Via Craig Daly: Former WBO light heavyweight champion Joe Smith jr. said it will take him some time to decide what to do with his future following a second-round knockout loss to IBF/WBC champion Artur Beterbiev last weekend in New York.
It’s hard to see where Smith, 32, can go after this setback. If he chooses to continue his career, he has some tough boxers that he will need to beat to get in his way to try and win another world title.
Given the way that Betterbiev dominates Smith, it would be a waste of time to go back to him. Should Beterbiev gain weight in the next year or two, Smith could claim one of the vacant titles if he remains the champion.
Smith (28-4, 22 KOs) lost the ability to serve after suffering pain in the first round from a Beterbiev (18-0, 18 KO) right-handed shot that flew off the top of his head.
It wasn’t a huge punch from Beterbiev, but the punch hit Smith in the head injuring him, knocking him off balance.
“This past weekend didn’t go as planned because I lost focus on the game plan after making a mistake that got me caught behind my ear, losing an equilibrium I couldn’t recover from,” Joe said. Smith Jr. said. Instagramexplains why he lost to Artur Betterbiev.
Smith should have shrunk between rounds and focused on being outside in the second round. When Smith took the field for the second time, he continued to try to fight Beterbiev as if nothing had happened the first time.
In retrospect, it was a HUGE mistake on Smith’s part because he let Beterbiev easily finish him off.
“I should have taken a deep breath, relax and get back to boxing. I just wanted to fight, which led me into the same trap,” Smith said.
I’ll take some time, stay in shape and decide what the future holds for me“Smith Jr.
Smith can’t tie up after being injured
“The groomsman won. I thought the guy who landed the first big punch won it, and that’s what happened,” broadcaster David Diamante told. Second about last Saturday’s fight between Artur Betterbiev and Joe Smith Jr.
“It seems that once Joe gets hit by a bullet and gets shaken, it’s hard for him to [recover]. He doesn’t hold, he doesn’t use his feet, he doesn’t use his jab, and he just punches a lot.
“You can’t do that to Beterbiev because he’s too strong. The 175 lb scene in the UK is huge. You had [Joshua] Buatsi, Craig Richards, and apparently Yarde. There are a lot of great fighters in the 175-lb division.
“Obviously he [Anthony Yarde] fighting with Betterbiev, it was a great fight. We shall see. He and Tunde were in town, and it looks like they set it up,” said Diamante.
