Joe Smith Jr

A power puncher with a blue-collar background, Joe Smith Jr was born on September 20, 1989 and hails from Long Island, New York. He wasn’t considered the next big thing in boxing growing up, as he spent quite a few years working as a laborer on construction sites. However, his love for the sport and his skill led to his decision to give professional prizefighting a try just after he turned 20.

Smith Jr made his professional debut on October 31, 2009 against David Brown. The fight was short, as he ended up scoring a TKO in the very first round. His next fight was a first-round KO, followed by two more first-round TKOs. One thing was clear from the beginning – Joe Smith Jr had some serious power.

On June 26, 2010, he took on Walter Foster and won by way of TKO in the second round. The result was the same when he fought Charles Wade on July 28, 2010. However, his luck would change in his next fight on August 7, 2010, as he was stopped in the fourth-round by TKO by Eddie Caminero. At 6-3, Caminero was a bit of a step up from his previous opposition, but it was also likely that the frequency of his fights led to a down night.

Smith Jr took some time off after that, eventually making his comeback on July 30, 2011 against Santos Martinez. He went back to his winning ways with a KO in the second round. He followed that up with four more stoppage victories. He then had a streak of decisions, as he beat Hamid Abdul-Mateen by unanimous decision, Lamont Williams by split decision and Otis Griffin by unanimous decision.

That proved to be an anomaly, as he would stop Michael Gbenga after two rounds and then score four consecutive TKOs before beating Will Rosinsky by unanimous decision after 10 rounds of action. A second-round TKO over Fabiano Pena earned him the biggest fight of his life, against Andrzej Fonfara on June 18, 2016 for the WBC international light heavyweight title.

The fight was in hostile territory, Chicago, where Fonfara was a fan favorite. Joe Smith Jr came in as a huge underdog, as most felt he would be outclassed by Fonfara. He shocked everyone in attendance and watching worldwide when he came out working the body, and then went upstairs with a beautiful right hand to knock down Fonfara. A second powerful right hand resulted in another knockdown and the end of the fight, by way of TKO in the very first round.

Following up that exciting and impressive performance, he fought 51-year-old Bernard Hopkins on December 17, 2016 for the legendary boxer’s final fight. While Hopkins talked quite a bit of trash in the leadup to the fight, Smith Jr was unfazed and prepared to do his talking in the ring. The fight was close for the first seven rounds, but in the eighth, he landed a brutal combination of punches that knocked Hopkins out of the ring. When Hopkins couldn’t climb back in to beat the count due to an ankle injury, Joe Smith Jr became the first boxer to beat Hopkins by stoppage.

What is Joe Smith Jr's Record?

Joe Smith Jr's record currently stands at 28 wins, 5 loses and 0 draws. Of those 28 wins he has stopped 22 of his opponents, so his current knock-out ratio is 79%. Of his 5 loses, he's been stopped 2 times. He's boxed a total of 156 rounds, meaning his professional fights last 4.7 rounds on average.

What was Smith Jr's last fight?

Joe Smith Jr's last fight took place against Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez's on 7th Oct 2023, in Las Vegas, United States. He lost by unanimous decision in the 10th round. That fight was 6 months and 17 days ago.

How active is Joe Smith Jr?

Smith Jr's last 5 fights have come over a period of 3 years, 8 months and 26 days, meaning he has been fighting on average every 9 months. In those fights, he fought a total of 42 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 8.4 rounds on average.

Where is Joe Smith Jr From?

Smith Jr was born in the United States.

How Old Is Joe Smith Jr?

The cruiserweight is currently 34 years old. He was born on 20th September 1989, so he will turn 35 in 4 months and 27 days.

How long has Smith Jr been fighting?

Joe Smith Jr made his professional debut in October 2009, so he has been a pro for 14 years and 5 months.

How good is Joe Smith Jr?

Smith Jr is currently ranked 10th by the WBC and 7th by the WBA at Cruiserweight.

How tall is Joe Smith Jr?

Smith Jr is 6' 0" (6 Foot and 0 inches) which is 183cm (1 meter and 83 centimeters).

