“Literally Throws Him to the Slaughter”: Boxing World Sound Off on ‘Terrible Refereeing’ Following Late Stoppage of Liam Smith vs. Chris Eubank Jr.

British boxer Chris Eubank Jr might be living in the worst period of his life over the past few months. The son of the boxing legend Eubank Sr was initially supposed to face Conor Benn in October but, the bout was canceled following a positive drug test for the latter. Despite this Eubank Jr had a chance to redeem himself against bitter rival Liam Smith who moved up in weight to take him on. However, he stopped Eubank Jr in the fourth round and secured a victory after a controversial stoppage that had the boxing world talking.

Liam Smith knocks out Chris Eubank Jr in the fourth round

In the first three rounds, both fighters were evenly matched in Manchester before Smith launched a flurry in the fourth round. He then managed to drop Eubank Jr and left him staggering around the ring.

However, Eubank Jr was able to convince the referee to allow him to continue, but this would do him no good as he would land on the canvas once again following a brutal combination by Smith. This forced the referee to call off the bout which many thought, it came a little late. Moreover, this sentiment was shared by fans who called out the referee for this late stoppage.

Fans call out the referee for late stoppage

One fan couldn’t believe how the referee allowed this match to be continued after seeing the state of Eubank Jr.

Read More: ‘Sending His Son to a Slaughter’: Chris Eubank Jr. Reacts to Nigel Benn’s Video

Moreover, one fan couldn’t understand what made the referee decide that the fight should continue after seeing the fragile state of Eubank Jr.

A fan called it terrible refereeing and claimed that Eubank Jr was thrown into a slaughter.

A fan also stated that Eubank Jr was not in his senses when he got up for the first time. Moreover, the referee should have stopped the fight at that moment.

The fans were certainly not happy with the referee allowing the bout to drag on for as long as it did. In addition, in a sport like boxing where there is always an increased risk to a fighter’s safety due to the nature of combat sports, a couple of extra shots can do a lot of harm. The same can be understood from a report published by pubmed.gov.

While Eubank Jr might have a chin unmatched by any other, he was not in his full senses after the knockdown. Moreover, it is a referee’s job to analyze if the fighter is ready to go which in this case, many thought he was not. The fans also pointed this out in what can be called a lapse in judgment from the official.

What did you think about the stoppage? Let us know in the comments.

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