Steve Geffrard: record, next fight and profile →
Boxing is off to a slow start in 2022 with the schedule not set to pick up steam for a couple weeks. For the fighters who compete in the meantime, it’s an opportunity to fill a void and make statements.
The Steve Geffrard story was something out of a Hollywood script. The South Florida native accepted a shot at the title on eight days' notice, but he didn't author the shocking upset. WBO light heavyweight world champion Joe Smith Jr. made the first successful defense of his crown, knocking out Geffrard in the ninth round Saturday at Turning Stone Resort Casino.
By Keith Idec - It took Joe Smith Jr. a little longer than odds indicated it would, but the heavily favored champion eventually exposed huge underdog Steve Geffrard on Saturday night. Smith stopped Geffrard early in the ninth round of a scheduled 12-round, 175-pound championship match
Joe Smith, Geffrard Scorecards BoxingScene Live - Steve Geffrard wasn't supposed to be here. Last Friday, he was preparing to weigh in for a fight in Delray Beach, Florida, when he received a call. WBO light heavyweight champion Joe Smith Jr. needed an opponent after British puncher Callum Johnson contracted COVID-19. (photos by Mikey Williams)
Steve Geffrard realized just how tough Joe Smith Jr. is when he sat ringside for Smith’s loss to Sullivan Barrera in July 2017. Geffrard was Barrera’s sparring partner for that fight and traveled to The Forum in Inglewood, California, to support his friend. Barrera broke Smith’s jaw early in the second round that night, yet Smith still made it to the final bell in a bout he lost by unanimous decision.
Joe Smith Jr. had never even heard the name Steve Geffrard before Geffrard was proposed a week ago as Callum Johnson’s replacement. England’s Johnson (20-1, 14 KOs) contracted COVID-19 and
Joe Smith Jr. expects to be much more impressive during his first title defense Saturday night than he was when he won the then-vacant WBO light heavyweight title nine months ago.
Steve Geffrard suspected that his boxing career was over after a treacherous three-month stretch in 2013. He had influential representation – Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions and manager Shelly Finkel – behind him. The Boca Raton, Florida, native had an impressive amateur resume, too, approximately 150 fights and had won numerous prominent national tournaments in the heavyweight division.
IF you could die based on the number of bitter pills you swallow in life, Callum Johnson must be coming close to overdosing. The heavy-hitting light heavyweight should have been fighting Joe Smith in upstate New York this weekend but two days before he was due to leave the UK, he tested positive for Covid.
By Cliff Rold - COVID continues to wreak havoc on boxing as 2022 gets underway with a late replacement in the main event on ESPN (10 PM EST). WBO light heavyweight titlist Joe Smith Jr. was supposed to make his first defense against established, if fringe, contender Callum Johnson. Johnson is out, opening the door for Steve Geffrard’s