British boxer Eubank Jr. wears rainbow armband at weigh-in

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PA Wire

Britain's Chris Eubank Jr, left and Liam Smith look on, during the weigh-in ahead of their middleweight bout on Saturday, at the Manchester Central Convention Complex, Manchester, England, Friday, Jan. 20, 2023. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)

MANCHESTER – British boxer Chris Eubank Jr. wore a rainbow armband at the weigh-in Friday before his middleweight bout against Liam Smith after a nasty exchange at a news conference.

Smith had repeatedly asked Eubank at Thursday's pre-fight press conference “do you want to tell us something?” in reference to Eubank's sexuality.

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Eubank responded with claims about Smith’s fidelity to his wife, and Sky Sports apologized for “personal and homophobic remarks."

On Friday, Eubank wore a pro-LGBTQ armband on his right arm throughout the weigh-in and faceoff with Smith ahead of their bout at Manchester's AO Arena on Saturday.

Eubank, whose father was also a former champion, later tweeted: “We don't discriminate… we don't alienate. We want boxing & sport as a whole, to be all inclusive.”

The British Boxing Board of Control said it is “considering the conduct” of the fighters. Eubank had also made disparaging remarks about Smith's hometown of Liverpool.

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