It’s the stuff of which bulletin-board vendettas are made.
Usually.
Asked to assess the man he’ll fight Saturday for the WBO’s light heavyweight title, Russian export Maxim Vlasov labeled imminent foe Joe Smith Jr. as direct, simple, and predictable.
In all fairness, the specific words came from an English-speaking interpreter’s lips on an online conference call. But regardless of language, they sounded like something a lot less than a ringing endorsement of a top-ranked contender’s prowess.
But not only was Team Smith not irked by the No. 2 man’s words, promoter Joe DeGuardia took the phrase as a high compliment.
“I love it,” he said. “Joe is direct, simple and predictable. He’s predictable to be in a thrilling, exciting fight. He’s predictable to land that hammer right hand. When you’re watching a Joe Smith fight you can predict excitement, thrilling action and all the things that you want to see in a fighter.”
Promotional cheerleading aside, he’s not entirely wrong.
Smith got the second championship opportunity of his career thanks to a rugged, hell-bent-for-leather style that yielded two victories in 2020 – a wider-than-it-sounds split decision over Jesse Hart in January and a dominant ninth-round TKO of ex-title claimant Eleider Alvarez in August.
He won seven and eight rounds on two of the scorecards against Hart in Atlantic City and was up by six, six and seven points against Alvarez before ending matters just 26 seconds into Round 9 in Las Vegas.
Alvarez was 17 months past the start of his own half-year reign as WBO champ, which began with a KO of Sergey Kovalev and ended with a unanimous decision loss to him in a rematch. Canelo Alvarez then stopped Kovalev to win the belt in November 2019, but vacated for a return to super middleweight.
Smith and Vlasov will meet atop a main card that’ll be broadcast on ESPN at 10 p.m.
An undercard show will stream on ESPN+ beginning at 7 p.m.
“It’s been a fantastic journey and it’s great that we’re able to culminate now and be in this kind of fight for the championship of the world,” DeGuardia said.
“When you have a guy who really resonates with the common person, the common man, the working man, and you see how he’s come up and now he’s gonna be fighting for the championship of the world on a megaevent on ESPN. We’re talking about a massive audience and a massive opportunity for him.”
Smith turned pro with little fanfare in 2009 and plied his trade in small rooms in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island while building his reputation as a working-class slugger. His breakthrough finally arrived over six months in 2016, when a first-round blowout of Andrzej Fonfara and a career-halting KO of Bernard Hopkins suddenly made him a hot – albeit dangerous – commodity at 175.
Title shot No. 1 ended with a unanimous 12-round loss to WBA champ Dmitry Bivol in March 2019, before the dual wins in 2020 and Alvarez’s abdication melded together to deliver another chance.
Smith is ranked fourth in division by Ring Magazine, training Artur Beterviev, Bivol and Kovalev.
“He came up the tough way on a hard fighting circuit here in New York, took the fights, took every fight we ever asked him and now to see him at the stage where he’s recognized as one of the top or the top light heavyweight,” DeGuardia said. “Because of that work and grit it’s been very rewarding. It’s rewarding to me to see him get to that high level. I love it. It’s fun to watch him fight.
“He’s one of those guys who really gets me thrilled to watch him.”
Smith and his team will depart New York for Las Vegas on Tuesday, leaving behind a bout with bitter winter weather for the early-year comfort of the desert, where highs in the low 70s are forecast into the weekend. The fight will take place in Top Rank’s “bubble” at the MGM Grand.
But if you think a 31-year-old Long Islander is rattled by a little snow, think again.
“I got a couple extra hours of training and exercise by shoveling,” he said. “It’s a good arm, leg and back workout, so I don’t mind it. I like being outside. It wasn’t that long ago that we played in it.”
According to Top Rank, a win would make Smith the fourth Island native to become a champion – following Buddy McGirt, Chris Algieri and Jamel Herring. It’d simultaneously keep him in the running for a long-term cash grab, too, particularly if Canelo heads back to 175 in search of another title reign.
“I’m in the best shape of my life. I’m physically and mentally prepared and very motivated to put on a great show and take home that belt,” he said. “Everything that this title has to offer is motivating. There’s a lot of big fights out there to get with a belt. I’m really looking forward to getting this WBO belt so I can get those fights.”
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This week’s title-fight schedule:
IBF junior lightweight title – Indio, California
Joseph Diaz (champion/No. 4 IWBR) vs. Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov (No. 1 IBF/No. 5 IWBR)
Diaz (31-1, 15 KO): First title defense; Four straight wins since rising from 126 (4-0, 1 KO)
Rakhimov (15-0, 12 KO): Fifth title fight (4-0); Held IBO title at 130 (2017-19, three defenses)
Fitzbitz says: Diaz is the favorite. Diaz is the A-side. And there’s an excellent chance he performs like one. Still, I feel myself leaning toward Rakhimov. He’s a tough out. Rakhimov by decision (55/45)
Vacant WBO light heavyweight title – Las Vegas, Nevada
Joe Smith Jr. (No. 1 WBO/No. 5 IWBR) vs. Maxim Vlasov (No. 2 WBO/No. 9 IWBR)
Smith (26-3, 21 KO): Second title fight; Lost shot at WBA title in 2019 (UD 12)
Vlasov (45-3, 26 KO): First title fight: Three straight wins since return to light heavy (3-0, 1 KO)
Fitzbitz says: The Russian is a big guy with a lot of experience and he’s unbeaten since coming back down in weight. But I like Smith. I’m rooting for him. And that’s enough. Smith in 8 (75/25)
WBO junior middleweight title – Indio, California
Patrick Teixeira (champion/No. 10 IWBR) vs. Brian Carlos Castano (No. 1 WBO/No. 7 IWBR)
Teixeira (31-1, 22 KO): First title defense; Elevated to champion after Jaime Munguia vacated
Castano (16-0-1, 12 KO): First title fight; Held second-tier WBA belt at 154 pounds (2018-19)
Fitzbitz says: Castano’s previous championship claim was iffy due to typical WBA nonsense, but he’s got a shot at a worthwhile strap here and should capitalize on the opportunity. Castano in 6 (90/10)
Last week's picks: None
2021 picks record: 2-0 (100 percent)
Final 2020 picks record: 39-10 (79.6 percent)
Overall picks record: 1,158-375 (75.5 percent)
NOTE: Fights previewed are only those involving a sanctioning body's full-fledged title-holder – no interim, diamond, silver, etc. Fights for WBA "world championships" are only included if no "super champion" exists in the weight class.
Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. He is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.
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