Smith Jr vs Geffrard

Who won Smith Jr vs Geffrard?

Joe Smith Jr beat Steve Geffrard by knockout in the 9th round on Saturday, January 15th, 2022, at Turning Stone Resort & Casino, New York.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Light Heavyweight division, which meant the weight limit was 175 pounds (12.5 stone or 79.4 kg).

This contest was for the WBO light heavyweight championship of the world.

The undercard featured the clash of Nova vs Encarnacion.

Smith Jr vs Geffrard stats

Back in January 2022, Joe Smith Jr stepped into the ring with a record of 27 wins, 3 losses, and 0 draws, 21 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Steve Geffrard made his way to the ring with a record of 18 wins, 2 losses and 0 draws, with 12 of those wins by knockout.

The stats suggested Smith Jr had an advantage in power over Geffrard, with a 78% knockout percentage compared to Geffrard's 67%.

Joe Smith Jr was the older man by 1 year, at 33 years old.

Geffrard had a height advantage of 2 inches over Smith Jr.

Both Joe Smith Jr and Steve Geffrard fought out of an orthodox stance.

Smith Jr was the more experienced professional fighter, having had 10 more fights, and made his debut in 2009, 3 years and 3 months earlier than Geffrard, whose first professional fight was in 2013. He had fought 70 more professional rounds, totaling 156 compared to Geffrard's 86.

Steve Geffrard was ranked number 15 by the WBO in the 175lb division.

Smith Jr vs Geffrard form

Smith Jr had beaten 3 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 1 of them, going the distance twice.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had won against Maksim Vlasov on April 10, 2021, by majority decision in their WBO World Light heavyweight championship fight at Osage Casino, Oklahoma, United States.

Prior to that, he had won against Eleider Alvarez on August 22, 2020, by knockout in the 9th round at The Bubble, MGM Grand, Nevada.

Going into that contest, he had beaten Jesse Hart on January 11, 2020, by split decision in their 10 round contest at Mark G. Etess Arena, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, New Jersey.

Before that, he had been beaten by Dmitry Bivol on March 9, 2019, by unanimous decision in their WBA World Light Heavyweight championship fight at Turning Stone Resort & Casino, New York.

He had lost to Sullivan Barrera on July 15, 2017, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Forum, Inglewood.

Activity check

Smith Jr's last 5 fights had come over a period of 4 years and 6 months, which means he had been fighting approximately every 10 months and 25 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 53 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 10.6 rounds on average.

What time did Smith Jr vs Geffrard start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 10:00 PM EST / 7:00 PM PST at Turning Stone Resort & Casino, New York, United States, which was around 3:00 AM GMT in the UK.

Who broadcast Smith Jr vs Geffrard?

The ESPN show began at 10:00 PM EST / 7:00 PM PST. The Sky Sports Arena broadcast of the card started at 1:30 AM (GTM).

What were the odds on Smith Jr vs Geffrard?

Joe Smith Jr was a 3/50 (-1700) favorite going into the contest, while Steve Geffrard made his way into the ring at 7/1 (+700) with oddsmakers.