Joe Smith Jr. (28-3, 22 KOs) after an early victory over Steve Jeffrard expressed a desire to unify the titles and challenged Artur Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs). Beterbiev holds the IBF and WBC light heavyweight titles.
“I wanted to finish this fight as soon as possible, but I quickly realized what a strong boxer I was dealing with and that nothing would work out for me. So I waited until the late rounds and broke Jeffrard with long combinations, ”Smith said after the fight, for whom this was the first defense of the WBO light heavyweight belt.
“Now I want to have a unification fight with Beterbiev for three belts. I will return to the gym, work on my technique, and every day I will become better and better. I'm ready for everything. If Canelo returns to our weight class, I'll be ready for him too," Smith added.
"Beterbiev? Canelo? Joe is ready for anything. He wants the biggest fights and opponents and we will do everything we can to meet his expectations,” added Joe DeGuardia, Smith's promoter.
