2 months after postponement, Smith-Vlasov light heavyweight title bout rescheduled

Showtime's Ennis-Lipinets card will be same night

April 10 will be a busy night for boxing fans with cards on ESPN and Showtime going head to head.

Light heavyweight contenders Joe Smith Jr. and Maxim Vlasov will once again try to meet for the vacant WBO light heavyweight title in the ESPN main event and welterweight up-and-comer Jaron Ennis will square off with former junior welterweight titlist Sergey Lipinets in the main event of a Showtime tripleheader.

Both cards were formally announced on Wednesday.

Smith and Vlasov will meet in a fight that will take place at the Osage Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma (ESPN/ESPN Deportes/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET).

It will be the first Top Rank card that will take outside the bubble of the conference center of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas since June, when it began putting on cards without spectators because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Smith and Vlasov, who will fight for the 175-pound vacated by Canelo Alvarez, were initially scheduled to fight in the bubble Feb. 13, but Vlasov tested positive for Covid-19 prior to the weigh-in, forcing a postponement.

Top Rank also announced the co-feature: heavyweight up-and-comer Efe Ajagba (14-0, 11 KOs), a 2016 Nigerian Olympian, against Atlanta native Brian Howard (15-4, 12 KOs) in a 10-rounder.

Preliminary bouts will begin on ESPN+ at 5:30 p.m. ET and will include three heavyweight fights involving Jared Anderson (8-0, 8 KOs) and Tulsa natives Trey Lippe Morrison (16-0, 16 KOs) and Jeremiah Milton (2-0, 2 KOs) against opponents to be determined.

Top Rank would like to match the winner of Smith-Vlasov with unified champion Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs) as long as he retains his belts on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN Deportes/ESPN+, 3 p.m. ET) when he defends against Adam Deines (19-1-1, 10 KOs) in Moscow.

“Joe Smith Jr. deserves this opportunity, and I know Maxim Vlasov will give him a great challenge,” Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said. “The light heavyweight division is one of the hottest in boxing, and the winner will have no shortage of lucrative opportunities.”

Smith (26-3, 21 KOs), 31, of Mastic, New York, on Long Island, will be getting his second shot at a world title. He previously lost a decision to Dmitry Bivol in a 2019 title bout but has won both of his bouts since against Jesse Hart and former titlist Eleider “Storm” Alvarez.

“I am extremely motivated after all I have been though in my career,” said Smith, who recently got married. “I am proud of all I have accomplished, and I am confident I will bring the belt home on April 10 and move forward with my goal of unifying belts and proving I am the best light heavyweight in the world.”

Vlasov (45-3, 26 KOs), 34, of Russia, is also getting his second crack at a world title. In 2018 he moved up in weight for a shot at a cruiserweight belt but lost a decision to Krzysztof Glowacki.

“I am ready to return to the ring and become the new WBO light heavyweight world champion,” Vlasov said. “The postponement was a minor setback, but it will be worth the wait when I have that belt around my waist.”

Ennis-Lipinets tops tripleheader

Ennis will face Lipinets in a 12-rounder inside the bubble of Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut (9 p.m. ET).

“This is the type of fight I’ve been waiting for,” said Ennis, the 2020 prospect of the year. “I can’t wait to perform and put on a beautiful show. Y’all will see something special out of me come fight night. I’m excited to be the main event. It’s time for me to shine.”

Ennis (26-0, 24 KOs), 23, of Philadelphia, will be taking a big up in competition against the battle-tested Lipinets, whose only defeat came by decision to Mikey Garcia, who took his world title in 2018. Lipinets (16-1-1, 12 KOs), 31, a Kazakhstan native fighting out of Woodland Hills, California, is coming off an October draw with Custio Clayton for a vacant interim welterweight title.

“Training is grueling and I’m working hard with Joe Goossen to be at my best on fight night,” Lipinets said. “We have a tough, young fighter in Ennis who thinks I’m a stepping stone for him. But sometimes stepping stones trip you up, and I’ll be doing my best to trip him up.”

Also, welterweight Eimantas Stanionis (12-0, 9 KOs), 26, a 2016 Lithuanian Olympian, will step up his competition against veteran Thomas Dulorme (25-4-1, 16 KOs), 31, of Puerto Rico, in a title eliminator.

“Dulorme is experienced and has been a good fighter for a long time,” Stanionis said. “On paper, this is my toughest fight, but I’m ready. I’ll be prepared for whatever he brings. With our styles, it’s going to be a war. I’m ready to fight right now. Somebody is going down and no matter what happens the fans are going to win.”

Dulorme is 1-2-1 in his last four bouts but has faced top opposition and usually been competitive. He is coming off a decision loss to Jamal James for an interim welterweight title in August.

“I came up short in my last fight for the title, but a win against Stanionis will put me right back into the position I want, Dulorme said. “He’s young and strong, but I have a lot more experience and I will show it in the ring and it will lead me to victory.”

In the opener, Jerwin Ancajas, who recently received a contract release from Top Rank, will make a long-delayed mandatory defense against Jonathan Javier Rodriguez (22-1, 16 KOs), 25, of Mexico.

Ancajas (32-1-2, 22 KOs), 29, a southpaw from the Philippines and a Manny Pacquiao protégé, will be making his ninth defense but has not boxed since December 2019 because the fight was scheduled for last April 11 but canceled due to the pandemic.

“I am really looking forward to returning to the ring on April 10 for my first fight on Showtime,” Ancajas said. “Everybody knows the great rivalry between the Philippines and Mexico, and I look forward to adding another explosive fight to that history. Fight fans know where all the action fights are right now, and that’s the 115-pound division.”

Rodriguez will be facing his most notable opponent and fighting outside of Mexico for the first time.

“This is the opportunity of a lifetime for me,” Rodriguez said. “When I started boxing, it was my dream to fight for the world title and win it. On April 10, all of my dreams and hard work will come true when I hear ‘and the new IBF champion of the world.’”