhys Edwards, from Penygraig, looks to continue his undefeated run in a super-bantamweight contest against experienced Russian Ruslan Berchuk. Edwards has been hailed as one of the top prospects in the sport.
6′ 7″ Steve Robinson, visits the capital from Newcastle looking to add to his recent run of knockouts against fellow heavyweight Shane Gill.
Chris Eubank Jr’s cousin, Harlem Eubank, will also fight on the night but his opponent is still to be confirmed.
The fight will be shown live on Sky Sports.
