Bivol vs. Smith Jr. Fight Preview

VERONA, N.Y. -- Somewhere Carmen Basilio, the man known as the 'Upstate Onion Farmer' who was integral in bringing the International Boxing Hall of Fame to Canastota, N.Y., is smiling.  He's smiling because another major fight has come upstate, just 20 minutes from the Hall where he is enshrined.  On March 9 light heavyweights Dmitry Bivol and Joe Smith Jr. will meet in the main event of a DAZN card with Bivol's WBA title on the line.

Bivol stinging Jean Pascal with a sharp jab

When it comes to boxing skills the only thing Bivol (15-0, 11 KOs) seems to lack is killer instinct.  He doesn't take a lot of chances and won't just go in for the knockout, even if he has his man hurt.  He's a smart and patient boxer who works behind a great jab.  That jab is often followed by a strong right hand, his best power punch.  What makes Bivol so good, and so frustrating for his opponents is that he never presses the action.  He likes to fight from the middle distance and will often initiate a quick clinch when he gets inside, only to slip away a moment later.  When you step in the ring against Bivol you have to be ready to go the full 12 and you have to be an intelligent fighter if you want to win.

Bivol will be defending his WBA light heavyweight title for the fifth time when he meets Smith at the Turning Stone Resort Casino.  He is widely considered to be one of the three best light heavyweights in the sport and will be a significant favorite against Smith.  While he's scored some notable victories earlier in his career, he really made people take notice in his last three fights, handling Sullivan Barrera, Isaac Chilemba, and Jean Pascal.  All of those fights came in 2018 and fans can only hope that Bivol remains just as busy this year.

Smith (24-2, 20 KOs) is best known for sending the legendary Bernard Hopkins into retirement when he knocked him clean out of the ring in 2016.  While Smith doesn't have the fastest hands or the slickest skills in the division, he does have plenty of power.  Smith, who looks like the guy at your local gym crushing a pre-workout before hitting the bench press, has a strong left hook and a monster right hand and he loves to press forward and let those punches fly.  He also puts in good work to the body and has the finishing instinct that Bivol seems to lack.

Smith knocking Bernard Hopkins out of the ring

While it was his eighth round knockout victory over Hopkins that really put Smith on the map it was his first round starching of Andrzej Fonfara that got him that fight.  Smith and Bivol do have a common opponent in Barrera.  Smith lost to him in 2017 in a close unanimous decision while Bivol stopped him in the 12th round and was up big on the cards at the time of the stoppage.  After his loss to Barrera, Smith scored another first round knockout, albeit against a lesser opponent.  Now he will step back up to take on arguably his toughest opponent to date while also trying to capture his first world title.

If this is a slow paced fight with distance between the fights it will favor Bivol.  Bivol isn't a very aggressive fighter and he will want to control Smith with his jab and right hand and keep the more powerful fighter at the end of his punches.  Smith is at his most dangerous when he's coming forward and getting inside where he gets very aggressive.  If he can consistently make it past the jab of Bivol look for him to try and slow the slicker fighter down with a good body attack while also looking to badly hurt him upstairs.  Getting inside won't be easy for Smith though, especially since Bivol will also be tattooing him with right hands as well.

PREDICTION: Joe Smith Jr. is a fun fighter to watch and he never stops pressing forward.  However, he just doesn't have the same level of skills as Dmitry Bivol and despite his best efforts he won't be taking the title from the champion.  Bivol will win this fight by the way of unanimous decision.