Years of rivalry and a river of bad blood carried Chris Eubank Jr and Liam Williams into this grudge match in Cardiff, but in the event, but favor flowed almost entirely one way once the fight got started. 

Eubank managed to knock Williams down four times during the fight, a statistic made all the more remarkable given that Williams is notoriously gritty and not a fighter given to being put down easily. 

Three of the knockdowns came in the first four rounds, with Williams still fresh and the volume of traded blows a mere fraction of what they would be by the time the final bell sounded. 

The secret was Eubank’s left hand. A stiff jab - almost a lead cross - put Williams down in the first round, dropping him when he came surging forwards looking to put pressure on. A left hook delivered the same service in the same circumstances a round later.

Williams was immediately back to his feet both times and immediately back into the fray, but Eubank Jr was in total control of the pace and distance of the fight. 

The result was inevitable: a unanimous decision win for Eubank on every card.

“I am happy with the performance, I wanted to teach that man a lesson, he said some quite menacing things to me in the lead-up to this fight," Eubank said.

"I wanted to punish him - I didn't want to knock him out in one round, I wanted to punish him.

"Headbutts, headlocks… I am surprised he didn't get disqualified. But I took it like a man and I punished him like I said I would. It was a fun night. I think I showed some of my critics a different side to me. 

“There was no danger, if I had stepped on the gas at any point in the fight he would have been gone. There are levels to this game. Don't be a big mouth against guys you can get hurt against."