fightin' words

Pro boxer stands up to homophobic opponent by wearing rainbow armband in support of LGBTQ+ people

Chris Eubank Jr.. Liam Smith, boxing, homophobia, gay, LGBTQ, rainbow armband, Box,Fighters,Trainning,Outdoor,.,Mixed,Media

British boxer Chris Eubank Jr. wore a rainbow armband to his weigh-in after his middleweight opponent Liam Smith made homophobic comments against him during their pre-match news conference.

During the January 19 conference, Eubank mocked Smith about direct messaging him before their match, saying, “I’m used to seeing girls in my DMs, I’m not used to seeing guys I’m about to fight.”

Smith responded, “You’re going on about girls, mate. Has anyone in this room ever seen you with a girl? Have you got something to tell us, really? … You’re putting pictures up of [Brazilian soccer player Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior] in limousines. Do you want to tell us something? Because nobody in this room has ever seen you with a woman.”

Eubank said, “You’re asking me if I’m gay, you’re talking about my beard and my hair — I have a great barber, I can introduce you if you want. If you want to get personal with it… talking about being gay and do I like girls — I’ve been told by multiple sources that you cheat on your wife on the occasion. So let’s just relax with the personal stuff. I’d rather be gay than a cheat, how about that?”

Smith responded, “You don’t got a misses to cheat on.”

After the interview was broadcast on the Sky Sports TV network, the network’s presenter Anna Woolhouse apologized for the “homophobic” exchange. Sky Sports later removed the footage from its boxing YouTube channel. The Sun tabloid also criticized the exchange, writing, “British boxing raced back into the gutter for a dismal start to 2023 with homophobic jibes.”

The boxers’ promoter, Boxxer, said that the two fighters apologized for their comments.

The day after the conference, Eubank posted an image on Twitter of himself wearing an armband while standing next to his opponent at his official weigh-in. Eubank wrote, “We don’t discriminate… we don’t alienate. We want boxing & sport as a whole, to be all inclusive.”

Despite Eubank’s fearless show of support for the LGBTQ community, Smith still knocked him out in the fourth round of their Saturday night fight. While it would’ve been satisfying to see Eubank beat Smith, at the very least, the two hugged in the ring after their match ended.

Later, Smith offered a kind-of sort-of apology, saying, “I apologize to anyone offended by what I said. I’m not homophobic in any way, shape, or form, I’m far from it. That’s not me as a man.”

Now, scroll down for some pics from Eubank’s Instagram page…

 

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A post shared by Chris Eubank Jr (@chriseubankjr)

 

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A post shared by Chris Eubank Jr (@chriseubankjr)

 

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A post shared by Chris Eubank Jr (@chriseubankjr)

 

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A post shared by Chris Eubank Jr (@chriseubankjr)

 

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A post shared by Chris Eubank Jr (@chriseubankjr)

 

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A post shared by Chris Eubank Jr (@chriseubankjr)

 

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A post shared by Chris Eubank Jr (@chriseubankjr)

 

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A post shared by Chris Eubank Jr (@chriseubankjr)

 

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A post shared by Chris Eubank Jr (@chriseubankjr)

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