Joe Smith Jr.: I'll Finish Off What Kovalev Started, KO Hopkins

By Keith Idec

NEW YORK – Joe Smith sat stone-faced at a table Tuesday afternoon, patiently listening to everything and anything a verbose Bernard Hopkins said during their hour-long meeting with reporters in Manhattan.

Smith made it clear once the question-and-answer session ended, though, that nothing Hopkins has said or can say is going to affect his psyche. The light heavyweight contender from Long Island has the same ambition he has had since their 12-round fight was made nearly two months ago.

Smith (22-1, 18 KOs) intends to take advantage of the biggest opportunity of his career by becoming the first opponent in the legendary Philadelphia fighter’s 28-year professional boxing career to knock him out. The 27-year-old Smith’s strength and youth are his two obvious advantages as they approach their HBO “World Championship Boxing” main event December 17 at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

“That’d be the best thing,” Smith told BoxingScene.com regarding a knockout. “That’s what I’m hoping for. He’s never been stopped before and I’ll be the only person to do it in his 30-year-career or whatever it was. It would be a big accomplishment for me. I believe if I do that, no one can say anything. It just proves a point that I am the best.”

Hopkins’ chin has been one of his best assets since the former undisputed middleweight and light heavyweight champion turned pro in October 1988. It has been hard to hurt Hopkins even as he has aged and fought numerous younger, strong opponents during the twilight of his Hall-of-Fame journey.

Russian knockout artist Sergey Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs) dropped Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs, 2 NC) in the first round of his last fight, however, and dominated much of their 12-round light heavyweight title fight at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The 51-year-old Hopkins hasn’t fought in the two years since Kovalev defeated him surprisingly easily in November 2014.

“I’m gonna start off where Kovalev left off,” Smith said. “And I’m gonna finish him.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.