Artur Beterbiev vs. Joe Smith | ESPN - June 18, 2022

[Stevieaber]

I like Joe as a fighter, but he is quite basic and I don’t see that paying off here. Can see him getting smashed.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Mght have to restart the poll seeing as its about 3 years old.. nowhere near as conclusive now.

Restarted.. Didn't realise this fight has been 3 years in the making!

[DrDuke]

3 years ago Smith had more chances in my eyes. Beterbiev was fighting nonames back then. Yet soon he crushed Gvozdyk and since that moment I haven't been giving much chances to Smith. Beter has more of class. Smith made some upsets, but he should have been given a loss against Vlasov recently, while Beter isn't worse as a boxer than Vlasov, plus Beter punches much harder. I see Beter confidently outboxing Smith, maybe stopping him at some point.

[margaret thatcher]

with every predication that he'll be smashed/outclassed, joe the upsetter gains a bit of strength

[gregregegg]

3 years ago Smith had more chances in my eyes. Beterbiev was fighting nonames back then. Yet soon he crushed Gvozdyk and since that moment I haven't been giving much chances to Smith. Beter has more of class. Smith made some upsets, but he should have been given a loss against Vlasov recently, while Beter isn't worse as a boxer than Vlasov, plus Beter punches much harder. I see Beter confidently outboxing Smith, maybe stopping him at some point.

Vlasov definatly won that fight vs smith, but he has a wild style... Beter isnt worse than Vlasov but he is simpler. This should be simpler, these two will both be able to hit each other, beter should points him if it goes the distance but if someones getting stopped then i cant pick it really. Zero clue who hits harder, or whos chins better, that makes it a good close fight.

[bobcatbox]

This will be a fun fight! Rooting on Smith to pull a huge upset.

[DrDuke]

3 years ago Smith had more chances in my eyes. Beterbiev was fighting nonames back then. Yet soon he crushed Gvozdyk and since that moment I haven't been giving much chances to Smith. Beter has more of class. Smith made some upsets, but he should have been given a loss against Vlasov recently, while Beter isn't worse as a boxer than Vlasov, plus Beter punches much harder. I see Beter confidently outboxing Smith, maybe stopping him at some point.

Vlasov definatly won that fight vs smith, but he has a wild style... Beter isnt worse than Vlasov but he is simpler. This should be simpler, these two will both be able to hit each other, beter should points him if it goes the distance but if someones getting stopped then i cant pick it really. Zero clue who hits harder, or whos chins better, that makes it a good close fight.

Beter doesn't need Vlasov's awkwardness, he's just more composed, he can settle a necessary pace and he can bang. It's Smith, who has the simplest style. He can bang too, but he's more opened than Beter and he's not that smart. Smith just goes and fights, Beter finds keys to opponents and punishes them.

[squiggy]

I feel like Smith's a significant step more limited and basic than Beterbiev.

[margaret thatcher]

This will be a fun fight! Rooting on Smith to pull a huge upset.

[watsupdoc87]

The Irish bombers gonna fuk him up. This is 1 to look forward to. Won't be going the distance

[gregregegg]

3 years ago Smith had more chances in my eyes. Beterbiev was fighting nonames back then. Yet soon he crushed Gvozdyk and since that moment I haven't been giving much chances to Smith. Beter has more of class. Smith made some upsets, but he should have been given a loss against Vlasov recently, while Beter isn't worse as a boxer than Vlasov, plus Beter punches much harder. I see Beter confidently outboxing Smith, maybe stopping him at some point.

Vlasov definatly won that fight vs smith, but he has a wild style... Beter isnt worse than Vlasov but he is simpler. This should be simpler, these two will both be able to hit each other, beter should points him if it goes the distance but if someones getting stopped then i cant pick it really. Zero clue who hits harder, or whos chins better, that makes it a good close fight.

Beter doesn't need Vlasov's awkwardness, he's just more composed, he can settle a necessary pace and he can bang. It's Smith, who has the simplest style. He can bang too, but he's more opened than Beter and he's not that smart. Smith just goes and fights, Beter finds keys to opponents and punishes them.

