Former WBO light heavyweight champion Joe Smith Jr. says he felt he was stronger than unified 175-lb champion Artur Beterbiev when they fought two years ago in June 2022. it didn’t end well for Smith, as Beterbiev knocked him out in two rounds after dropping him four times in their clash at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Smith Felt Stronger than Beterbiev
The New Yorker Smith says he can’t choose a winner in next month’s clash between Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) and WBA champ Dmitry Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) on October 12th at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Smith attributes his loss to Beterbiev to getting caught with the right shot behind the ear, getting caught up with the crowd, and the adrenaline from the moment. He started fast, trying to slug with Beterbiev in the first round, and was dropped in the final seconds.
Rather than playing it safe, Smith came out fast in the second round and was knocked down a second time by Beterbiev. From there, it was more of the same. Smith kept attacking recklessly and getting knocked down by Beterbiev until the referee waved it off.
Bivol defeated Smith by a 12-round unanimous decision on March 9, 2019, in Verona, New York. That fight was also one-sided, but Smith hurt Bivol late in the contest by nailing him with a shot after the bell. The scores were 119–109, 119–109, and 118–110.
“Whenever we got in a clinch in that little bit of time, I felt that I was stronger. I didn’t feel like he was overpowering or anything of me,” said Joe Smith to the Pro Boxing Fans YouTube channel, talking about his fight against Artur Beterbiev on June 18, 2022, at Madison Square Garden in New York.
It didn’t look like Beterbiev was trying to wrestle and waste energy during the clinch. That might be one of the reasons why Smith got the impression that he was more powerful than Beterbiev, as he was holding on tightly to him. Beterbiev was too smart to waste energy by putting a vice-like hold on Smith when they were in a clinch, and he didn’t need to. He was dominating the entire two-round fight.
“He caught me with an accurate shot right behind the ear. Honestly, I didn’t even feel it. My legs went down, and they never came back,” said Smith about being hurt by Beterbiev in the first round. “I guess he does have pretty good power.
“If everything was right and the timing was right, definitely,” said Smith when asked if he’d like a rematch with Beterbiev and Bivol. “It would definitely be great fights.”
It’s not looking good for Smith to get a rematch with Beterbiev or Bivol at this point. Smith has lost his last two fights and is coming off a one-sided ten-round unanimous decision defeat against Gilberto Ramirez on October 7th.
No Clear Favorite in Beterbiev-Bivol Fight
“That’s a fight that could go either way,” said Smith on who wins the Beterbeiv vs. Bivol fight on October 12th. “Beterbiev has great technical skills and great power. He’s very accurate where he places his punches. The same with Bivol, but Bivol has that in-and-out movement and a little bit more agility. It’s going to be a great fight.”
Beterbiev was throwing his power shots between the punches Smith was throwing and catching him repeatedly. It looked like Smith was trying to outgun him, and that was the wrong approach to take against a fighter like Beterbiev. Smith did hit Beterbiev with some big shots, but it did not affect him.
“They’re both very accurate where they pick their shots and land their shots, but I can’t pick a favorite for me because I think they’re both great. Beterbiev just happened to catch me early in the right spot, where I wasn’t warmed up enough yet. I think the crowd, the adrenalin, and the hype of the fight just got to me where I rushed back into the dangerous zone where I was still buzzed.
“That fight, I believe, could have gone another way if I had time to recover. We’ll see what happens. I think it [Beterbiev vs. Bivol] will be an amazing fight,” said Smith about his clash with Beterbiev.
Smith is kidding himself if he believes his fight with Beterbiev would have gone differently if he had recovered. He was never in the fight, getting nailed with right hands from the opening bell. It wouldn’t have been so bad for Smith if he’d not come out looking for a knockout against Beterbiev because that put him in the firing line of his heavy shots.
“Bivol does have enough power to stun you, but he’s so busy. He hits you with five or six punches that stun you, and then you get stunned again. You start hesitating on what you’re going to throw because the more busy you get, the more he starts hitting you,” said Smith.
Bivol’s combinations have good power but not the kind that Beterbiev possesses. Bivol is smaller and weaker than Beterbiev, and he doesn’t win by knocking out his foes unless they’re overmatched, like his last opponent, Malik Zinad. That guy had no business fighting for a world title against Bivol and should have never gotten the opportunity.
Read the full article here
