The much-anticipated bout Artur Beterbiev vs Joe Smith Jr for the WBC, IBF, And WBO Light-Heavyweight Title is scheduled took place on 18th June, 2022, we take a look at the the results, winner, purse and match events
Joe Smith Jr. (28-4, 22 KOs) was decimated in just two rounds by Artur Bertebiev (18-0, 18 KOs), who unified the World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation titles held by him, as well as the World Boxing Organization title held by his opponent.
Artur Beterbiev vs Joe Smith Fight Winner, Full Undercard Results, Match Events, And Next Opponent of Beterbiev
While purse, payout and salaries of the showdown haven’t been revealed, we can take a guess at what the two will earn based on their bygone encounters.
Beterbiev earned approximately $1.5 million from his KO win over Marcius Browne and he was guaranteed a purse of $773,000 from that fight with his net worth standing at $4-6 million in 2022.
Smith Jr’s current net worth is $4 million and he was guaranteed $400k in his last fight against Steve Geffard with a 60% PPV share.
The battle took place at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York on Saturday, June 18th, 2022. On the undercard of Beterbiev vs Joe Smith, Robeisy Ramirez vs Abraham Nova fought in a featherweight contest. The main card began at 2 a.m. BST / 9 p.m. ET, with main event ring walks beginning at 4 a.m. BST / 11 p.m. ET. The fight between Artur Beterbiev vs Joe Smith Jr. was a 12-round Light Heavyweight Division match with the WBC, IBF, And WBO Light Heavyweight Title at stake.
Artur Beterbiev was the only world champion who was undefeated with a 17-0 record and had won all of his fights by knockout heading into Saturday’s light heavyweight title unification against Joe Smith. Beterbiev kept his incredible winning streak going by dropping Smith three times to win by TKO at the 2:19 mark of the second round to retain his IBF and WBC titles and add the WBO belt to his collection.
Full Fight Card
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- Artur Beterbiev defeated Joe Smith Jr. : For Beterbiev’s WBC and IBF Light Heavyweight Division Title & Smith’s WBO title
- Robeisy Ramirez won against Abraham Nova: Featherweight
- Wendy Toussaint defeated Asina Byfield: Super Welterweight
- Jahyae Brown won against Keane McMahon: Super Welterweight
Artur Beterbiev vs Joe Smith Match Events & How it Unfolded?
Beterbiev usually enjoys taking his time and testing his opponent, but Smith jumped right in his face at the opening bell and continued to fire the jab. For approximately two minutes, the idea worked, but then Berterbiev grabbed command and never looked back. Smith rushed in after Beterbiev unleashed right hands upstairs and to the body. As a result, Beterbiev saw an opening and fired an overhand right that put Smith to the canvas for the first time in his career.
Instead of going back to what worked before, Smith went out and tried to outgun Beterbiev. The three-belt light heavyweight champion was more than happy to comply. He made Smith pay for his actions by dropping him for the second time. Smith got back to his feet, but he was in bad shape and was wobbling around the corner. Later in the fight, the 37-year-old delivered a left hook, followed by another left hook and a right hook to put Smith out for the third time.
Beterbiev maintained his composure while demonstrating why he is such a deadly finisher. He landed two short uppercuts and a right hand, forcing Smith to turn away from Beterbiev and the referee. All the official needed to see was that, and he declared Beterbiev as the winner.
Artur Beterbiev vs Joe Smith Post-match Reactions and Next Fight for Beterbiev
In another knockout performance, Beterbiev defeated Joe Smith Jr. Friday night in New York to become the unified IBF, WBA, and WBO champion. With this win, he now has 18 consecutive stoppages and 18 consecutive victories in his undefeated professional career.
The 37-year-old veteran is likely to face Dmitry Bivol for a shot at being undisputed at light heavyweight, but Gilberto Ramirez has been suggested as an option, and British fighter Yarde has been named as his WBO mandatory challenger. Yarde was in New York to watch the two-round battle, and his promoter Warren expects a rematch between the Russian and the Briton to take place. Anthony Yarde, according to Frank Warren, will face Artur Beterbiev this autumn.
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