Liam Smith says he is 'baffled' by Chris Eubank Jr saying first fight was stopped too soon

Liam Smith is "baffled" by Chris Eubank Jr saying their first fight in January was ended prematurely by the referee.

The British rivals will contest a rematch at the AO Arena in Manchester on 17 June, the same venue where Smith stopped Eubank in four rounds.

Eubank, 33, was dropped twice before Victor Loughlin halted the fight.

"To blame the referee? Wow," Smith, 34, said."You've opened another one now where you're going to get slaughtered by everybody."

Speaking to 5 Live Boxing at Tuesday's new conference, he added: "It could have easily been stopped after the first knockdown, never mind the second.

"I feel he is what he is. I don't know. I'm baffled now. He's just said he dominated the first three rounds.

"If that's domination, then I don't know what boxing is. It's crazy."

The first fight was marred by controversy in the build-up, with homophobic taunts and insults about class.

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Both Eubank and Smith were fined by the British Boxing Board of Control for their previous behaviour, but there were no such unsavoury scenes this time, where there were more jovial exchanges instead.

"It shouldn't have gone that way," Smith added. "But now we've got a past fight to go off, we don't really need to be being personal. We've got a fight we can feed off."

'I have to show I'm the better fighter' - Eubank

Eubank - who activated his rematch clause - said he felt the ending of their first fight "wasn't conclusive".

He added: "People will say I got stopped, but the fact that I'm on my feet, begging for the fight to continue means there's something more there.

"We have to do this again. If I'm laid out on the floor or I'm on one knee and I don't make the count, then fair enough."

Eubank says while other options were available, a rematch with Smith was "one that I needed, not that I wanted".

He added: "I can't let this man walk through the rest of his life saying that he beat me. I have to right that wrong. I have to even the score. I have to show the people that I am the better fighter."