Hart vs Smith Jr

Who won Hart vs Smith Jr?

Joe Smith Jr beat Jesse Hart by split decision in their 10 round contest on Saturday, January 11th, 2020, at Mark G. Etess Arena, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, New Jersey.

The scorecards were announced as 97-92, 95-94, 98-91 in favor of winner Joe Smith Jr.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 10 rounds in the Light Heavyweight division, which meant the weight limit was 175 pounds (12.5 stone or 79.4 kg).

The undercard featured the clash of Nelson vs Kilic.

Hart vs Smith Jr stats

Back in January 2020, Jesse Hart stepped into the ring with a record of 26 wins, 2 losses, and 0 draws, 21 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Joe Smith Jr made his way to the ring with a record of 24 wins, 3 losses and 0 draws, with 20 of those wins by knockout.

The stats suggested Smith Jr had a slight advantage in power over Hart, with a 83% knockout percentage compared to Hart's 81%.

Jesse Hart was the same age as Joe Smith Jr, at 31 years old.

Hart had a height advantage of 3 inches over Smith Jr. That also extended to a 2-inch reach advantage.

Both Jesse Hart and Joe Smith Jr fought out of an orthodox stance.

Hart was arguably the less experienced fighter, having had 1 more fights, and made his debut in 2012, 2 years and 7 months later than Smith Jr, whose first professional fight was in 2009. He had fought 1 fewer professional rounds, totaling 155 compared to Smith Jr's 156.

Jesse Hart went into the fight ranked number 4 by the WBA, 8 by the WBC, 3 by the WBO, and 8 by the IBF at light heavyweight.

Hart vs Smith Jr form

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

In his last fight before this contest, he had won against Sullivan Barrera on June 15, 2019, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at MGM Grand, Las Vegas, United States.

Prior to that, he had been beaten by Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez on December 14, 2018, by majority decision in their WBO World Super Middleweight championship fight at American Bank Center, Texas.

Going into that contest, he had won against Mike Gavronski on August 18, 2018, by technical knockout in the 3rd round at Ocean Resort Casino, New Jersey.

Before that, he had beaten Demond Nicholson on April 28, 2018, by technical knockout in the 7th round at Liacouras Center, Pennsylvania.

He had defeated Thomas Awimbono on February 3, 2018, by technical knockout in the 1st round at Bank of America Center, Texas.

Joe Smith Jr had stopped 3 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had lost to Dmitry Bivol on March 9, 2019, by unanimous decision in their WBA World Light Heavyweight championship fight at Turning Stone Resort & Casino, New York, United States.

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

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

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

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

Activity check

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

Going into this contest, Jesse Hart had last fought 6 months and 27 days ago, while Joe Smith Jr's last outing had been 10 months and 2 days ago.

Hart's last 5 fights had come over a period of 1 year, 11 months and 8 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 4 months and 21 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 33 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 6.6 rounds on average.

Smith Jr's last 5 fights had come over a period of 3 years, 8 months and 19 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 8 months and 28 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 33 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 6.6 rounds on average.

What time did Hart vs Smith Jr start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 11:00 PM EST / 8:00 PM PST at Mark G. Etess Arena, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, New Jersey, United States, which was around 4:00 AM GMT in the UK.

Who broadcast Hart vs Smith Jr?

Hart vs Smith Jr was broadcast on ESPN in the US.

What were the odds on Hart vs Smith Jr?

Jesse Hart was a 1/5 (-500) favorite going into the contest, while Joe Smith Jr made his way into the ring at 3/1 (+300) with oddsmakers.