Joe Smith Jr.

Results: Sullivan Barrera beats Smith Jr.

Results: Sullivan Barrera beats Smith Jr.

Newly crowned WBC Intercontinental Light Heavyweight Champion Sullivan Barrera (20-1, 14 KOs) gave a career-making performance, getting off the deck in the first round to take a 10-round unanimous decision victory over Joe Smith, Jr. (23-2, 19 KOs). The judges scored the fight 96-93 and 97-92 twice.

“I feel very happy about this win. Joe Smith, Jr. is a great champion, and I respect him very much,” Barrera said. “This title wouldn’t have been possible with my amazing team, and my father here tonight was also amazing. When Smith, Jr. knocked me down in the second round, I got back up cause that’s who I am. In my fight with Shabranskyy the same thing happened. I shoot back up to get the victory.”

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PBC on FOX & HBO Tripleheader Predictions

PBC on FOX & HBO Tripleheader Predictions

Both HBO and the PBC on Fox have dueling tripleheaders this Saturday night featuring quality matchmaking from top to bottom whether you’re looking for pure entertainment or an evenly matched 50-50. For this boxing scribe (hack) the most intriguing one of all is Joe Smith Jr. vs. Sullivan Barrera and the can’t-miss action fights include Berchelt vs. Miura and Figueroa vs. Guerrero.

Here’s the rundown on how these fights will play out starting with a true pick’em, Joe Smith Jr. vs. Sullivan Barrera. Just a few days short of 13 months ago the boxing public especially the media, destroyed a PBC on NBC main event that matched Joe Smith Jr. against Andrzej Fonfara. That fight was chastised as yet another (perceived) mismatch from the Al Haymon stable pushed aside as a worthless waste of space for a prime time slot. Then the first round happened and the rest is music to Joe’s ears. Once again Joe was seen as a sizable underdog facing The Legend of Longevity Bernard Hopkins late last year. Joe knocked Bhop out of the ring ending his storied career abruptly.

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Berchelt vs Miura and Barrera vs Smith Jr. quotes for Saturday

Berchelt vs Miura and Barrera vs Smith Jr. quotes for Saturday

The all-action fighters participating on the stacked tripleheader this Saturday, July 15 have wrapped up camp and begin their journey to Los Angeles for their championship bouts at The “Fabulous” Forum. The night will feature the rugged Miguel “El Alacran” Berchelt (31-1, 28 KOs) defending his hard-earned WBC Super Featherweight belt against Takashi Miura (31-3-2, 24 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round main event championship bout. Serving as chief support in the co-main event, Panamanian super-star and newly signed Golden Boy Promotions fighter Jezreel “El Invisible” Corrales (21-1, 8 KOs) will make his U.S. debut against Robinson “Robin Hood” Castellanos (24-12, 14 KOs) in a 12-round super featherweight bout for Corrales’s WBA Super World title. Opening up the HBO telecast, current two-time WBC International light heavyweight Champion Joe Smith, Jr. (23-1, 19 KOs) will put his belt on the line in a 12-round fight against Miami’s Sullivan Barrera (19-1, 14 KOs). The action will be televised on HBO Boxing After Dark® beginning at 9:50 p.m. EDT/PDT.

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Joe Smith Jr vs Sullivan Barrera on July 15

Joe Smith Jr vs Sullivan Barrera on July 15

FROM THE COMMAN MAN TO TOP RATED CONTENDER THE RISE OF JOE SMITH JR.

Born and raised on Long Island, the 27-year-old JOE SMITH JR., (23-1 19 KO’s), has taken the road less travelled to the top of the light heavyweight division. From battling in the New York Golden Gloves to defeating boxing legend Bernard Hopkins live on HBO World Championship Boxing at the iconic Los Angeles venue, The Fabulous Forum this past December, JOE SMITH JR. proved he shines brightest on the biggest stage.

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Joe Smith Jr. vs. Sullivan Barrera on 7/15

Joe Smith Jr. vs. Sullivan Barrera on 7/15

“The Common Man”, Joe Smith Jr., (23-1, 19 KO’s), boxing’s best story of 2016, will make his first start of the new year, defending his WBC International Light Heavyweight Title against world ranked Sullivan Barrera, (19-1, 14 KO’s) on Friday, July 15 from the iconic, Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles and live on HBO’s Boxing After Dark (9:50 p.m. ET/PT).

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Adonis Stevenson-Joe Smith Jnr in “advanced talks” for April fight

Adonis Stevenson-Joe Smith Jnr in “advanced talks” for April fight

Can “Irish Bomber” Joe Smith Junior win a world title? It seems there is a good chance we will get our answer this April. Smith, the man who (hopefully) ended the career of the great Bernard Hopkins to cap off a tremendous breakthrough 2016, certainly deserves a shot and, according to a very interesting piece on RingTV.com, Smith could face reigning WBC 175-pound king Adonis Stevenson on April 29.

The WBC did order Stevenson to defend against the winner of the February 24 Lucian Bute-Eleider Alvarez fight, but Yvon Michel, who promotes “Superman,” told Ring how he believes the WBC “will go with us if we can make a side deal with the mandatory contender” (be it Bute or Alvarez). Both Michel and Smith’s promoter Joe DeGuardia believe a Stevenson-Smith fight is a big and significant one, and how the WBC will allow it to happen.

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Hopkins-Smith: A Punch is Just a Fast Push or Shove

Hopkins-Smith: A Punch is Just a Fast Push or Shove

Maybe Bernard “The Executioner/Alien” Hopkins (58-8-2, 32 KOs) was right when he said Joe “The Beast” Smith Jr. (23-1-0, 19 KOs) pushed him out of the ring at The Forum, Inglewood, CA. After all a punch is just a push with speed. To be more exact, its speed and a clenched fist that changes the prod into a strike or blow. It was several of those that propelled Hopkins head first through the ropes on to the concrete floor below. The coalition of those blows brought about the unthinkable…..a stoppage of the wily old predator, who even at age 51 was still the favorite.

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Is Joe Smith Junior The Fighter of The Year?

Is Joe Smith Junior The Fighter of The Year?

Go back to the start of this year and chances are you had never heard of Joe Smith Junior. But then, in June, “The Irish Bomber” scored a huge upset when he took out the tough and well known Andrzej Fonfara inside a round. This win certainly got the 27-year-old known, and the stoppage victory also earned Smith Jnr an even bigger fight – one with living legend Bernard Hopkins, and we all know what happened there this past Saturday night.

Now, with his fighter going 3-0(3) in 2016, Promoter Joe DeGuardia feels Smith is more than worthy of picking up The Fighter of The Year award. Speaking with Ringtv.com, DeGuardia explained why Smith, 23-1(19) is more worthy than Terence Crawford; Crawford being the front-runner for the distinction in the opinion of many people.

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Joe Smith Jr. the first fighter to TKO Bernard Hopkins

Joe Smith Jr. the first fighter to TKO Bernard Hopkins

Joe “The Beast” Smith Jr. became the first fighter to knock out the legend Bernard Hopkins as he knocked Hopkins completely out of the ring with a vicious 4 punch combination in the 8th round. Hopkins was unable to beat the 20 count administered by referee Jack Reiss constituting a knockout win by Smith Jr. (the bout was officially declared a TKO victory). The fight was the main event on HBO Championship Boxing.

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