What next for Joe Smith?

[jujigatame]

The guy definitely has power, although he's still a bit of a wild card considering Hopkins was over 50 and he sparked Fonfara so fast it was tough to get an idea of how good he is.

Maybe Smith vs. Pascal?

[jockpunk]

If I were him I would go after that fight with seanie monaghan. Would be an entertaining and winnable bout against a guy who is there to be hit. Considering they are from the same area, would probably draw well there. He should cherry pick guys around that level for awhile, because he is going to get exposed if he tries to fight for a belt.

[Ruthless-RKO]

He has just power. He isn't specially skilled. He will be relying on his power on all his future fights. He was throwing into thin air at times. He will need to get better. I don't think Stevenson would pick him as a voluntary due to him having punch power, but I think Stevenson would beat him.

I would like to see him climb up the ranks. I don't where WBC rank him now, but fights with..

Nathan Cleverly
Eleider Alvarez
Umar Salamov
Sullivan Barrera

etc..

[Artem]

I'd like to see Gvozdyk vs Smith in WBC eliminator

[pound per pound]

The guy definitely has power, although he's still a bit of a wild card considering Hopkins was over 50 and he sparked Fonfara so fast it was tough to get an idea of how good he is.

Maybe Smith vs. Pascal?

What's next for Joe? A BIG PAYDAY.

[jujigatame]

I think it would be unwise for him to fight Gvozdyk right now. He'd probably get outboxed pretty soundly. Pascal is still a challenge, but a more winnable one.

WTF is going on with Stevenson anyway? I thought he was fighting Alvarez, but now I see Alvarez is fighting Bute? Is Stevenson ever gonna fight anyone decent again, or is he just gonna fight B-listers until he retires?

[Stuarty]

Smith v Cleverly would be fun

[boxing_rocks]

Smith vs Beterbiev !

[gilgamesh]

Smith vs Adonis Stevenson
Smith vs Sullivan Barrera
Smith vs Nathan Cleverly
Smith vs Jean Pascal
Smith vs Fonfara 2

I'd be happy with any of those.

[Jip]

he had 2 impressiv wins against good quality opponents. he got power and i want to see him against the best. kovalev, bertebiev, gvozdyk, adonis, any of those 4 against joe next.

[Tanzio]

Anyone in the top 20 works for me. Alvarez or Pascal in Canada would be a nice payday for him. Barrera or Beterbiev would be great too. How about Browne in Brooklyn?

[Freedom2013]

Smith vs. Barrera would be a good matchup, both coming off big wins.

I hope he receives a decent payday for his next fight. Pascal in Canada would provide that.

[gilgamesh]

Smith vs. Barrera would be a good matchup, both coming off big wins.

I hope he receives a decent payday for his next fight. Pascal in Canada would provide that.

His payday was probably pretty solid for the Hopkins fight. I figure fighting Pascal or Stevenson in Montreal would be a solid payday for him. Kovalev and Ward would be too obviously, but they're probably eyeing a rematch with each other first.

[JMac]

Smith vs Beterbiev !

He's not ready for him yet. He needs many more fights before he will be.

[Rexob]

Dancing with the stars he would do well with that push he's got.

[gilgamesh]

Smith vs Beterbiev !

He's not ready for him yet. He needs many more fights before he will be.

Smith's as ready for anybody as he's gonna be now. I don't think any massive improvements are coming to him from here, but fighting better fighters tends to make you better.

Jean Pascal and Adonis Stevenson are the most beatable big names that are still in the division for him, and they're not gimmes by any means.

[Syntax Error]

He should try & get a fight with Roy Jones Jr & put Roy out of his misery.

Then again, Roy will still be fighting when he's 69!

[punchoutsb]

Smith vs Beterbiev !

He's not ready for him yet. He needs many more fights before he will be.

Smith's as ready for anybody as he's gonna be now. I don't think any massive improvements are coming to him from here, but fighting better fighters tends to make you better.

Jean Pascal and Adonis Stevenson are the most beatable big names that are still in the division for him, and they're not gimmes by any means.

I agree with you here BUT...what kind of training/trainers/etc has Smith had access to previously? Isn't Hopkins his first fight as a full time fighter? He was a construction worker who dabbled in fighting before Fonfara. I'd like to see him use this momentum to jump in with a good camp or trainer and try and tighten his game a little.

[gilgamesh]

He's not ready for him yet. He needs many more fights before he will be.

Smith's as ready for anybody as he's gonna be now. I don't think any massive improvements are coming to him from here, but fighting better fighters tends to make you better.

Jean Pascal and Adonis Stevenson are the most beatable big names that are still in the division for him, and they're not gimmes by any means.

I agree with you here BUT...what kind of training/trainers/etc has Smith had access to previously? Isn't Hopkins his first fight as a full time fighter? He was a construction worker who dabbled in fighting before Fonfara. I'd like to see him use this momentum to jump in with a good camp or trainer and try and tighten his game a little.

Yeah it wouldn't be a bad idea for him to work on his craft. There's certainly a lot of improvements he could make. He looked like he'd improved since the Fonfara fight against Hopkins.

I'm not sure which trainers would be best suited to his style. I'm thinking Pavlik's old trainer Jack Loew would be a good fit for him as he seems like he has a similar kinda approach to fighting and Loew could iron out the faults in his game to make him better at what he already does.

