WBO Champ Joe Smith Jr. to Fight Sub Steve Geffrard, Callum Johnson Has COVID-19
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Verona, NY (January 9th, 2022)– World Boxing Organisation World Light Heavyweight champion, 27-3 with 21 knockouts, Long Island, New York, will face a last minute substitute challenger on eight days of notice, unknown Steve Geffrard, 18-2 with 12 knockouts, Miami, Florida, in the USA ESPN + televised main event on January 15, 2022, at Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York. Geffrard lost his first two pro bouts in 2013 in a rocky career start, but then won 18 consecutive bouts in the next nine years to qualify for the world title opportunity. Geffrard was preparing for another bout scheduled at about the same time, and immediately took the world title opportunity when it was offered.
The originally scheduled challenger, former world title challenger Callum “One” Johnson, 20-1 with 14 knockouts, Boston, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, pulled out of the bout with Smith after contracting the COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus. Boxing in the United Kingdom has already been shut down for the month of January 2022, and potentially for longer than that, but not soon enough even for those in training, as Johnson became the latest British boxer to get the virus during the Omicron strain period. Hopefully, Johnson will recover.
Joe Smith Jr. won the vacant WBO title last April when he beat Maxim Vlasov of the Russian Federation by 12 round majority decision. Vlasov was originally scheduled to fight Smith in February 2021, a bout delayed when Vlasov contracted the Coronavirus but subsequently recovered. Smith’s originally scheduled bout with Umar Salamov was postponed by Smith’s promoter Joe DeGuardia when Smith Jr. contracted the Coronavirus in October 2021, scrapping the Salamov bout. Salamov fought for the World Boxing Association World Light Heavyweight title instead, losing a 12 round decision to Dmitry Bivol in December 2021.
Bornin Boston, Massachusetts of Haitian parents, Geffrard is signed with Golden Boy Promotions and is trained by former contender Ronnie Shields. A 2021 National Golden Gloves champion at 201 pounds in 2010, the 2010 PAL and USA National champion and USA Boxing amateur athlete of the year, Geffrard is coming off an eight round decision win over veteran Denis Grachev in Delray Beach, Florida in March 2021. His amateur record was 130-15. Geffrard won the WBO Asia Pacific Light Heavyweight title in December 2016 with a seventh-round stoppage of former WBC World Light Heavyweight title challenger Dmitry Sukhotskiy to crack the WBO world ratings. Sukhotskiy fought and lost to the then world champion, Adonis Stevenson, for the World Boxing Council World Light Heavyweight title in 2014.
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