Jesse Rodriguez vs. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai: live updates and results, full coverage.
Jesse Rodriguez faces veteran Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in a scheduled 12-round junior bantamweight fight Saturday in San Antonio, Rodriguez’s hometown (DAZN).
In the co-feature, unified junior featherweight champ Murodjon Akhmadaliev defends against Ronny Rios.
The streamed portion of the card begins at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in the show.
Boxing Junkie will post results of all the featured bouts on the card immediately after they end. Simply return to this post when the time comes.
Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the night of the fight and the following day.
Jesse Rodriguez vs. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai: live updates and results, full coverage.
Jesse Rodriguez faces veteran Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in a scheduled 12-round junior bantamweight fight Saturday in San Antonio, Rodriguez’s hometown (DAZN).
In the co-feature, unified junior featherweight champ Murodjon Akhmadaliev defends against Ronny Rios.
The streamed portion of the card begins at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in the show.
Boxing Junkie will post results of all the featured bouts on the card immediately after they end. Simply return to this post when the time comes.
Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the night of the fight and the following day.
Artur Beterbiev on Joe Smith Jr. made weight for their title-unification clash Saturday in New York City.
Now it’s on to the fight.
Artur Beterbiev and Joe Smith Jr. on Friday made weight for their light heavyweight title unification fight on Saturday at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York (ESPN).
Beterbiev weighed 175.0, the division limit. Smith came in at 174.6.
Beterbiev has knocked out all 17 of his opponents, including a ninth-round stoppage against Marcus Browne this past Dec. 17 in the Russian’s adopted hometown of Montreal.
He holds the IBF and WBC belts.
Smith (28-3, 22 KOs) is coming off a ninth-round stoppage of Steve Geffrard on Jan. 15 in Verona, New York, the WBO titleholder’s home state.
In the co-feature, Abraham Nova (21-0, 15 KOs) will take on Robeisy Ramirez (9-1, 5 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round 126-pound bout. Nova and Robeisy weighed 125.4 and 125.8, respectively.
Artur Beterbiev on Joe Smith Jr. made weight for their title-unification clash Saturday in New York City.
Now it’s on to the fight.
Artur Beterbiev and Joe Smith Jr. on Friday made weight for their light heavyweight title unification fight on Saturday at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York (ESPN).
Beterbiev weighed 175.0, the division limit. Smith came in at 174.6.
Beterbiev has knocked out all 17 of his opponents, including a ninth-round stoppage against Marcus Browne this past Dec. 17 in the Russian’s adopted hometown of Montreal.
He holds the IBF and WBC belts.
Smith (28-3, 22 KOs) is coming off a ninth-round stoppage of Steve Geffrard on Jan. 15 in Verona, New York, the WBO titleholder’s home state.
In the co-feature, Abraham Nova (21-0, 15 KOs) will take on Robeisy Ramirez (9-1, 5 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round 126-pound bout. Nova and Robeisy weighed 125.4 and 125.8, respectively.
Artur Beterbiev vs. Joe Smith Jr.: live updates, results and full coverage.
Artur Beterbiev and fellow light heavyweight titleholder Joe Smith Jr. will unify three of the four major titles Saturday at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York (ESPN).
Boxing Junkie will post results of the featured bouts on the card immediately after they end. Simply return to this post when the time comes.
In the co-feature, Abraham Nova is scheduled to face Robeisy Ramirez in a 10-round featherweight bout.
The televised/streamed portion of the card begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the night of the fight and the following day.
Artur Beterbiev vs. Joe Smith Jr.: live updates, results and full coverage.
Artur Beterbiev and fellow light heavyweight titleholder Joe Smith Jr. will unify three of the four major titles Saturday at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York (ESPN).
Boxing Junkie will post results of the featured bouts on the card immediately after they end. Simply return to this post when the time comes.
In the co-feature, Abraham Nova is scheduled to face Robeisy Ramirez in a 10-round featherweight bout.
The televised/streamed portion of the card begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the night of the fight and the following day.
Artur Beterbiev vs. Joe Smith Jr.: date, time, how to watch, background.
Big punchers Artur Beterbiev and Joe Smith Jr. will fight to unify three of the four major light heavyweight titles Saturday in New York.
