Joe Smith Jnr ending long layoff with February 2025 fight at cruiserweight

Joe Smith Jnr is coming off two losses and has been out of the ring for more than a year. But the former light heavyweight titleholder has a likely date for his return.

“He’ll be back around, I think we’re putting him on February 14,” said promoter Joe DeGuardia of Star Boxing during a recent meeting of the WBO’s ratings committee at the sanctioning body’s convention in Puerto Rico.

Smith, 28-5 (22 KOs), will remain at cruiserweight, said DeGuardia, who did not name an opponent.

Smith, a 35-year-old from Long Island, spent almost the entirety of his career in or slightly above the 175-pound weight class. His biggest victories came in 2016, when he took out Andrzej Fonfara in a single round and then sent Bernard Hopkins out of the ring — and out of the sport — with an eighth-round knockout.

Then came setbacks in two of Smith’s next three appearances: decision losses to Sullivan Barrera in 2017 and titleholder Dmitry Bivol in 2019. He followed with four consecutive victories, including wins over Jesse Hart, Eleider Alvarez and Maxim Vlasov. The triumph over Vlasov earned Smith the vacant WBO world title.

Two fights later, Smith lost the belt in a June 2022 unification match with Artur Beterbiev, dropped in the first round and finished in the second. Smith came back in October 2023 as a cruiserweight and lost a wide decision to Gilberto Ramirez.

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2 and @UnitedBoxingPod. He is the co-host of the United Boxing Podcast. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.