Eubank and Smith's hotly anticipated middleweight showdown will take place on January 21 at the AO Arena in Manchester, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

"I've said a lot to him in the build up to this fight. I'm in his head. He even slid into my DMs a few days ago, messaging me on Instagram," Eubank revealed.

"So I know I've rattled him. I just look forward to finishing off the job on the 21st.

• Sky TV & Non-Sky subscribers - book Eubank Jr vs Smith now!
• Smith: Eubank not even second best fighter I've faced!
• Froch & Groves will reunite at Manchester Arena for Eubank Jr-Smith

Eubank told Sky Sports News: "I actually can't repeat a lot of the language that he used in those DMs. But he is not a happy bunny, let's just put it that way.

"I think that his frustration and his anger is going to play into how the fight is going to unfold. And it's not going to play to his advantage, I know that."

He also noted that he couldn't resist replying himself.

"I sent him back a couple of little zingers. You've got to. Who knows, maybe on fight week I'll screenshot it and post it," Eubank said.

Ahead of the bout, Eubank has given every indication of being supremely confident.

"I believe I'm absolutely in my peak, in my prime," Eubank said. "There are no signs of wear and tear. There's no signs of lost hunger. I'm more motivated than ever. To keep going. To keep winning. To keep performing, to keep participating in huge fights."

Although Smith is a former world champion, Eubank claimed he would be able to overwhelm him on January 21.

"I think that there are levels to the sport, there are levels to the game, I think my highest level is going to be too much for him," he said.

"I respect him. He's done a lot in the sport of boxing over many years, as have I. But I feel like at this moment in time we're two separate animals and it's going to be too much for him on the night when that bell goes.

"This," Eubank warned, "is going to be the toughest fight he's ever been in."

Eubank has only been defeated twice in a long career and hasn't lost since he boxed George Groves back in 2018, also at the Manchester Arena.

Groves used expert footwork to back away and pick off Eubank as he came forward, exerting control in the early rounds of that contest. It is, however, not Liam Smith's style to fight on the backfoot. He will meet Eubank head on and look to beat him at his own game.

"I think it's going to be an awesome fight for the fans to see because of the styles that we both bring into the ring," Eubank admitted.

"We're not going to have to go looking for each other. We both fight on the inside. We both come forward, we both have good chins. We both have a good tank, good stamina.

"So it's going to be a fight of the year candidate in my opinion."

Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Smith is on Saturday January 21, live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book it now if you are a Sky TV subscriber or a Non-Sky TV subscriber. Buy tickets here.