Via Jim Calfa: Joe Smith Jr capitalized on his attention by calling super star Canelo Alvarez and IBF/WBC light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev on Saturday night after a hopeless machine gun shot past Steve Geffrard in the ring. ninth to claim the winning knockout at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.
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Geffrard entered the fray with an odd game plan of standing right in front of Smith with a tall guard, hoping to tire him out by blocking his big hits.
The plan failed from the start because even though Geffrard parried most of the incoming shots, the punches still slam into the glove and shove them in his face.
Furthermore, the punches passed resembled those with a sledgehammer from Smith Jr, who is arguably the second-biggest puncher in the 175-lb division behind Beterbiev (17-0.17 KOs).
WBO light heavyweight champion Smith Jr. (28-3, 22 KO) take out Geffrard’s replacement (18-3, 12 KO) in ninth place after knocking him out with two separate elongated salvos punches to the head.
Smith Jr said of Geffrard: “I tried to get him out of there early, but I realized he was tough and I wouldn’t be able to do it. “I tried to wait until later rounds and started rolling out more combinations to separate him,Smith said.
Although Geffrard endured the first eight punch combo from Long Island, New York native Smith Jr., in the ninth fight, he collapsed on the canvas during second fastest salvo head photo.
While Geffrard fell, his corner brought the fight to a halt. In Geffrard’s view, the contest would be stopped. 31 years old Geffrard looks like Rip Van Winkle, woke up after 20 years of oversleeping and didn’t have any conditions to continue fighting.
Even if the fighting hadn’t stopped, Geffrard would not have been allowed to fight the way he did. He looks hurt and disoriented.
Hopefully Geffrard is okay because he took two separate series of heavy head shots from Smith Jr in the ninth round before the knockdown. It would be a good idea for Geffrard to get checked out at the nearest hospital since he took a lot of medicine tonight.
“[IBF/WBC light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev] is what i want,“Joe Smith Jr. said after the war. “I want to go back to the gym, get on with my craft, and like I said every time I get in the ring; I will get better and better. I believe the next time you see me, I will be ready for anyone,” Smith Jr.
“If Canelo wants to go to 175 and fight me, I’m ready for him. That’s the fight I want. Everyone loved watching that fight. That would be a big problem. ”
Beterbiev is likely going to take on 175-lb WBO champion Joe Smith Jr if that makes sense for him financially, but Canelo Alvarez, that’s not likely. Looks like he’s focused on fighting easy classes like WBC cruiser champion Ilunga Makabu.
If Canelo moves up to 175, it would be wise for him to face Smith Jr. or the next Dmitry Bivol. Bivol isn’t much of a puncher, so that would be a great starting point for Canelo at 175.
You can’t consider Canelo’s past match at 175 against former WBO champion Sergey Kovalev as an authentic experience because the match looks weird as if Russian fighter planes have been enlarged.
Kovalev doesn’t throw punches with any force at them, and he looks like he’s playing at a quarter speed.
The only round where Kovalev quickly headed Canelo was number eight, and he looked like he was toying with the Mexican star in that round.
The weight of Kovalev’s hits in the eighth round threw Canelo around the ring. But in season nine, Kovalev seems to return to fighting with incomplete strength, and Canelo resumes his domination.