Artur Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs) vs. Joe Smith Jr. (28-3, 22 KOs)
Date: Saturday, June 18
Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m.. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York
TV/Stream: ESPN, ESPN+
Division: Light heavyweight (175 pounds)
Rounds: 12
At stake: Beterbiev’s IBF and WBC, and Smith’s WBO titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: Beterbiev, No. 13
Odds: Beterbiev 6½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Robeisy Ramirez vs. Abraham Nova, featherweights
Prediction: Beterbiev KO 10
Background: WBA light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol had his moment when he turned back the challenge of Canelo Alvarez last month. Now it’s the turn of the two other 175-pound beltholders to show what they can do against each other. Beterbiev has maintained his knockout streak even as his opposition has improved, including victories over Oleksandr Gvozdyk in 2019 and Marcus Browne this past December. The Canada-based Russian is physically imposing but, as a former amateur star, he also knows his way around the ring. He isn’t as quick or athletic as some rivals but he’s an excellent all-around fighter. Smith also is a big, powerful 175-pounder who can end any fight with one punch. The Long Island product isn’t a particularly good boxer but he finds ways to win fights even when he doesn’t score a knockout, an indication that he has more ability than some might think. Only Sullivan Barrera (UD) and Bivol (UD) have been able to be beat him since 2010. He’s coming off a ninth-round KO of Steve Geffrard in January. He outpointed Maxim Vlasov to win the vacant WBO title the previous April.
Artur Beterbiev vs. Joe Smith Jr.: date, time, how to watch, background.
Big punchers Artur Beterbiev and Joe Smith Jr. will fight to unify three of the four major light heavyweight titles Saturday in New York.
Artur Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs) vs. Joe Smith Jr. (28-3, 22 KOs)
Date: Saturday, June 18
Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m.. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York
TV/Stream: ESPN, ESPN+
Division: Light heavyweight (175 pounds)
Rounds: 12
At stake: Beterbiev’s IBF and WBC, and Smith’s WBO titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: Beterbiev, No. 13
Odds: Beterbiev 6½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Robeisy Ramirez vs. Abraham Nova, featherweights
Prediction: Beterbiev KO 10
Background: WBA light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol had his moment when he turned back the challenge of Canelo Alvarez last month. Now it’s the turn of the two other 175-pound beltholders to show what they can do against each other. Beterbiev has maintained his knockout streak even as his opposition has improved, including victories over Oleksandr Gvozdyk in 2019 and Marcus Browne this past December. The Canada-based Russian is physically imposing but, as a former amateur star, he also knows his way around the ring. He isn’t as quick or athletic as some rivals but he’s an excellent all-around fighter. Smith also is a big, powerful 175-pounder who can end any fight with one punch. The Long Island product isn’t a particularly good boxer but he finds ways to win fights even when he doesn’t score a knockout, an indication that he has more ability than some might think. Only Sullivan Barrera (UD) and Bivol (UD) have been able to be beat him since 2010. He’s coming off a ninth-round KO of Steve Geffrard in January. He outpointed Maxim Vlasov to win the vacant WBO title the previous April.
Artur Beterbiev is poised to take another big step in career on Saturday, when he faces fellow 175-pound titleholder Joe Smith Jr.
Artur Beterbiev is favored to defeat fellow 175-pound titleholder Joe Smith Jr. on Saturday for a reason.
The two-time Olympian for his native Russia has a deep amateur background – a reported 300 fights – and he has put together a perfect professional career: 17 fights, 17 knockouts over nine years. He’s as feared as anyone in boxing.
Smith (28-3, 22 KOs) is gritty and strong but he can’t match that kind of record.
“What can I say about Artur Beterbiev,” promoter Bob Arum said at the final news conference before the fight at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York (ESPN). “… He really epitomizes the ferocity that light heavyweights are known for.
“He’s a tremendous, tremendous puncher, he has a big, big heart. He refuses to lose.”
If there is a question surrounding Beterbiev, it might be his age. He turned 37 in January.
He elected to remain an amateur through the 2012 Olympics in London, where he lost in the second round to current heavyweight titleholder Oleksandr Usyk 17-13. He made his pro debut in June 2013 in his adopted home city of Montreal, after he had turned 28.
