Boxing Live: Prior to their fight earlier this year, British boxing rival Liam Smith made homophobic slurs about Chris Eubank Jr. He has since apologised for his comments.
The British Boxing Board of Control is still looking into Smith’s remarks, which were made on January 19 during a combative news conference two days before the fight and were roundly criticised (BBBofC).
Eubank is also being looked at for his part in the shady scenes when he was accused of making social class-related jokes about Smith, a Liverpudlian.
Following the press conference, both combatants expressed regret, but Smith came under fire for refusing to acknowledge that his remarks had been homophobic. At the weigh-in the day before the fight, Eubank Jr. displayed support for the LGBTQ+ community by donning a rainbow wristband.
In the middleweight match, former world champion Smith defeated Eubank Jr. via knockout, however, he has since admitted that he “regrets every moment of the fight week.”
Smith stated to Sky Sports: “In any aspect of life, let alone at a news conference for a boxing match, the things that were said at the press conference should have never been said.
“Even now, I’m still dealing with the fallout from that, and there are certain people I’ll never be able to win back.
I sincerely apologise to everyone I hurt. “I totally regret how the press conference went and what was said should never have been spoken.”
After a heated prelude to the fight, Smith conceded there is “no excuse” for his statements but said he “maybe got caught up in the moment.”
Smith stated that he could “of course see anybody who looked into it, I can imagine them thinking I was trying to make fun of it, but I fully wasn’t and that was not my purpose.”
“I understand that some individuals won’t ever accept my apology and that I’ll never win them back, and I’ll have to learn to live with that moving ahead.”
When asked what he would say to anyone who was upset by his remarks now, Smith added: “I really apologise and recognise the hurt that has caused you. I apologise for what was stated; I’m not homophobic or a homophobic individual. I’m a family man from a wonderful family.”
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