Bivol vs Smith Jr

Who won Bivol vs Smith Jr?

Dmitry Bivol beat Joe Smith Jr by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest on Saturday, March 9th, 2019, at Turning Stone Resort & Casino, New York.

The scorecards were announced as 119-109, 119-109, 118-110 in favor of winner Dmitry Bivol.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Cruiserweight division, which meant the weight limit was 200 pounds (14.3 stone or 90.7 kg).

This contest was for the WBA cruiserweight championship of the world.

Also on the undercard Callum Johnson was victorious over Sean Monaghan, Maurice Hooker beat Mikkel LesPierre for the WBO World Junior Welterweight belt, and Sergey Kuzmin defeated Joey Dawejko.

Bivol vs Smith Jr stats

Back in March 2019, Dmitry Bivol stepped into the ring with an undefeated record of 15 wins, zero losses, and 0 draws, 11 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Joe Smith Jr made his way to the ring with a record of 24 wins, 2 losses and 0 draws, with 20 of those wins by knockout.

The stats suggested Smith Jr had a slight advantage in power over Bivol, with a 83% knockout percentage compared to Bivol's 73%.

Dmitry Bivol was the younger man by 1 year, at 28 years old.

Smith Jr had a 4-inch reach advantage.

Both Dmitry Bivol and Joe Smith Jr fought out of an orthodox stance.

Bivol was arguably the less experienced fighter, having had 11 fewer fights, and made his debut in 2014, 5 years later than Smith Jr, whose first professional fight was in 2009. He had fought 58 more professional rounds, totaling 214 compared to Smith Jr's 156.

Bivol vs Smith Jr form

Bivol had won 5 of his most recent fights, stopping 3 of them, going the distance twice.

In his last fight before this contest, he had beaten Jean Pascal on November 24, 2018, by unanimous decision in their WBA World Light Heavyweight championship fight at Mark G. Etess Arena, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, New Jersey, United States.

Prior to that, he had beaten Isaac Chilemba on August 4, 2018, by unanimous decision in their WBA World Light Heavyweight championship fight at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, New Jersey.

Going into that contest, he had won against Sullivan Barrera on March 3, 2018, by technical knockout in the 12th round in their WBA World Light Heavyweight championship fight at Madison Square Garden, New York.

Before that, he had beaten Trent Broadhurst on November 4, 2017, by knockout in the 1st round in their WBA World Light Heavyweight championship fight at Salle des Étoiles, Monte Carlo, Monaco.

He had defeated Cedric Agnew on June 17, 2017, by technical knockout in the 4th round in their WBA Interim World Light heavyweight championship fight at Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino, Events Center, Las Vegas, United States.

Smith Jr had beaten 4 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 3 of them, going the distance once.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had lost to Sullivan Barrera on July 15, 2017, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Forum, Inglewood, United States.

Prior to that, he had won against Bernard Hopkins on December 17, 2016, by knockout in the 8th round at Forum, Inglewood.

Going into that contest, he had defeated Andrzej Fonfara on June 18, 2016, by technical knockout in the 1st round at UIC Pavilion, Chicago.

Before that, he had beaten Fabiano Pena on April 23, 2016, by technical knockout in the 2nd round at Paramount Theatre, Huntington.

He had won against Will Rosinsky on December 5, 2015, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Barclays Center, New York.

Activity check

In terms of activity leading into the fight, Dmitry Bivol had been fighting more than Joe Smith Jr.

Going into this contest, Dmitry Bivol had last fought 3 months and 13 days ago, while Joe Smith Jr's last outing had been 1 year, 7 months and 22 days ago.

Bivol's last 5 fights had come over a period of 1 year, 8 months and 20 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 4 months and 6 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 41 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 8.2 rounds on average.

Smith Jr's last 5 fights had come over a period of 3 years, 3 months and 4 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 7 months and 26 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 31 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 6.2 rounds on average.

What time did Bivol vs Smith Jr start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 11:00 PM EST / 8:00 PM PST at Turning Stone Resort & Casino, New York, United States, which was around 4:00 AM GMT in the UK.

Who broadcast Bivol vs Smith Jr?

Bivol vs Smith Jr was broadcast on DAZN in the US, while the fight was broadcast in the United Kingdom by Sky Sports Action.

What were the odds on Bivol vs Smith Jr?

Dmitry Bivol was a 1/25 (-2500) favorite going into the contest, while Joe Smith Jr made his way into the ring at 107/10 (+1100) with oddsmakers.