Former WBO American light-heavyweight champion Joe Smith Jr. faces an uphill battle on October 7th as he is set to fight former WBO Mexican super middleweight champion Gilberto Ramirez at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Nevada. Both fighters are coming off losses to the division’s champions, Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Joe Smith Jr. (28-4, 22 KO’s), aged 33, has reached a crucial point in his career where he cannot afford to lose if he aims for a world title shot. His last match was against Russian-Canadian Artur Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KO’s) over a year ago in June 2022 and ended in a brutal 2nd-round knockout for Beterbiev. Having not fought since then, Smith Jr. is in the precarious position of dealing with ring rust and having had no opportunity to boost his confidence following his loss.
Gilberto Ramirez (44-1, 30 KO’s), aged 32, is in a significantly better position despite a unanimous decision loss to WBA Russian light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KO’s) in November of last year. Although Ramirez is less than a year younger than Smith Jr. and has had more fights as a professional, his loss to Bivol wasn’t as damaging as Joe Smith Jr.’s loss to Beterbiev.
Smith’s match against Beterbiev was a damaging bout for the American, and his lack of activity over the past year does not improve his chances. While his skills have been proven through his victory over Maxim Vlasov to become the WBO light-heavyweight champion in April 2021, there is reason to believe his abilities may have diminished due to his long period of inactivity.
Ramirez’s own ability cannot be underestimated, given his credentials as a world champion at 168 lbs. His loss to Bivol, though one-sided, did not prove too damaging, and it counts as his first and only loss of his career.
Smith has not been as fortunate, having suffered four defeats throughout his career, with two coming by way of knockout or stoppage. However, despite the odds seemingly stacked against Smith Jr., his unique and proven effective work rate in the ring, resolve, and toughness have always defined him as a fighter and can continue to do so, whether he wins or loses against Ramirez.
However, the opportunities for a world title shot will likely be on the line, given that both fighters are considered two of the biggest contenders in the division. A win for either boxer is imperative if they hope to challenge for the world titles in their division.
In addition to Gilberto Ramirez and Joe Smith headlining on October 7th at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, super flyweight contenders American prospect John Ramirez (12-0, 8 KO’s) and Panamanian former world title challenger Ronal Batista (15-3, 9 KO’s) have been added to the card. This match is set to be a WBA eliminator to determine the mandatory challenger for the division’s titleholder, the current Japanese WBA champion Kazuto Ioka (30-2-1, 15 KO’s).
