Smith stops late sub Geffrard to retain 175 title, calls for Beterbiev unification next

Featherweight Nova scores TKO, wants shot at Navarrete

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Joe Smith Jr. finally returned to the ring and systemically broke down and knocked out late replacement Steve Geffrard in the ninth round to retain the WBO light heavyweight title on Saturday night.

It was no smooth road to the main event of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

After Smith edged Maxim Vlasov last April to win the 175-pound world title vacated by Canelo Alvarez, he was supposed to defend against mandatory challenger Umar Salamov in October, but the fight was postponed when Smith became ill with Covid-19, even having to be hospitalized briefly.

When the fight was rescheduled for Saturday night Smith was due to meet former world title challenger Callum Johnson because Salamov’s visa issues kept him fighting in the United States. But last week Johnson tested positive for Covid-19 and withdrew from the bout.

So, on eight days’ notice, and after a dozen other potential opponents passed on the world title shot against Smith, Geffrard accepted the offer.

Although Geffrard was a top amateur and has sparred with the likes of unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and former unified titlist Sergey Kovalev, he had never faced a top foe in a real fight until squaring off with Smith.

Geffrard (18-3, 12 KOs), 31, of Delray Beach, Florida, was in top fighting shape, however, because he was scheduled to fight one week earlier in an eight-rounder on a club show in his hometown before getting the shot against Smith.

He was game, but Smith, as expected, was too much for him in the one-sided fight. Geffrard had some early success boxing and moving against Smith but he could not sustain it under Smith’s constant pressure.

“He really brought it today. It was a great fight. As you can see, he’s a great boxer and survivor,” Smith said. “I took my time figuring him out. I was trying to get him out of there early, but I realized he was very tough and I wasn’t going to be able to do that, so I tried to wait until the later rounds to really start throwing more combinations to pick him apart.

“The furthest he’s been is eight rounds, so I wanted to keep the pressure on him and take him out in the later rounds.”

Smith (28-3, 22 KOs), 32, of Mastic, New York, on Long Island, got things going in the fourth round when he blasted Geffrard with a series of right hands, although Geffrard tried to play it off like he was not hurt by spreading his arms and inviting Smith to come forward again.

‘Joe wants the biggest and the best. That’s what he’s looking for. He’s told me he’ll fight anybody.’ — Smith co-promoter Joe DeGuardia

In the fifth round, Smith hurt Geffrard with a right hand that sent him into the ropes. He continued to pelt Geffrard, ultimately landing 31 of 45 power shots in the round, according to CompuBox statistics.

It was such a one-sided round that referee Mark Nelson went Geffrard’s corner and told him he better show him something or he would stop the fight.

Smith continued to have his way and landed numerous punches with Geffrard on the ropes in the seventh round, after which he told trainer Kevin Cunningham that he had hurt his left shoulder.

Smith hurt Geffrard again with a solid uppercut late in the eighth round and had him on the ropes taking punishment again as the round ended.

It seemed like it was only a matter of time until Smith notched the stoppage and it came in the ninth round when he pinned Geffrard in a corner and unleashed a flurry of about 16 unanswered punches, finishing with a left hook that dropped Geffrard to a knee, where he took the count from Nelson at 37 seconds as the corner was throwing in the towel.

Smith, who had an abrasion and swelling under his right eye, was way up on the scorecards at the time of the knockout — 80-72, 79-72 and 79-73.

According to CompuBox, Smith landed 233 of 665 punches (35 percent), including 172 of 291 (59 percent) power shots, and outlanded Geffrard in every round. Geffrard landed 81 of 463 punches (18 percent).

Smith is hoping for a much more significant fight in his next outing and co-promoter Joe DeGuardia of Star Boxing hopes to deliver one.

“Joe wants the biggest and the best. That’s what he’s looking for,” DeGuardia said. “He’s told me he’ll fight anybody. Beterbiev is out there. Canelo is out there. He’s ready for all of them. We’re looking for the biggest ones.”

There is the possibility of an all-New York fight with former middleweight titlist Daniel Jacobs (37-3, 30 KOs), who is campaigning at super middleweight and scheduled to fight John Ryder in London on Feb. 12. But Smith wants a unification fight with Montreal-based Russian Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs), who is promoted by Top Rank, which is Smith’s co-promoter.

“(Beterbiev) is what I want,” Smith said. “I want to get back in the gym, work on my craft, and like I say each and every time I get in the ring, I’m going to get better and better. I believe the next time you see me, I’ll be ready for anybody.”

Smith would also like a rematch with titleholder Dmitry Bivol (19-0, 11 KOs), who outpointed him at Turning Stone in Smith’s first shot at a world title in 2019. And, then, of course, there is undisputed super middleweight champion Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs), the pound-for-pound king, who returned to super middleweight after vacating the light heavyweight title Smith now holds.

“If Canelo wants to come to 175 and fight me, I’m ready for him,” Smith said. “That’s the fight I want. Everybody would love to see that fight. It would be a big deal.

“If I got Beterbiev next and beat him I want Bivol next and unify all the belts, become the unified champ and then take out the pound-for-pound king.”

Nova stops Encarnacion

Other than encountering a bit of trouble in the first round, featherweight Abraham Nova dominated and stopped William Encarnacion in the eighth round.

Nova was due to face Jose Enrique Vivas (21-1, 11 KOs), 27, of Mexico, but he withdrew less than two weeks ago and Encarnacion, who had been out of action since December 2020, stepped in.

He got off to a hot start, buckling Nova with a hard right hand midway through the first round, but Nova shook it off and otherwise dominated the fight.

“I need to tighten up my defense a bit more and warm up a bit better,” Nova said. “I don’t know why in my fights I come in a bit cold in the first round and they jump on me, but that’s something I see and I recognize and I know for the next one I’ll be warmed up more.”

Fighting about 90 minutes from his hometown, crowd favorite Nova (21-0, 15 KOs), 28, of Albany, New York, was fighting for the second fight time since missing more than a year due to a torn Achilles tendon.

Nova had Encarnacion (19-2, 15 KOs), 33, of the Dominican Republic, in trouble in the seventh round as he battered him around the ring.

He continued to pound him in the eighth round and hurt him with a right hand. It looked like a knockout was imminent and seconds later Encarnacion’s corner signaled for the fight to be stopped, prompting referee Benji Esteves to wave it off at 55 seconds.

Nova was pleased with his performance other than the shaky first round.

“It feels good to fight at home a day after my birthday,” Nova said. “I wasn’t tired at all, I feel like I was in shape and had a second gear. That (eighth) round he was going to go out but the corner decided to stop it, which was a smart call.”

Nova then did something few do — he forcefully called out WBO featherweight titlist Emanuel Navarrete (35-1, 29 KOs), 26, of Mexico, with whom he shares promoter Top Rank.

“I want him next to be honest,” Nova said. “Everybody thinks he’ll blow me out, knock me out. Well, put him in there and let’s see if he does it. I know I’ll beat him. I know I’ll knock him out and I know I’ll be the next WBO world champion. So, if Navarrete wants it I want the fight.

“If he’s considered the best then come and beat me. Everybody, all his fans say he’ll beat me, then come and prove it and beat me. Make it happen. I know it’s not gonna happen. I know I got the skills, I got the power, I got everything. I got the IQ. I have the size. I’m not the little guys he’s been fighting. Come and prove that you can beat me. I’m here. I want to get it on.”

Photos: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

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