Thirty-seven isn’t ancient, particularly in an era when boxers fight infrequently. However, that number catches one’s attention.
“Why did you remind me?” Beterbiev joked in English when asked about it. “I always ask my conditioning coach, my boxing coach, ‘How do you think I do? Do I do less work [during training] than two years ago?’
“They say, ‘No, you do better than two years ago.’ Maybe they lie to me. I don’t know.”
At that moment conditioning coach Andre Kulesza, sitting in the audience at the news conference, yelled that his client is as fit as ever. And Smith, sitting not far from Beterbiev on the dais, agreed with him.
“I believe this guy is in his prime right now,” Smith said. “I don’t think age has anything to do with it. I know he’s 100% ready to go.”
Beterbiev has been moved quickly in his pro career, however.
He stopped former titleholder Tavoris Cloud in two rounds in his sixth fight, former champ Gabriel Campillo in four rounds in his eighth fight and Enrico Koelling in the final round of his 12th fight to win the vacant IBF title in November 2017.
He became a unified champion in a career-defining 10th-round stoppage of then-unbeaten WBC beltholder Oleksandr Gvozdyk in October 2019.
The odds (about 6½-1) say Smith won’t give Beterbiev as hard a time as Gvozdyk did but, with one more belt on the line, it might be a more crucial to his career. The winner would be in position to face WBA titleholder Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed championship and a place along the great 175-pounders of the past.
Beterbiev isn’t a man of many words but he was able to convey the gravity of the event.
“It’s just important,” he said. “I can say like one word, it’s very important. I do training every day for that.”
Artur Beterbiev is poised to take another big step in career on Saturday, when he faces fellow 175-pound titleholder Joe Smith Jr.
Artur Beterbiev is favored to defeat fellow 175-pound titleholder Joe Smith Jr. on Saturday for a reason.
The two-time Olympian for his native Russia has a deep amateur background – a reported 300 fights – and he has put together a perfect professional career: 17 fights, 17 knockouts over nine years. He’s as feared as anyone in boxing.
Smith (28-3, 22 KOs) is gritty and strong but he can’t match that kind of record.
“What can I say about Artur Beterbiev,” promoter Bob Arum said at the final news conference before the fight at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York (ESPN). “… He really epitomizes the ferocity that light heavyweights are known for.
“He’s a tremendous, tremendous puncher, he has a big, big heart. He refuses to lose.”
If there is a question surrounding Beterbiev, it might be his age. He turned 37 in January.
He elected to remain an amateur through the 2012 Olympics in London, where he lost in the second round to current heavyweight titleholder Oleksandr Usyk 17-13. He made his pro debut in June 2013 in his adopted home city of Montreal, after he had turned 28.
Thirty-seven isn’t ancient, particularly in an era when boxers fight infrequently. However, that number catches one’s attention.
“Why did you remind me?” Beterbiev joked in English when asked about it. “I always ask my conditioning coach, my boxing coach, ‘How do you think I do? Do I do less work [during training] than two years ago?’
“They say, ‘No, you do better than two years ago.’ Maybe they lie to me. I don’t know.”
At that moment conditioning coach Andre Kulesza, sitting in the audience at the news conference, yelled that his client is as fit as ever. And Smith, sitting not far from Beterbiev on the dais, agreed with him.
“I believe this guy is in his prime right now,” Smith said. “I don’t think age has anything to do with it. I know he’s 100% ready to go.”
Beterbiev has been moved quickly in his pro career, however.
He stopped former titleholder Tavoris Cloud in two rounds in his sixth fight, former champ Gabriel Campillo in four rounds in his eighth fight and Enrico Koelling in the final round of his 12th fight to win the vacant IBF title in November 2017.
He became a unified champion in a career-defining 10th-round stoppage of then-unbeaten WBC beltholder Oleksandr Gvozdyk in October 2019.
The odds (about 6½-1) say Smith won’t give Beterbiev as hard a time as Gvozdyk did but, with one more belt on the line, it might be a more crucial to his career. The winner would be in position to face WBA titleholder Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed championship and a place along the great 175-pounders of the past.
Beterbiev isn’t a man of many words but he was able to convey the gravity of the event.
“It’s just important,” he said. “I can say like one word, it’s very important. I do training every day for that.”
