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Joe Smith Jr. To Defend WBO World Title Against Late
Replacement Steve Geffrard On Jan. 15
WBO light heavyweight world champion Joe Smith Jr. will make
his first title defense against an unlikely contender.
British puncher Callum Johnson tested positive for COVID-19,
so Smith will now face Steve Geffrard on Saturday, Jan. 15
at Turning Stone Resort Casino and LIVE on ESPN and ESPN
Deportes (simulcast on ESPN+) at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
In the 10-round co-feature, featherweight contender Abraham
Nova (20-0, 14 KOs), who was originally slated to fight Jose
Enrique Vivas, will fight Dominican veteran William “El Gago”
Encarnacion (19-1, 15 KOs) after Vivas dropped out with an
injury.
"I give Steve credit for taking this fight on short notice,”
Smith said. “He is a tough guy, and I expect him to bring
everything he has for this opportunity. I'm ready to fight
regardless of who is in the ring with me. My goal is the
same, which is to defend my world title and keep it on Long
Island where it belongs."
Geffrard said, “This is the opportunity of a lifetime. It’s
crazy how boxing works. One moment I’m thinking about boxing
on a local show, then the phone rings for a chance to fight
for the WBO world title on ESPN. Unreal!”
Smith (27-3, 21 KOs), the fighting pride of Long Island, won
the title last April with a majority decision over Maxim
Vlasov. His proposed October return was postponed due to a
COVID-19 diagnosis, and with Johnson out, he turns his
attention to Geffrard (18-2, 12 KOs), a 31-year-old native
of Miami, Florida.
Geffrard is a nine-year pro who has won 18 straight fights
since starting his career 0-2. He upped his record to 18-2
last March, winning an eight-round unanimous decision over
longtime contender Denis Grachev. Geffrard had a fight
scheduled for Jan. 8 in Delray Beach, Florida, but the
“South Florida Cinderella Man” jumped at the chance to fight
Smith on eight days’ notice.
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