The first three rounds were held in a fairly equal fight. In the third round, Mwakinho slipped and seemed to injure his right ankle, but was able to continue the fight. At the end of the round, he struck after the gong, and Smith began to appeal to the referee and shouted something to the opponent.
In the fourth round, Mwakinho kneeled twice, perhaps more due to a leg injury than missed punches, and after the second time, referee Victor Laughlin decided to stop the fight, much to the annoyance of the boxer from Tanzania and his team. Stop time 1:46.