joe smith jr.
Nation
Date of birth
september 20, 1989 (34 Years Old)
Height
6 ft 0 (183 cm)
Reach
76 in (193 cm)
Wins
28
Losses
5
Ko's
22
joe smith jr.
Nation
DATE OF BIRTH
september 20, 1989 (34 Years Old)
Height
6 ft 0 (183 cm)
REACH
76 in (193 cm)
wins
28
Losses
5
ko's
22
Notable Opponents
Titles Won
Titles Won
Background
Joe Smith Jr. had a decent amateur career, managing to win the Golden Gloves competition in 2008. That wouldn’t be his only achievement however, as he went on to fight around 50 times while winning a plethora of domestic amateur competitions such as the Empire State Games. He also participated in, and won the Junior Olympics – three times – during his junior years. [1]
Joe Smith Jr. finally turned professional in 2009.
Accomplishments
Joe Smith Jr. debuted in the Light-Heavyweight division in 2009 and despite a shock minor setback loss in 2010, he established himself as a potential contender in the subsequent years after his debut. His first title win (WBC International) came in 2016. He retained his title in the next match against the legendary Bernard Hopkins who marked that as his last fight after being stopped in the eight round.
Smith then faced Sullivan Barrera in his second title-defense but lost by UD to the Cuban boxer. After taking a warm-up fight following the loss, Smith faced world champion Dmitry Bivol for his WBA World Light-Heavyweight title but Bivol proved to be another stumble block as the world champion outboxed and outpointed Smith easy in a unanimous decision title win.
The losses only proved to shape Smith’s ability as a boxer as he demonstrated he belonged in the top rankings of the division by beating former world champion Eleider Álvarez by knockout in 2020.
In 2021 he fought Maxim Vlasov for the WBO World Light-Heavyweight title. The match ended up very close and Smith narrowly edged out with a majority decision win, earning him the first world title of his career.
Joe Smith Jr. defended his WBO title early in the year of 2022 against fellow American Steve Geffrard. Later that year in June, he faced Artur Beterbiev in a unification bout, but his match proved to be unsuccessful as he was stopped within just the second round of their fight, therefore losing his title in the process.
After being absent from the ring for more than a year, Joe Smith Jr. returned against former light-heavyweight contender Gilberto Ramirez in October of 2023. The two battled it out at cruiserweight in a non-title bout, but it was Ramirez who came out on top in their new division, and Smith suffered his fifth career loss as a result.
Boxing Style
Known as a tough and powerful fighter, Joe Smith Jr. has also shown to have a great mentality, managing to overcome several opponents while going into the fight as an underdog. He showed vast improvement after losing to Dmitry Bivol, managing to improve his movement and intelligence in the ring and showcasing improved defense along with a more varied moveset in the matches following his first world title loss.