Oh smith is defiantly more limited. I just think Vlasov was a nightmare matchup for him. Vs beter it’s a fight. Beter will set more traps and box smarter than smith that’s a given. I just think both with get hit clean in this fight. I also think beters power is a bit overrated and he is getting a bit old and inactive of late. Those things combined makes me think it’s probably a 60-40 for beter, but it’s very very close.

[margaret thatcher]

i agree, vlasov is all herky jerky awkward, and lots of movment. bert may be the better box but he's more simple a style and in front of you

[DrDuke]

Vlasov definatly won that fight vs smith, but he has a wild style... Beter isnt worse than Vlasov but he is simpler. This should be simpler, these two will both be able to hit each other, beter should points him if it goes the distance but if someones getting stopped then i cant pick it really. Zero clue who hits harder, or whos chins better, that makes it a good close fight.

Beter doesn't need Vlasov's awkwardness, he's just more composed, he can settle a necessary pace and he can bang. It's Smith, who has the simplest style. He can bang too, but he's more opened than Beter and he's not that smart. Smith just goes and fights, Beter finds keys to opponents and punishes them.

Oh smith is defiantly more limited. I just think Vlasov was a nightmare matchup for him. Vs beter it’s a fight. Beter will set more traps and box smarter than smith that’s a given. I just think both with get hit clean in this fight. I also think beters power is a bit overrated and he is getting a bit old and inactive of late. Those things combined makes me think it’s probably a 60-40 for beter, but it’s very very close.

Being inactive and not young is probably the worst thing for Beter here. Still gotta favor him.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Joe Smith Jr. finalizing two-fight deal that includes first title defense, bout vs. Daniel Jacobs, sources say

Joe Smith Jr. is lining up not just his first title defense, but a major fight in early 2022.

The light heavyweight titleholder is in the process of finalizing a two-fight deal, sources told ESPN, that would see Smith fight mandatory challenger Umar Salamov in the fall, followed by a title tilt with Daniel Jacobs in early 2022.

Smith-Salamov will take place in October or November at Hulu Theater at MSG in New York, per sources, and will headline on ESPN/ESPN+.

Smith (27-3, 21 KOs) will be favored to turn back Salamov (26-1 19 KOs), and if he wins as expected, he'll meet Jacobs in a major New York fight at Madison Square Garden. That bout, which would see Jacobs jump up to 175 pounds, is being planned for January or February, also on ESPN/ESPN+. Smith hails from Long Island and Jacobs is from Brooklyn.

The two-fight deal isn't yet agreed to, sources said. Smith and Salamov are promoted by Top Rank (Joe DeGuardia co-promotes Smith) while Jacobs is a free agent. Top Rank chairman Bob Arum has repeatedly said he hoped to pit Smith against Artur Beterbiev in a three-belt unification.

Smith, ESPN's No. 3-rated fighter at 175 pounds, won the vacant title with a majority-decision victory over Maxim Vlasov in April, capping an impressive run that included a TKO win over former champion Eleider Alvarez last summer and a split-decision nod vs. Jesse Hart last January. All three fights were televised on ESPN/ESPN+.

That three-fight winning streak followed a three-bout stretch where Smith, 31, was on the losing end of two of them. He suffered a broken jaw vs. Sullivan Barrera in 2017 but lasted the 12-round distance. Two fights later, he was outpointed by Dmitry Bivol in a title fight.

His career-best win remains a knockout victory over Bernard Hopkins, the Hall of Famer's farewell fight. Smith was an underdog in that bout, despite Hopkins being 49, and the former construction worker ended the fight when he sent Hopkins through the ropes and onto the concrete with a series of punches.

A fight with Jacobs would rival his matchup with Hopkins in terms of marketability. Smith is an attraction in New York, and so, too, is Jacobs, a former middleweight champion who has competed against Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin.

Jacobs, 34, was once paralyzed while suffering with osteosarcoma, a life-threatening form of bone cancer. Following his miraculous recovery, Jacobs (37-3, 30 KOs) went on to stop Peter Quillin in the opening round of a middleweight title fight and later dropped a narrow decision to GGG.

