Philadelphia Jinx! Cinderella Man Joe Smith Jr. Knocks Down and Defeats Jesse Hart
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Philadelphia, PA (January 12th, 2019)– Light heavyweight contender Joe Smith Jr., who hits hard and mean, who knocked Bernard ‘B-Hop’ Hopkins clear out of the ring in the eighth round in December 2016 and ended his career, exposed another light heavyweight Philadelphia contender Jesse Hart, by knocking him down and decisioning him over 10 rounds, and won the vacant regional World Boxing Organization NABO Light Heavyweight title in the main event of an eight-bout card at Mark Etess Arena, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Saturday evening, January 11, 2020, on a live card televised on ESPN.
It was the second time Smith had embarrassed a top flight Philadelphia fighter. First, it was Hopkins, and now it was the big talking Hart. While Hart is universally recognized as a better boxer than Smith, Hart, a 168 pounds super middleweight, basically lacks power and strength in the higher 175-pound weight class, where he had no business fighting. Attempting revenge for Hopkins was not relevant. Hart, 26-3 with 21 knockouts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, appeared to win only one close round, the third round.
In all other rounds, Smith simply used his superior power and strength to bully Hart backwards into the ropes. Hart had too much respect for Smith’s power, and he was right, as Smith landed 150 of 315 power shots, decking Hart near the end of round seven. Beyond a certain point, Hart, fighting for the second time in the wrong weight class, simply fought to survive, and did a rotten job of it. Holding on wherever possibly, displaying sloppy footwork, and not throwing punches of any power of consequence, was a candidate to exit the bout much the same way as Hopkins. Smith, 25-3 with 20 knockouts, Long Island, New York, did to Hart what Hopkins did to Kelly Pavlik years ago in the light heavyweight division when Pavlik moved up from middleweight to fight Hopkins, Pavlik was in the wrong weight class, and looked out of place getting beaten up by Hopkins over 10 rounds,
Styles make fights. In only his third bout at light heavyweight, Hart, who defeated Sullivan Barrera over 10 rounds in June 2019 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, a fighter who had decisioned Smith in 2019, believed in error his victory over Barrera would translate to an easy win over Smith, Hart repeated this in the prefight ESPN interview sessions with Smith. To make matters worse, Hart fought Smith for all the wrong reasons. Hart emotionally charged his idolizing his childhood hero Hopkins into a bout bent on revenge. In reality, Hopkins, who got knocked through the ropes against Smith, could have gotten back into the ring and taken his beating like a man. Hart, Like Hopkins, did not prepare properly for Smith and lost. Hart knows ex-super middleweight champion Gilberto Ramirez, who Hart lost to twice, has moved up to light heavyweight. Hart overestimated his abilities at 175 pounds. Real Combat Media scored the bout 99-90 for Smith. One judge, James Kinney, scored the bout 95-94 for Hart, a disgusting highway robbery injustice comparable to Paul Williams miracle decision win over Erislandy Lara in Atlantic City awhile back.
Hart respected Smith’s power from the beginning of the bout. This gave Smith the confidence he needed to bully Hart with punches which kept raining in all night. Hart’s only weapon, his mouth, did not help him, and his desire for revenge for someone else, which has no place in boxing, distracting him from building the sort of physique required to compete with a stronger power hitter. To sum it up, Hart got outgunned.
Result: Joe Smith Jr. Win Split Decision 10 Jesse Hart, Light Heavyweights
Smith wins vacant WOB NABO Light Heavyweight title
Scoring: 98-91, 97-92 Smit. 95-94 Hart. Smith knocked down Hart in the seventh round.
Referee: Harvey Dock
Undercard Results
Steven Nelson TKO 8 Cem Cilic, Super Middleweights (1:44)
Nelson wins vacant WBO NABO Super Middleweight title
Cilic’s trainer, former world champion Buddy McGirt, throws in the towel
Referee: David Fields
Joseph Adorno Split Draw 8 Hector Garcia, Lightweights
Surprise! 14-7-4 Tijuana Mexico lightweight veteran Garcia, who drew with 11-0-1 prospect Golden Garcia in October 2019, takes 14-0 prospect Adorno on a trip to hell.
Adorno was a 34 to 1 favorite to win by the oddsmakers before this draw.
Chris Thomas TKO 1 Samir Dos Santos Barboza, Super Middleweights (0:47)
14-1-1 prospect Thomas made short work of 57 bout Brazilian veteran Barboza, who at age 39 was probably a late substitute as it was Barboza’s third consecutive first round loss.
Shinard Bunch TKO 6 Dennis Okoth, Welterweights (2:40)
There was a bizarre weird ending to this bout. Bunch, who had already lost the six rounder on points, suddenly landed two big rights to the head for Okoth, who turned around in a corner, grabbed the ropes with his back turned to his opponent, and was out of it, prompting the Okoth corner and referee David Franciosi to stop the bout with only 20 seconds left. Goes the old Yogi Berra adage “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
Sonny Conto KO 1 Curtis Head, Heavyweights (2:08)
It’s true! Rocky Balboa still lives! 6-0 Philadelphia heavyweight prospect Sonny Conto knocked down 5-5 Michigan journeyman Curtis Head three times in first round. Ouch!
Jeremy Adorno Win 4 Fernando Ibarra, Super Bantamweights
Allentown, Pennsylvania 4-0 super bantamweight prospect Adorno dropped Fernando Ibarra De Anda in the second round. Scorecards:40-35, 40-35, 40-35. Not a close bout.
Xander Zayas Win 4 Corey Champion, Welterweights
Opening bout. San Juan, Puerto Rico’s 3-0 Zayas was 2018 U.S. National Youth champion (under 19). Scoring: 40-36, 40-36, 40-35 for Zayas over California’s 2-2 Corey Champion.
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