What is Smith Jr's Reach?

His reach is 76 inches (76") which is 193 cm (1 meter and 93 centimeters).

What stance does Joe Smith Jr use?

Smith Jr fights from a traditional orthodox stance, which means he favours his right hand as his power hand when fighting.

What are some potential opponents for Joe Smith Jr?

Some potential future fights for Smith Jr include Anthony Yarde, David Benavidez and Lyndon Arthur.

What will be Joe Smith Jr's Next Fight?

Joe Smith Jr doesn't currently have a fight scheduled.

Some potential future fights for Smith Jr include Anthony Yarde, David Benavidez and Lyndon Arthur.

How can I stream Joe Smith Jr's Fights?

In the UK you can usually stream Smith Jr's fights on DAZN UK.

In the US you can usually stream Joe Smith Jr's fights via DAZN.

What are some recent Joe Smith Jr results?

Smith Jr has beaten 3 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 2 of them, going the distance once.

In his last fight, he lost to Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez on 7th October 2023 by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Chelsea Ballroom, Las Vegas, United States.

Previous to that, he had been beaten by Artur Beterbiev on 18th June 2022 by technical knockout in the 2nd round in their WBC World Light heavyweight, IBF World Light Heavyweight and WBO World Light heavyweight championship fight at Madison Square Garden Theater, New York.

Going into that contest, he had won against Steve Geffrard on 15th January 2022 by knockout in the 9th round in their WBO World Light heavyweight championship fight at Turning Stone Resort & Casino, New York.

Before that, he had beat Maksim Vlasov on 10th April 2021 by majority decision in their WBO World Light heavyweight championship fight at Osage Casino, Oklahoma.

He had defeated Eleider Alvarez on 22nd August 2020 by knockout in the 9th round at The Bubble, MGM Grand, Nevada.

Joe Smith Jr Stats

Age	Date Of Birth	Nationality	Height	Reach	Stance	Weight Division
34	September 20, 1989	United States	183 cm	193 cm	orthodox	Cruiserweight (200 lb)

Joe Smith Jr Record

Professional Record	Wins	Wins By KO	Knockout Percentage	Losses	Losses By Stoppage	Draws	Pro Rounds	Debut
28-5-0	28	22	79%	5	2	0	156	2009

Joe Smith Jr Rankings

Weight	The Ring Magazine	WBC	IBF	WBA	WBO
Cruiserweight	-	10	-	7	-

Joe Smith Jr Recent Contests

Date	Opponent	Result	Replay	Venue
2023-10-07	Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez	Lost (UD 10)		The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Chelsea Ballroom, Las Vegas, NV, United States
2022-06-18	Artur Beterbiev	Lost (TKO 2)	watch replay	Madison Square Garden Theater, New York, NY, United States
2022-01-15	Steve Geffrard	Won (KO 9)	watch replay	Turning Stone Resort & Casino, New York, United States
2021-04-10	Maksim Vlasov	Won (MD 12)		Osage Casino, Oklahoma, United States
2020-08-22	Eleider Alvarez	Won (KO 9)	watch replay	The Bubble, MGM Grand, Nevada, United States
2020-01-11	Jesse Hart	Won (SD 10)		Mark G. Etess Arena, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, New Jersey, United States
2019-03-09	Dmitry Bivol	Lost (UD 12)	watch replay	Turning Stone Resort & Casino, New York, United States
2017-07-15	Sullivan Barrera	Lost (UD 10)		Forum, Inglewood, United States
2016-12-17	Bernard Hopkins	Won (KO 8)		Forum, Inglewood, United States
2016-06-18	Andrzej Fonfara	Won (TKO 1)	watch replay	UIC Pavilion, Chicago, United States
2016-04-23	Fabiano Pena	Won (TKO 2)		Paramount Theatre, Huntington, United States
2015-12-05	Will Rosinsky	Won (UD 10)		Barclays Center, New York, United States
2015-09-11	Shujaa El Amin	Won (TKO 9)		Paramount Theatre, Huntington, United States
2015-04-18	Cory Cummings	Won (TKO 2)		Paramount Theatre, Huntington, United States