Who won Smith Jr vs Vlasov?
Joe Smith Jr beat Maksim Vlasov by majority decision in their 12 round contest on Saturday, April 10th, 2021, at Osage Casino, Oklahoma.
The scorecards were announced as 115-112, 115-113, 114-114 in favor of winner Joe Smith Jr.
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.
Also on the undercard Efe Ajagba beat Brian Howard, and Jared Anderson defeated Jeremiah Karpency.
Smith Jr vs Vlasov stats
Back in April 2021, Joe Smith Jr stepped into the ring with a record of 26 wins, 3 losses, and 0 draws, 21 of those wins coming by way of knockout.
Maksim Vlasov made his way to the ring with a record of 45 wins, 3 losses and 0 draws, with 26 of those wins by knockout.
The stats suggested Smith Jr had a large advantage in power over Vlasov, boasting a 81% knockout percentage compared to Vlasov's 58%.
Joe Smith Jr was the younger man by 3 years, at 31 years old.
Vlasov had a height advantage of 4 inches over Smith Jr. Despite this, both fighters had equal reach.
Both Joe Smith Jr and Maksim Vlasov fought out of an orthodox stance.
Smith Jr was the less experienced professional fighter, having had 19 fewer fights, and made his debut in 2009, 4 years and 6 months later than Vlasov, whose first professional fight was in 2005. He had fought 147 fewer professional rounds, totaling 156 compared to Vlasov's 303.
Joe Smith Jr went into the fight ranked number 1 by the WBO at light heavyweight.
Maksim Vlasov was ranked number 2 by the WBO in the 175lb division.
Smith Jr vs Vlasov form
Smith Jr had beaten 3 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 2 of them, going the distance once.
In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had defeated Eleider Alvarez on August 22, 2020, by knockout in the 9th round at The Bubble, MGM Grand, Nevada, United States.
Prior to that, he had defeated 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.
Going into that contest, 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.
Before that, he had lost to Sullivan Barrera on July 15, 2017, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Forum, Inglewood.
He had beaten Bernard Hopkins on December 17, 2016, by knockout in the 8th round at Forum, Inglewood.
Maksim Vlasov had stopped 4 of his last 5 opponents.
In his last fight before this contest, he had won against Omar Garcia on May 19, 2019, by technical knockout in the 4th round at Cortesia, Krasnodar, Russia.
Prior to that, he had been beaten by Krzysztof Glowacki on November 10, 2018, by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest at UIC Pavilion, Illinois, United States.
Going into that contest, he had won against Olanrewaju Durodola on February 3, 2018, by technical knockout in the 10th round at Bolshoy Ice Dome, Adler, Russia.
Before that, he had beaten Vikapita Meroro on December 21, 2017, by knockout in the 1st round at Krylia Sovetov, Moscow.
He had defeated Denton Daley on September 7, 2017, by technical knockout in the 9th round at Kristall Ice Palace, Saratov.
Activity check
In terms of activity leading into the fight, Maksim Vlasov had been fighting more than Joe Smith Jr.
Going into this contest, Joe Smith Jr had last fought 7 months and 19 days ago, while Maksim Vlasov's last outing had been 1 year, 10 months and 22 days ago.
Smith Jr's last 5 fights had come over a period of 4 years, 3 months and 24 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 10 months and 11 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 49 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 9.8 rounds on average.
Vlasov's last 5 fights had come over a period of 3 years, 7 months and 3 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 8 months and 19 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 36 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 7.2 rounds on average.
What time did Smith Jr vs Vlasov start?
The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 10:00 PM EST / 7:00 PM PST at Osage Casino, Oklahoma, United States, which was around 3:00 AM BST in the UK.
Who broadcast Smith Jr vs Vlasov?
The ESPN show began at 10:00 PM EST / 7:00 PM PST. The Premier Sports broadcast of the card started at 3:00 AM (BST).
What were the odds on Smith Jr vs Vlasov?
Joe Smith Jr was a 29/100 (-340) favorite going into the contest, while Maksim Vlasov made his way into the ring at 5/2 (+250) with oddsmakers.
