Via Sean Jones: Joe Smith Jr feels he’s ready for either Artur Beterbiev or Canelo Alvarez in the next game after stopping challenger Steve Geffrard with a ninth-round knockout last Saturday night in the first defense awarded. long-awaited for the WBO light heavyweight title he won a year ago in April.
Canelo has yet to decide who he will face in his next fight over the May 7 Cinco de Mayo holiday weekend. However, Joe Smith Jr. is one of the choices that he and Eagle-eyed trainer/manager Eddy Reynoso will weigh in as they sit down this week to pick an opponent.
Canelo’s picks for May 7
Other names Canelo and Reynoso will consider are these boxers:
- Ilunga Makabu – WBC cruiser class
- Artur Beterbiev – IBF / WBC Light Heavyweight Champion
- Dmitry Bivol – 175-lb . WBA Champion
- John Ryder
- Daniel Jacobs
- David Benavidez
- Gennadiy Golovkin
Beterbiev, Benavidez and Golovkin may have No chance chosen by Canelo because they are dangerous fighters, and the Mexican star has not faced a quality opponent in the past four years.
Canelo’s skills have become calloused as he faces paper champions in turn in the weak 168-lb division. When a fighter comes out of the fight against quality opposition for four years the way Canelo did, they are shocked to suddenly start facing elite fighters once again.
At this point, Canelo is not ready to take on the likes of Joe Smith Jr, Artur Beterbiev, David Benavidez, Dmitry Bivol, Gennady Golovkin, Demetrius Andrade, or David Morrell Jr.
Therefore, the Mexican star will almost certainly stick to his original plan to face the little-known WBC weekly champion Ilunga Makabu in May. That’s what Sean Jones predicted Canelo would do.
Joe Smith calls Betterbiev & Canelo
“If Canelo wants to go to 175 and fight me, I’m ready for him,” Smith Jr said last Saturday night after his demolition work on Geffrard.
“Everybody loved watching that fight. That would be a big deal,” said Smith Jr.
“[Artur Beterbiev] is what i want,“Smith Jr. said after the war.
The fact that Smith Jr. whether or not to fight Betterbiev will depend on their Bob Arum promoter in Top Rated.
However, it can be doubted that Arum will trigger the next Beterbiev and Smith fight, as both are gearing up for a fight against Canelo. Arum won’t limit the net he has to trap Canelo by letting Beterbiev and Smith fight.
Arum should let Canelo choose between them so they can bring in big money.
Smith may have been afraid of Canelo
Unfortunately for 32-year-old Smith Jr, he could have ruined whatever hit he got in the fight with Canelo by finishing strong with a ninth-round knockout by Geffard.
In the first eight rounds, Smith looked unimpressed against the timid and unfaithful Geffard. However, when he turned it on in the ninth inning with two shootouts, he looked dangerous.
At that time, Smith Jr. fought similar to David Benavidez, a fighter that Canelo has shown no interest in fighting. Canelo couldn’t deal with that type of attack from Smith, Benavidez or any of the boxers due to his anemic working rate, which got worse as he gained weight from 160 to 168 and 175.
If Smith throws those lingering rage patterns against Canelo, he will overwhelm his imitation Defense with Mayweather-esque shells and have the ability to knock him down or at least make him blush and be on the verge of being stopped.
Canelo physically can’t match that kind of punch output from Smith or Benavidez because he doesn’t have the heart to throw a lot of punches. It’s all the single stuff from Canelo, then a break to catch his breath.
As for Canelo, he will probably to take down a SOFT opponent with the next fight and continue the path he has been on since 2018.
It is believed that Makabu (28-2.25 KOs) is in the driver’s seat to be picked by Canelo for a May 7 date because he considered the weakest link among champions in the cruiser class, and the Mexican star is looking to improve his résumé by winning his fifth world championship.
Fighting in front of his loyal fans at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York, Smith (28-3, 22 KOs) knocked out reserve opponent Geffrard (18-3, 12 KOs) in the third round. nine, resulting in referee Mark Nelson stopping the fight.
Earlier in the match, Geffrard excellently parried some of Smith’s powerful punches, but he was hit and injured on the fifth. Indeed, Smith Jr hurt Geffrard with a powerful punch in the fifth round and a massive uppercut in the seventh round.
By the eighth round, Smith changed tactics and started throwing balls continuously to take advantage of Geffrard’s cover and not throwing anything back.
Had Smith done this earlier in the first three rounds, he might have gotten Geffrard sooner because he covered up and offered nothing in his defence.
It seems that Smith is worried about gas escaping, so he chooses to slowly pick Geffard out rather than unload him to get a quick match.
Geffrard created a messy opportunity
For Geffrard, this was probably the last time he won a world championship title, and it’s disappointing that he didn’t put in his best shot to win.
I’m sure Geffrard will kick himself & second guess his decision to cover up and not punch in nine rounds against Smith. After this unproductive performance by Geffard, I would be surprised if I ever get another TV gig for the rest of his career, even if underrated.
When you’re in the spotlight on television, it’s important for a boxer to deliver on their application, especially if they’re an unknown in the eyes of the boxing public.
You’re better off stepping out in your shield bravely than fighting timidly, as we saw with Geffard last Saturday night.