Three fights later, Jacobs was champion once again after scoring a split-decision victory over Sergiy Derevyanchenko. Jacobs lost the title in his next fight, a points loss to Alvarez.

Following the defeat to Canelo, Jacobs moved up to 168 pounds, where he scored a stoppage of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The 34-year-old eked by Gabe Rosado in November in a lackluster performance.

Since that win, Smith has fought once with another bout slated for the fall. Jacobs has no fight scheduled so it's possible he'll head straight into the title bout with Smith in his light heavyweight debut.

Jacobs, a natural 160-pounder, will be considerably smaller than Smith.

Salamov, 27, from Russia and now residing in Las Vegas, has competed in the United States only once and has never faced a fighter of note. He was set to fight Vlasov in November 2020, part of a four-man box-off for the vacant WBO title, before he was diagnosed with COVID. Salamov was symptomatic and faced a long recovery. Smith defeated Alvarez in the four-man box-off and went on to fight Vlasov for the vacant title with Salamov guaranteed a shot at the winner.

[margaret thatcher]

this is stinky poop after teasing us with the bert fight

[brilo33]

but honestly though who has beterbiev beat top fighters wise still think bivol is better, i would say Gvozdyk though he werent the same after the stevenson fight callum johnson put him down joe jr ko clean Fonfara who has fought world champions Executioner hopkins ko clean out the ring Sullivan Barrera lost though he knocked barrera down didnt look like he was getting up celbrated to early then boxed most of the fight with a broken jaw no shame good learning fight lost to Bivol who at the time was looking the champ of the divison bit of a drape fight though then beat jesse hart on points which people didnt jr could do that was good win performance then smashed Alvarez who was hot at the time but coming of a loss to kk then Vlasov really close fight against another fighter who has been in and fought for world title

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

I guess Arum has WBO in his pockets more than Frank.

[KiwiRider]

I guess Arum has WBO in his pockets more than Frank.

Or just the old unification trumps mandatory thing?

[margaret thatcher]

f@ck ya!!

let's go joe the upsetter, he defied the odds vs fonfara, hopkins, hart, and alvarez, and he'll do it vs berty too

[margaret thatcher]

I guess Arum has WBO in his pockets more than Frank.

maybe, but what's the privlege he's using here?

[DrDuke]

f@ck ya!!

let's go joe the upsetter, he defied the odds vs fonfara, hopkins, hart, and alvarez, and he'll do it vs berty too

And got exposed against Vlasov. No way he upsets Beter, who is levels above Fonfara and Alvarez, much fresher than Hopkins and more brutal than Vlasov.

[margaret thatcher]

off night for the joester against a herky jerky 6'3 southpaw mover who has a totally different style than artur

joe not exposed at all by the way. dudes who havent fought anyone and who we dont know their level get exposed , joe has fought lots of good opponents and beat most of them. arturs 37 soon isnt he, he better be prepared to work his arse off when smoking joe is coming at him and making him bleed

[DrDuke]

off night for the joester against a herky jerky 6'3 southpaw mover who has a totally different style than artur

joe not exposed at all by the way. dudes who havent fought anyone and who we dont know their level get exposed , joe has fought lots of good opponents and beat most of them. arturs 37 soon isnt he, he better be prepared to work his arse off when smoking joe is coming at him and making him bleed

Beterbiev is 37, but he didn't have a lot of hard fights. Being cut in the recent bout doesn't make him tend to cut every time. Actually, pushing forward after getting cut and stopping the opponent, when the stoppage was needed so much, speaks only positive for Beter.

Vlasov was different stylistically, but he clearly is a worse boxer. Awkward? Maybe. Yet his awkwardness can't be considered over Beter's technical soundness, especially with Beter being a much harder puncher. Beter won't only outbox Joe, like slapsie Maxie did, Artur will deliver pain to Smith.

[margaret thatcher]

artur aint gonna do any outboxing, the smoking one is gonna drag him into a battle, and the younger lion is going to put some hurt on him in slobber knocker. vlasov's not even relevant he's so different in style and dimension.

if artur thought callum johnson hit hard, he's in for a shock vs joe da beast