Joe Smith vs. Steve Geffrard Fight Preview, Prediction, and Picks
Joe Smith vs. Steve Geffrard Fight Preview, Prediction, and Picks
The boxing schedule gets going for 2022 with a show at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York, where Joe Smith defends his WBO light heavyweight title. Initially, he was slated to face Callum Johnson before being pulled from this assignment due to covid. This whole card seemed to be in jeopardy for a few days before Steve Geffrard agreed to step in on the late notice.
Click Here for Joe Smith vs Steve Geffrard Odds
JOE SMITH PREVIEW
In 2016, the blue-collar Smith burst onto the scene as he scored upsets over Andrzej Fonfara (KO1) and Bernard Hopkins (TKO8). Then, he ended the storied career of 'the Executioner' by literally knocking him out of the ring. Unfortunately, Smith's Cinderella run ended in his next fight as he dropped a 10 round decision to Sullivan Barrera and suffered a broken jaw in the process.
But Smith, to his credit, has shown that he is a world-class 175-pounder. In five subsequent bouts, he has only lost to WBA champion Dmitry Bivol in a distance fight where he stunned Bivol late. He rebounded with conclusive wins over Jesse Hart(W10) and Eleider Alvarez (TKO9), which put him in line for another title shot. Along with his power, Smith looked like he was honing his overall skill set.
In April, he faced Maxim Vlasov for the vacant WBO belt in a delayed fight as Vlasov tested positive for COVID. The fight was backed up a couple of months, and quite frankly, Smith was flat in winning a controversial majority 12 round decision.
STEVE GEFFRARD PREVIEW
As other boxers turned down the opportunity to step into a title shot, Geffrard, who was training for a fight on a club show in Florida, has taken this opportunity to face Smith. Currently, his record stands at 18-2, and it's interesting to note that he actually lost his first two professional outings but has gone unbeaten since then. In addition, he's a well-traveled fighter who has performed all over the States in various club shows and even in China.
He's a solid technician who has some pop in his left hook. Geffrard seems to have above-average power, having scored 12 stoppage victories. He is a technically sound fighter who likes to fight behind a high guard. To his credit, he's willing to roll the dice and take a chance to win a world title on short notice.
JOE SMITH vs. STEVE GEFFRARD PREDICTION
Smith is just relieved and happy to be fighting. For him, there could be some lucrative, high-profile bouts down the line in 2022. But he needs to take care of business this weekend versus Geffrard. Geffrard is a bit of an unknown, but he has a style that isn't difficult to solve, and he should be relatively easy to find for Smith.
Geffrard has some tools, and he will go a few rounds. But eventually, the advantage in power and strength for Smith will be too great. Smith scores a 6th round knockout.
JOE SMITH vs. STEVE GEFFRARD Pick
- Smith 6th Round KO (+750)
Article Author
Steve hosted 'the Main Event' on KIEV 870, and then later XTRA AM1150 from 1996 to 1999. From 2014 to 2018, he was the lead columnist for UCNLive and was a boxing reporter for ESPN from 2018 to 2020. He has written for Ring Magazine, International Boxing Digest, and Boxing News. Steve is also the co-host of 'the 3 Knockdown Rule' with Mario Lopez, which has become of the most popular boxing podcasts over the past several years.