I wouldn't blame his team if they matched him a bit careful for a fight or two just to let him improve, but a working man like Smith won't be able to turn down a big payday if it's offered to him, and since a lot of the division's big names see him as beatable I'm sure there'll be no shortage of offers coming his way.

[punchoutsb]

Smith's as ready for anybody as he's gonna be now. I don't think any massive improvements are coming to him from here, but fighting better fighters tends to make you better.

Jean Pascal and Adonis Stevenson are the most beatable big names that are still in the division for him, and they're not gimmes by any means.

I agree with you here BUT...what kind of training/trainers/etc has Smith had access to previously? Isn't Hopkins his first fight as a full time fighter? He was a construction worker who dabbled in fighting before Fonfara. I'd like to see him use this momentum to jump in with a good camp or trainer and try and tighten his game a little.

Yeah it wouldn't be a bad idea for him to work on his craft. There's certainly a lot of improvements he could make. He looked like he'd improved since the Fonfara fight against Hopkins.

I'm not sure which trainers would be best suited to his style. I'm thinking Pavlik's old trainer Jack Loew would be a good fit for him as he seems like he has a similar kinda approach to fighting and Loew could iron out the faults in his game to make him better at what he already does.

I wouldn't blame his team if they matched him a bit careful for a fight or two just to let him improve, but a working man like Smith won't be able to turn down a big payday if it's offered to him, and since a lot of the division's big names see him as beatable I'm sure there'll be no shortage of offers coming his way.

The guys on top with solid chins are frothing at the mouth to get him, IMO. I like Joe, he's a great story. He was brought in to lose twice and won both in devastating fashion. I'd like to see him get in with a world class trainer, take on Monaghan and maybe one other C level guy and then try and get a proper push. He's not ready for the top despite these two wins, he's just a tough guy with a lot of grit and power. He can be refined a little and then give it a go.

[gilgamesh]

Yeah I agree with that

[jockpunk]

Smith vs. Barrera would be a good matchup, both coming off big wins.

I hope he receives a decent payday for his next fight. Pascal in Canada would provide that.

His payday was probably pretty solid for the Hopkins fight. I figure fighting Pascal or Stevenson in Montreal would be a solid payday for him. Kovalev and Ward would be too obviously, but they're probably eyeing a rematch with each other first.

Believe he was paid $180k for the Hopkins fight. Not exactly life changing money.

[Tony1244]

IF Ward doesn't retire but refuses a rematch with Kovalev, Smith is the exact kind of guy that Ward will see as easy money.

My other quip is, after seeing Smith fight Hopkins and Fonfara, Joe boxes a bit better than given credit for. Harold Letterman made him sound like a 2 fight amateur. Smith seems to know how to jab and throw combos with some proficiency.

[gilgamesh]

Smith vs. Barrera would be a good matchup, both coming off big wins.

I hope he receives a decent payday for his next fight. Pascal in Canada would provide that.

His payday was probably pretty solid for the Hopkins fight. I figure fighting Pascal or Stevenson in Montreal would be a solid payday for him. Kovalev and Ward would be too obviously, but they're probably eyeing a rematch with each other first.

Believe he was paid $180k for the Hopkins fight. Not exactly life changing money.

For a working man though that's certainly nothing to sneeze at. It's well above his yearly salary I'm sure.

[Kalan]

Smith is a part time boxer... He may not have enough confidence to quit his day job in construction which pays the bills... If a top trainer offered him a million dollar contract on his work ethic and willingness to learn, so he could go full time for 5 years or so, he would make his mark. Take the long view.

Guys like Golovkin, Canelo, Ward, Kovalev, Lomachenko, Crawford, Usyk, Joshua, Ortiz, Thurman, Brook, and Porter...the best boxers are full time boxers.. They can focus on their conditioning, strength, and skills 24/7. They’re not more talented, but they tend to pass you by skill wise. When you have to commute for a couple hours, work 8 to 10 hours, have a wife and kids; their activities take up your time. Boxing is not always your top priority. Some days you'll just do some shadow boxing, calisthenics, and maybe a little weight lifting at home because of various issues you have to take care of. Construction pays really well, but commitment to a day job is a massive item.

Bryant Jennings was undefeated but working a tough day job. He was progressing slowly because he had a lot of commitments. He took big risks with Klitschko and Ortiz that could have gotten him hurt—well before he was ready. Maybe he did get hurt. The money was real good and that’s always the temptation. You’ll overmatch yourself for money thinking “Even if I lose that money is good...” If you don’t have to worry about a day job you’re less likely to think like that.

Smith shouldn’t take any fight with Beterbiev, Kovalev, Ward, or the top guys right now. The same things that made him an attractive opponent for Hopkins would get him hurt against those guys. He should fight guys like Tom Karpency, Chad Dawson, Marcus Browne, Thomas Williams, Jean Pascal, Alexander Brand, Sam Clarkson, and Isaac Chilemba... He needs 6 or 7 fights on that level to perfect his stance, balance, footwork, timing, feints, timing and defense. Because it’s a very tough division right now. The top guys are ahead of him. But he’ll more than match them if he takes a year or 2 to bring his skills up.