Chris Eubank Jr tells Liam Smith he will be easier to fight than Conor Benn

Chris Eubank Jr says he will only need to show "50% of what I can do" to beat Liam Smith in their middleweight fight in Manchester on 21 January.

Eubank, 33, will be fighting for the first time since his bout with Conor Benn was cancelled in October.

Speaking at a news conference, he taunted fellow Briton Smith, saying he was an easier opponent than Benn.

"Conor was an unknown, unpredictable, young and undefeated," he said. "I know what Liam is."

Eubank was wearing a jacket emblazoned with the logos of a fast-food chain he said had promised to provide him as much fried chicken as he could eat while in training camp.

And the former IBO super-middleweight champion wasted no time in trying to agitate 34-year-old Smith.

"I think 50% of what I can do will be enough to beat Liam," he said.

"The bad guy is back. He never cheats, he never lies, he never cuts any corners but he's still the bad guy."

Smith - a former world champion at light-middleweight - responded: "If he turns up at 50%, I'll wipe the floor with him."

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Benn casts shadow over intriguing encounter - analysis

For a news conference about Eubank v Smith, Benn's name was never far from anyone's lips.

It has been almost two months since it emerged Benn had failed two voluntary drug tests and his fight with Eubank was postponed two days before it was due to take place. He has since given up his boxing licence and now faces a legal battle to clear his name.

Eubank has moved on quickly to another domestic rival, but the Benn saga predictably cast a big shadow over his return to the public eye.

He opened the news conference with a thinly veiled dig at Benn - who insists he is a "clean" fighter - by saying he "never cheats" and "never cuts corners".

Smith, too, was eager to bring up Benn - asking why there was a rematch clause for this fight, but hadn't been when Eubank fought Benn.

And, of course, there is the fact Eubank's "50%" and KFC taunts were ideas born as he verbally sparred with Benn.

While Smith v Eubank may not command the same fanfare as Eubank v Benn, the fight is an intriguing encounter.

Both men have 32 wins, are separated in age by just a year, and know how to put on a thrilling fight. Both are in excellent form - Smith with three stoppage wins in a row and Eubank on a six-fight winning streak.

The fight has all the hallmarks of an all-British classic, even if the ghost of Eubank v Benn continues to linger.

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