Joe Smith Jr. “The Irish Bomber”

Joe Smith Jr. is an American professional boxer born September 20, 1989. 

He has held the WBO light heavyweight title since April 2021 and was previously challenged for the WBA light heavyweight title in 2019. 

He became the first boxer to score a stoppage victory over former undisputed middleweight world champion Bernard Hopkins, who retired after their fight.

Boxing Profile – Joe Smith Jr. – Career from 2016 and onward.

Career from 2016–2017

Smith vs. Pena

In April 2016, Smith defeated Brazilian boxer Fabiano Pena (16-4-1 12 KOs) via a 2nd-round TKO winning 15 straight fights and continuing to rise the ranks.

Smith vs. Fonfara

It was announced that Smith would be fighting the #2 WBC contender, former world title challenger Andrzej Fonfara for the WBC International light heavyweight title.

The fight would take place at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois on June 18, 2016, in a scheduled 10 round fight in the main event of the Premier Boxing Champions card on NBC. 

In an ‘Upset of the Year’ in the light heavyweight division, Smith won the title by defeating Fonfara via a 1st-round technical knockout.

Smith vs. Hopkins

Former multiple weight world champion Bernard Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs) announced he would be having a farewell fight at The Forum in Inglewood, California on December 17, 2016. 

He picked Smith as his final opponent. 

Hopkins would be coming out of a two-year layoff having last fought in 2014 in a decision loss to then unified light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev. 

On fight night, in front of a 6,513 crowd, Smith upset and defeated Hopkins via KO when he knocked him out of the ring in the 8th round; Hopkins failed to make it back into the ring as referee Jack Reiss gave his 20-count. 

He became the first boxer to stop Hopkins inside the distance.

Smith vs. Barrera

In March 2017, the WBC ordered a final eliminator between Smith and Oleksandr Gvozdyk; ranked third and fourth respectively by the WBC.

The winner of the fight would then become the secondary mandatory challenger for the world title.

The fight was officially confirmed on May 18 and shown live on HBO: Boxing After Dark.

Smith knocked Barrera down in round one with a left hook to the head, but was dominated for the rest of the fight and went on to lose via unanimous decision after 10 rounds.

Career from 2018

On May 31, Melvin Russell was confirmed to be Smith’s opponent in a 10-round bout.

Smith dropped Russell twice in round 1 before the referee stopped the bout after just 1 minute 45 seconds. 

After the bout, Smith called for a bout with then-WBO champion Sergey Kovalev.

Smith vs. Bivol

On March 9, 2019, Smith Jr. challenged WBA champion Dmitry Bivol for his light heavyweight version of the belt. 

Smith Jr. managed to stun Bivol at the end of the tenth round, and Bivol needed the ropes to balance his way to the corner. 

Bivol, however, dominated most of the fight and came very close to stopping Smith Jr. just before the final bell. 

The scorecards read 119-109, 119-109, and 118-110 in favor of the champion.

Smith vs. Hart

In his next fight, Smith Jr. battled Jesse Hart. Smith roughed up Hart and knocked him down en route to a split-decision victory. 

Two judges had it 98-91 and 97-92 for Smith, while the third judge had Hart winning the fight, 95-94, the last scorecard deemed controversial by both media and fans alike.

Smith vs. Alvarez

On 22 August 2020, Smith fought Eleider Alvarez, ranked #3 by the WBO, #6 by the WBC, and #4 by The Ring. 

In the WBO title shot eliminator, Smith Jr. showcased his boxing skills en route to a ninth-round KO win. 

Smith caught Alvarez with two right hands, which sent the Colombian under the ropes and ended the fight.

Smith vs. Vlasov

On April 10, 2020, Smith Jr. challenged Maxim Vlasov for the vacant WBO World Light Heavyweight Title. 

Smith Jr. was able to capture the title via a controversial majority decision. 

Two judges had it 115-113 and 115-112 for Smith, while the third judge had it tied at 114-114.