Via Dan Ambrose: Joe Smith Jr spoke for the first time on Monday since losing to IBF/WBC light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev by a second-round knockout last Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Smith says he’s lost “focus” after being dropped by Beterbiev in the first round. It was the wrong opponent for Smith to go into a reactionary regime against, seeking to ‘come back.’
Following his relegation, former 175-lb WBO champion Smith revealed that he had abandoned the competition plan he had for the match and just wanted to take it down with Beterbiev (18-0, 18 KOs).
Smith continued to slug with Beterbiev, even after being dropped by him a second time early in the second half.
Alarm bells should have sounded in Smith’s head after being knocked out a second time, but he stubbornly continued to scuffle with Beterbiev, who took advantage of the situation.
“I want to start by saying thank you to everyone who has supported me and my career; I love fighting for every one of you,” said Joe Smith Jr. above Instagramabout the loss to Artur Betterbiev.
“Last weekend didn’t go as planned because i lose focus about the game plan after making a mistake that got me caught behind my ear, losing an equilibrium that I could not restore,” Smith Jr. continue.
Unfortunately, Smith Jr couldn’t focus on the game plan he had for the competition. Smith Jr said he wanted to box but never even tried during the fight.
Even before knocking down in the first round, Smith chased Beterbiev, trying to score with a quick knockout. Looks like Smith scrapped his game plan in the first place and he paid the price.
Again, if this were an inferior fighter, Smith could have avoided going into seek & destroy mode, but this is Beterbiev, arguably the #1 fighter in the 175-lb division.
“There are no excuses. I should have taken a deep, relaxing breath, and back to boxing. I just wanted to fight, which led me into the same traps,” Smith Jr.
“I would love to bring back all the trophies for you. Smith Jr.
If Smith continues his career, he will likely have to overcome some tough contenders like Joshua Buatsi and Craig Richards if he wants to have a chance at fighting for a world title.
Going forward, it would be a good idea for Smith to fight with more discipline and stick with the game plan he came up with if he wants to be a two-time world champion.
