Unified WBC & IBF light-heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev clashed against WBO champion Joe Smith Jr. tonight, June 18, 2022. The title unification bout took place at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York.
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Both fighters made the weight with Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KO) weighing in at 175 lbs, and Smith (28-3, 22 KO) at 174.6 lbs.
In case you missed the live-action, here are some of the best highlights from the Artur Beterbiev vs Joe Smith Jr boxing event.
Watch This Story: Artur Beterbiev vs. Joe Smith Jr. Stats: Record, Height, Reach, and Knockout Ratio
Artur Beterbiev vs Joe Smith Jr.
Round 1: Smith kept throwing jabs while Beterbiev kept landing his signature medium-range punches. Beterbiev scores the first knockdown of the fight with only a couple of seconds remaining in the first round.
Round 2: Beterbiev absolutely annihilated Smith, scoring three more knockdowns in the second round. The referee had seen enough and called off the fight in the second round.
FLAWLESS VICTORY š¤
Four knockdowns š = three belts š #BeterbievSmith pic.twitter.com/YYkNHvBLXR
ā ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) June 19, 2022
Official Result: Artur Beterbiev defeated Joe Smith Jr. via knockout in the second round.
Abraham Nova vs. Robeisy Ramirez
Round 1: Both fighters started slow. Then Nova kept throwing jabs, measuring his opponent. Despite Nova continuously landing, Ramirez had him fighting on the back foot. Later, Ramirez landed a couple of good shots while he had Nova in the corner. In conclusion, Nova appeared to be a busier fighter between the two.
Read More: Is Artur Beterbiev Canadian? Nationality And Hometown
Round 2: More of the same thing happened in the second round, Nova keeping his distance by throwing a significant amount of jabs and Ramirez looking out for an opening to land that big shot. However, this time it was Ramirez who was more accurate by landing more punches.
Round 3: Ramirez landed a couple of power punches, hurting Nova in the last few seconds of the third round. It appeared Nova got saved by the bell. Moreover, Ramirez is throwing and landing more than he did in the previous rounds.
Robeisy Ramirez turned up the heat to end the third round š„ #BeterbievSmith pic.twitter.com/X9YpIhm7r9
ā ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) June 19, 2022
Round 4: In the fourth round, Ramirez once again out-landed Nova despite the latter throwing more punches. Moreover, Ramirezās power punches showed to have an impact on Nova.
Round 5: Ramirez made a statement as he landed a hard left that shut the lights out off of Nova.
STATEMENT MADE š±@RobeisyRamirez x #BeterbievSmith pic.twitter.com/bAogVcPpUT
ā Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) June 19, 2022
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Official Result: Robeisy Ramirez defeated Abraham Nova via KO at the 2:20 minutes mark in the fifth round.
Beterbiev vs Smith Jr.: Undercard Results
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- Bruce Carrington defeats Adrian Leyva via TKO in the fifth round (3:00)
- Jahi Tucker defeats TKO-4 DāAndre Smith via TKO at 2:27 minutes mark in the fourth round
- Floyd Diaz defeats Daniil Platonovschi via a unanimous decision (59-55, 60-54, 60-54)
- Troy Isley defeats TKO-6 Donte Stubbs via TKO at 0:38 seconds of the sixth round
- Wendy Toussaint defeats Asinia Byfield via a unanimous decision (79-73, 79-73, 79-73)
- Jahyae Brown defeats Keane McMahon via a unanimous decision (58-56, 58-56, 60-54)
Did you enjoy watching this event? Who do you think is next for Artur Beterbiev after defeating Joe Smith Jr.? Let us know in the comments section down below.
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