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🥊 And The New
Giacomo Skeate
January 20, 2023
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Fight With Teddy Atlas Newsletter, your one stop shop for all things combat sports related, brought to you by Teddy and The Fight team.
Every Friday We Bring You:
A combat sports news digest with all the headlines you need to know from Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts.
Highlights from the podcast and across the fight world.
Fight times and information you need to know ahead of time.
How to’s and tips for Boxing from Teddy himself.
Fight News From Around The 🌍
Eubank Looking To End The Beef
Across the pond, Chris Eubank Jr takes on former WBO light-middleweight champion Liam "Beefy" Smith in a clash of two products of esteemed boxing families.
Eubank Jr, is the son of legendary British fighter Chris Eubank Sr. and Liam Smith is the 2nd youngest of four boxing brothers. Liam, Paul, Callum and Stephen Smith have all been British champions as well as all challenging for world titles. Liam and Callum Smith have both already been world champions.
Saturday night however, fighting heritage will be of no help once the two men square off in the ring. Eubank Jr recently moved to the US to work with trainer Roy Jones Jr, which has led to a slight change in his style, having gone from being a "take one to give one" pressure fighter to a more measured, calculated boxer-puncher.
His recent win against Liam Williams was a good example of the kind of work him and Jones Jr have been doing, and it's clear that he's improving with every fight under the hall of famer.
Liam Smith however, has operated at a higher level than a lot of Eubank's recent opposition, having shared the ring with Canelo Alvarez, Jaimie Munguia and Jessie Vargas.
The Liverpool man is on the hunt for a 2nd world title, and will be high on confidence having scored 4 knockouts in his last 5 wins. At 34 years old, he still has enough time for one last run at world level, and a win would take him closer to that. As a bonus, he'll be eager to punish Eubank Jr for the pre-fight trash talk and mind games, which have defined a lot of the build up .
What to look for in the fight:
Styles. Eubank's transition to more of an out-fighter might actually be detrimental against Smith - who is very technically sound and makes very few mistakes, especially in the first 6 rounds. There's a good chance that if he goes behind on the cards, we may see him try to step up the tempo and brawl.
Guard. Smith's guard leaves a lot of opportunities for uppercuts and hooks. Should Eubank fail to find success by sticking and moving, look for him to revert back to his original style and go for volume on hooks and uppercuts.
Size. Smith has competed at light-middleweight for his entire pro career, whilst Eubank has fought at super-middleweight. Should the fight get more physical late on, the advantage will lie with the naturally bigger fighter.
2nd Time Lucky?
The UFC opens up the 2023 PPV schedule with a vacant light heavyweight title fight, as the former Champion Glover Teixeira locks horns with knockout artist Jamahal “Sweet Dreams” Hill.
Teixeira was originally scheduled to rematch Jiri Prochazka in December of 2022, but was was left out to dry when Prochazka pulled out and vacated the title, with the UFC pairing Magomed Ankalaev against former champion Jan Blachowicz for the vacant light title instead.
A controversial split draw later, the UFC turned back to the 43 year old for another chance at the still vacant title. A loss to Jiri Prochazka (in a fight he was winning before being submitted), saw his short lived title reign end. Becoming the oldest 2x champion in the history of the sport, in his home country of Brazil, would be a fitting end to a career that began back in 2002.
Looking to spoil the homecoming party, Jamahal Hill comes into his first UFC title fight as confident as ever. Ranked #7, Hill may appear slightly green for a title shot. However, he's undoubtably one of the most entertaining fighters on the roster, with none of his fights since his debut having heard the final bell.
After the fairly technical decision in the Ankalaev vs Blachowicz fight, the UFC may have looked at Hill as the perfect antidote to having a repeat: a young, confident KO merchant who will fancy his chances against a talented, but physically vulnerable Glover.
In the co-main event, Flyweight Champion Deiveson Figueiredo fights Interim Champion Brandon Moreno for the fourth time.
The two have shared 13 brutal rounds together, with the record currently at 1-1-1. Saturday night will give one of them the chance to pull away and definitely come out on top in one of the greatest rivalries MMA has ever seen.
What to look for in the fights:
Standing room only. Hill is a frightening puncher - but so is Jiri Prochazka. Glover's striking was more than enough to compete with one of the most technical strikers in the business, so don't expect him to not match Hill for aggression on the feet. Hill's seven inch reach advantage will come in handy.
Hill's sole loss in the UFC thus far has been to an experienced grappler in Paul Craig. Glover is one of the most accomplished grapplers in MMA history, and a similar route to victory could follow for him here if he's able to take Hill down early.
Weight. For the Figueiredo vs Moreno fight, it'll be interesting to see if the struggles of making flyweight finally catch up to the champion. At 35, he's long discussed a move up to bantamweight, whilst the 29 year old Moreno looks much more comfortable at the weight.
Fight ⏰ for this weekend
Boxing: Eubank Jr vs Smith (Saturday 21st/Sunday 22nd)
🇺🇸 Full Card: 2pm Eastern/ 11am Pacific | Main Event: 5pm Eastern/ 2pm Pacific
🇬🇧 Full Card: 7pm | Main Event: 10pm
🇦🇺 Full Card: 6am Eastern/ 4am Western | Main event: 9am Eastern/ 7am Western
MMA: UFC 283 (Saturday 21st/Sunday 22nd)
🇺🇸 Full Card: 10pm Eastern/ 7pm Pacific | Main Event: 11pm Eastern/ 8pm Pacific
🇬🇧 Full Card: 3am | Main Event: 4am
🇦🇺 Full Card: 2pm Eastern/ 12pm Western | Main event: 3pm Eastern/ 1pm Western