We have been waiting for this moment for almost two more months Joe The Beast Smith Jr vs Maxim Vlasov is coming this Saturday April 10 at the Osage Casino Oklahoma This fight was originally scheduled for February 13 but Vlasov tested positive for COVID 19 before the weigh in which forced the suspension of the clash The highly anticipated fight between Smith Jr and Vlasov for the vacant WBO Light Heavyweight World Title is finally taking place tomorrow
How Did Joe Smith Jr Get Here
Smith Jr is a boxer who debuted his professional career at the age of 20 with a KO to David Brown in the first round His credit boasts a WBC International Light Heavyweight Title He is also the first boxer to beat with a KO to former undisputed world middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins who after that fight opted for retirement
The Beast has not been active in the ring for 231 days Lets review his last few performances At the MGM Grand Conference Center he defeated Eleider Alvarez with a KO at the 26th second of the ninth round He also had a victory on January 11 2020 where he managed to get his 25th victory against Jesse Hart by unanimous decision His last defeat was against Dmitry Bivol who got the victory by majority decision on March 9 2019 Smith currently has a record of 26 wins 21 by KO and only 3 defeats
You can watch a recap of Smith Jrs last fight here
How Did Maxim Vlasov Get Here
Before the suspension of the fight in February Vlasov expressed I am devastated with the postponement of my world title fight against Joe Smith Jr I have been following strict protocols have had periodic tests with negative results and am symptom free I am well prepared and had an excellent training camp I look forward to the rescheduling of the fight and the opportunity to show my world class skills Lets hope to see a great version of the experienced 34 year old Russian who already has 15 years as a professional boxer under his belt Vlasovs record shows that he has been defeated by KO
Maxim Vlasovs record as a professional is 45 wins 26 by KO and only 3 defeats all by unanimous decision However although the record seems positive for Maxim we must take into account that he has had 497 days of inactivity In his last clash he faced Emmanuel Martey who he defeated by unanimous decision In the same year he also won a victory by the same method on July 20 against Isaac Chilemba where he achieved the vacant EBP Light Heavyweight Title Vlasovs last victory by TKO was against Omar Garcia where he won within the first minute of the fourth round It is worth noting that all of the last three victories were obtained in his country and at his last fight within North American territory he suffered a defeat against Krzysztof Glowacki by unanimous decision
You can watch a recap of Vlasovs last fight here
When and Where to Watch the Fight
The WBO Light Heavyweight World Title bout with Smith vs Vlasov will be televised live on ESPN ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 pm ET 7 pm PT
Betting Line
Predictions
- Joe Smith Jr 126
- Maxim Vlasov 35
- Draw 250
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