When hard-hitting light heavyweight contender Joe Smith Jr. notched a solid decision over Jesse Hart last month, the expectation was that the Long Island construction laborer would get a chance to contend for a world title in his next bout. Or at least that’s what his people say they were told by the powers that be.
But Smith is now looking like the odd man out of a four-man light heavyweight eliminator for a shot at the WBO title. The participants are Eleider Alvarez Gilberto Ramirez, Umar Salamov and Maxim Vlasov. No Smith.
Jerry Capobianco, Smith’s trainer, was under the impression that his charge would fight the winner of the Eleider Alvarez-Michael Seals bout, which Alvarez won by an explosive seventh-round knockout. Yvon Michel, the co-promoter of Alvarez, was also informed by Top Rank, the promoter of both Smith and Alvarez, that a vacant title fight between the two would be next.
Capobianco expressed his disappointment with the development in a recent episode of the Everlast TalkBox Podcast.
“Joe beat the No. 3 contender in the world. Jesse Hart was a solid three,” Capobianco said. “And Eleider Alvarez fought Michael Seals. … (Seals) was rated on BoxRec, I’m pretty sure, at No. 65. So going into this fight, they were saying whoever wins this fight will fight Eleider Alvarez for the belt, the belt that Canelo [Alvarez] left behind.
“People were saying that this was the next fight. So Joe fought, he won and Alvarez fought and won. Now we hear that there’s an eliminator and Joe’s not in it.”
So what gives? More alphabet soup shenanigans? Capobianco doesn’t say, but he’s not happy. In the latest WBO rankings, Ramirez is No. 1, followed by Salamov, Vlasov and Alvarez.
“Joe was rated fifth with the WBO when he beat the No. 3 guy,” Capobianco said. “To me, that doesn’t make too much sense.”
A silver lining for Smith might be that Ramirez reportedly is trying to buy out his contract with Top Rank. That’s music to Capobianco’s ears.
“I’m reading that Gilberto Ramirez may not fight in the eliminator, which would automatically bring Joe up to the fourth spot,” Capobianco said.
A purse bid for Alvarez-Ramirez has been scheduled for Feb. 20 after the sides failed to reach a deal