By Keith Idec

As much as his life changed Saturday night, Joe Smith Jr. made it clear that he’ll return to his union job on Long Island, presumably following the holiday season.

“If something comes up quick, I’ll be right back in the gym,” Smith said. “But, you know, I’m still gonna be working out there.”

The 27-year-old Smith, a laborer for Local 66 on Long Island, made a career-high purse of $140,000 for knocking out legend Bernard Hopkins on Saturday night in Inglewood, California. HBO televised their scheduled 12-round, light-heavyweight fight from The Forum.

Smith (23-1, 19 KOs), who embraced Hopkins’ criticism of him as a “common man” before their fight, knocked Hopkins clear out of the ring in the eighth round. Hopkins landed flat on his back, onto The Forum floor, and couldn’t get back into the ring within the allotted 20 seconds.

That forced referee Jack Reiss to count out the former undisputed middleweight and light heavyweight champion from Philadelphia. The future Hall-of-Fame fighter lost by knockout for the first time in his 28-year pro career.

Smith, meanwhile, recorded a second straight knockout that has helped him burst out of boxing obscurity.

Before beating Hopkins, he stopped Poland’s Andrzej Fonfara (28-4, 16 KOs, 1 NC) in the first round June 18 in Chicago. That bout, broadcast by NBC Sports Network, marked Smith’s first national television exposure.

While trying to fight his way toward a more profitable life, Smith has worked hard as a laborer in Nassau County and Suffolk County on Long Island. He is employed by Laborers 66, based in Melville, New York.

“I’m just a laborer,” Smith told BoxingScene.com before he fought Hopkins. “We do anything. We do it all. It could be anything – sweeping the floor, spackling. We do demo work. We do concrete work. We do all kinds of stuff. We do digging, shoveling.”

Smith’s trainer/co-manager, Jerry Capobianco, and co-manager Phil Capobianco, Jerry’s brother, are members of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 138, based in Farmingdale, New York.

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