Joe Smith Jr. vs. Callum Johnson | BT Sport - 15 January 2022 (OFF)

[handsofstone]

Any idea if Smith Jr's titles on the line??

[Ruthless-RKO]

Steve Geffrard Replaces Callum Johnson As Joe Smith's Opponent 1/15 On ESPN

Another training camp won't go to waste for Joe Smith Jr.

Steve Geffrard agreed Friday to replace Callum Johnson as Smith’s opponent January 15 in a main event ESPN will televise from Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. Geffrard (18-2, 12 KOs) is unknown and unproven at the championship level, but the 31-year-old Miami native is in shape because he was scheduled to fight Argentina’s Gonzalo Andreasen (7-8, 6 KOs, 1 NC) in an eight-rounder Saturday night in Delray Beach, Florida.

Unlike several other potential replacements matchmakers for Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc. contacted, Geffrard was willing to take a very difficult fight against the WBO light heavyweight champion for a reasonable purse and on eight days’ notice. Geffrard is not ranked in the top 15 by the WBO, a requirement for eligibility for a title shot, but Smith-Geffrard is expected to be sanctioned as a WBO championship match.

England’s Johnson (20-1, 14 KOs) is a big puncher who would’ve been more dangerous for Smith (27-3, 21 KOs), but the 36-year-old contender tested positive for COVID-19 this week and withdrew Thursday from their 12-round fight.

Johnson replaced Russia’s Umar Salamov as Smith’s opponent in mid-November because Salamov couldn’t obtain a visa to travel to the United States to challenge Smith on January 15. Salamov (26-2, 19 KOs) instead dropped a 12-round unanimous decision to WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (19-0, 11 KOs) on December 11 in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

Geffrard, meanwhile, will take an 18-fight winning streak into his fight with Smith.

He hasn’t lost since Travis Reeves (then 0-1-1) beat him by split decision in their four-rounder in June 2013 in Sunrise, Florida. In his previous bout, Kentrell Claiborne (then 2-6) stopped Geffrard in the third round of Geffrard’s pro debut in February 2013 in Detroit.

The 32-year-old Smith will make the first defense of the WBO 175-pound championship he won in his last fight – a 12-round, majority-decision victory over Russia’s Maxim Vlasov (46-4, 26 KOs) on April 10 at Osage Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Smith was supposed to face Salamov on October 30 at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York, but Smith contracted COVID-19 in mid-September.

[JamesPhilips]

Never heard of this guy. But his amateur record is pretty good. I expect tko5

[Ruthless-RKO]

Are BT still gonna show this?

[Ruthless-RKO]

The fight will now be on Sky Sports and NOT BT Sports.

Sky Sports Top Rank Boxing schedule

Sunday January 16 - Top Rank in New York
Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard - WBO light-heavyweight title

Sunday January 30 - Top Rank in Tulsa
Robson Conceicao vs Xavier Martinez - WBC super-featherweight title eliminator

Sunday February 6 - Top Rank in Fresno
Jose Ramirez vs Jose Pedraza

[handsofstone]

Happy days

[MightyWarrior]

Good fight on the undercard with the unbeaten highly touted Puerto Rican featherweight Abraham Nova getting late replacement William Encarnacion Dom Rep- ex Olympian prospect. He was 18-0 15 kos before taking on fellow unbeaten Giovanni Gutierrez in 2019, and looked world class until a stunning double knockdown in round 3 scrambled him, more than the other guy, and GG flattens him next round. Crazy fight check it out.
That might’ve finished him, but he looked dangerous in the early going, and Nova might be vulnerable too.
(Yes I’d never heard of either of them before yesterday but looked them up for that prediction thing that’s going )

[maverick23]

Good fight on the undercard with the unbeaten highly touted Puerto Rican featherweight Abraham Nova getting late replacement William Encarnacion Dom Rep- ex Olympian prospect. He was 18-0 15 kos before taking on fellow unbeaten Giovanni Gutierrez in 2019, and looked world class until a stunning double knockdown in round 3 scrambled him, more than the other guy, and GG flattens him next round. Crazy fight check it out.
That might’ve finished him, but he looked dangerous in the early going, and Nova might be vulnerable too.
(Yes I’d never heard of either of them before yesterday but looked them up for that prediction thing that’s going )

You’ve never heard of them before?! Casual.

Thanks for the heads up

[handsofstone]

Dominating performance from Smith Jr, won every round and forced the stoppage in the 9th, it's a cliché but Geffrard was tough and took his lumps, stood up to some big shots and Smith Jr is a heavy hitter, he offered very little offensively though apart from some half hearted attacks once or twice

Smith Jr's jab was strong and accurate, he winged over the right hand time and again and brought the work downstairs as the rounds wore on, he hurt Geffrard at end of 5th and opened him up , what little fight Geffrard had was gone by time round 9 started and not much landed clean to force him down for the finish, a big left when he was more or less down was the most hurtful looking punch, good call by Geffrard's corner to pull their man he was done

[DrDuke]

Dominating performance from Smith Jr, won every round and forced the stoppage in the 9th, it's a cliché but Geffrard was tough and took his lumps, stood up to some big shots and Smith Jr is a heavy hitter, he offered very little offensively though apart from some half hearted attacks once or twice

Smith Jr's jab was strong and accurate, he winged over the right hand time and again and brought the work downstairs as the rounds wore on, he hurt Geffrard at end of 5th and opened him up , what little fight Geffrard had was gone by time round 9 started and not much landed clean to force him down for the finish, a big left when he was more or less down was the most hurtful looking punch, good call by Geffrard's corner to pull their man he was done

Not sure, if Geffrard was too tough. It looked like Smith wasted a lot of time with boxing attempts, he probably could overwhelm Geffrard earlier. The final barrage also didn't have many clean punches, while Geffrard wasn't too dazed after that, he just wanted no part of Joe.

[handsofstone]

Dominating performance from Smith Jr, won every round and forced the stoppage in the 9th, it's a cliché but Geffrard was tough and took his lumps, stood up to some big shots and Smith Jr is a heavy hitter, he offered very little offensively though apart from some half hearted attacks once or twice

Smith Jr's jab was strong and accurate, he winged over the right hand time and again and brought the work downstairs as the rounds wore on, he hurt Geffrard at end of 5th and opened him up , what little fight Geffrard had was gone by time round 9 started and not much landed clean to force him down for the finish, a big left when he was more or less down was the most hurtful looking punch, good call by Geffrard's corner to pull their man he was done

Not sure, if Geffrard was too tough. It looked like Smith wasted a lot of time with boxing attempts, he probably could overwhelm Geffrard earlier. The final barrage also didn't have many clean punches, while Geffrard wasn't too dazed after that, he just wanted no part of Joe.

I'm not claiming Geffrard to be the most durable man I've seen in a ring but he lost every round, was hurt bad in the 5th and hung around a few rounds longer, poor match up in all honesty regardless if he was a late replacement

[margaret thatcher]

beterbiev's 37 soon, how high up can he get before smith's tenacity is just too much?