Chris Eubank Jr claimed Liam Smith caught him with a 'once in a lifetime' shot and is hoping to receive a rematch later this year.

The Brighton boxer had never touched the canvas as a professional but was savagely knocked out by Smith at a sold out AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday night.

Smith, stepping up from super-welter to middleweight, knocked Eubank down twice in quick succession in the fourth round before the referee waved the contest off.

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"A tough night? No I wouldn't even say that, I was having fun, I was landing my shots, I was enjoying the moment,” Eubank told Sky Sports.

"And he caught me with a once-in-a-lifetime shot. I got up, I recovered, he put it on me again with a few more shots and the referee decided it was enough.

"I felt like I could go on. I felt like I was aware of what was happening, but it was the referee's decision and I have to respect it.

"I felt like I was dominating the fight before that happened, so I think we've got an exciting opportunity, at some point in the future, to have that rematch.

"Listen, it's boxing, it's a sexy sport, this is the sport we love. Anything can happen. I never would have believed this could happen.

"I think a lot of people didn't see this happening, and it happened, but that's okay. I'm okay with it. It's part of the journey and I've still got a lot left so we'll see what happens later on in the year."

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