Joe Smith Jr. = Breakthrough fighter of the year

Ya Joe destroys him

The last guys seanie faced i saw him live against Hosea Burton the English light heavy, Burton destroyed him in a few rounds, i don't think guy landed a punch it was a massacre


But against Monaghan it was a 50-50 fight, he had seanie slightly hurt a few times too and he looked poor.

 

Can't wait to see him fight again.

 

He might be still limited, but he ain't stupid - watch the way he set up Fonfara. With his two wins this year he makes a good case for a title fight against Stevenson. I would not write Joe off in this fight...

 

I don't think Hopkins was a major upset. I thought bhop might nick it by SD. I had reservations on the inactivity at that age but pulled with the old man based on recent past events. Smith is good but I see limitations and I do not see him Kovalev, Ward level. I thought Hopkins would win a disputable decision here. I also said Ward would win via robbery.... Wasn't far wrong on either. No one can predict a denial out of the ring ankle ko debacle lol

 

Thing is, good white us fighters are few and far between and keep getting exposed. Algieri, Pavlik, Malinaggi... It's hard to put faith in them lol

 

I don't blame them for having a bit of a complex- thanks to boxing hyping 'em up in the decades prior, a lot of people won't take white U.S. fighters seriously even when they win a title. Pavlik was still getting called a white hope while he was unbeaten middleweight champion in a division where the other titleholders were white guys. What was left for other white people to hope for is beyond me lol.

 

They get that big money and lose that hunger.
But same goes for many non white fighters too.
Just African Americans have typically endured generations of poverty and want to ensure their children and grandchildren dont have those worries later in life, whereas fighters like Pavlik, coming up in Youngstown, mighta been raised in what's called a LOWER CLASS neighborhood, but Youngstown, for all it's faults, aint never been Gage Park, Marquette Park, Englewood, the Henry Horner Homes, the Robert Taylor homes.....etc etc etc....Ive got fam in the "ghetto" LMAO of Youngstown, and I freely walk the street with my daughters at night with absolutely NO FEAR of the wannabees.
Same goes for Joe Jr. He's a working man, probably like Jennings, earning 50-60K a yr, and easily enough $$$ to take care of his wife and kids(???). So God only knows if someone like Joe will keep the hunger once he gets his Vette and his wife's new Drango and the inground pool for the kids.
Algeri is a F/N doctor ffs....he's got a 100K/yr career he can walk away from boxing into, and model good look.
He aint never been hungry for nothing. Just extremely gifted athletically. Imagine in Judah had Algeri's punch resistance.
Nobody would remember Kostya Tzsyu.

 

He was wobbled by a short left hook then rocked to the ropes and threw a desperation R hand that Fonfara walked into.

Could he do it to Adonis. HIghly unlikely, as Adonis flinches backward if the OH lights cast his shadow to close to him.
He fights extremely cautiously, and just hopes to catch hsi opponent with a LOOOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGG lead L hand.

 

Well said, particularly with respect to Kelly Pavlik.

 

He has wobbled, but he still kept a cool head. I still think baiting Fonfara was part of the game plan. I still think Adonis is a favourite, but I am not writing Joe off. He will make it a fight.

 

Joe smith is probably the 5th best at 175

 

I definitely agree with that statement of him being the breakthrough fighter of the year. He's definitely not in the top 3 at the division, but he did very well for himself last year and really put himself in position for some title shots in 2017.