By Phil Kane: (June 8th) When fighters, fight doors open, and that’s what they have done for Mastic, Long Island light heavyweight Joe “The Beast” Smith Jr.
Not only have doors been cracked, they have blown wide open. The power punching Smith in the biggest bout of his young career, a true career altering fight is set to take on take on former WBC World Light Heavyweight title challenger Andrzej Fonfara, June 18th, for his WBC International Light Heavyweight title in his first nationally broadcast event coming in the main event of a Leon Margules Warriors Boxing / Star Boxing co-promoted Premiere Boxing Champions on NBC card LIVE from the UIC Pavilion in the champions hometown of Chicago.
In what has been described by many boxing pundits as a stay busy fight for Fonfara, the 26 year old, upset minded “Irishman” Smith Jr. enters confidently looking to derail the local favorite placing himself squarely in the middle of the Kovalev / Stevenson sweepstakes.
Smith, 21-1, 17Ko’s carrying an impressive amateur pedigree having won numerous titles including 2004 thru 2006, Junior Olympic Championship titles, a 2006 Title World Championship, 2006 thru 2008 Empire State Championship titles, 2006 thru 2009 New York Metro Championships and back to back 2008 and 2009 NY Golden Glove titles made an impressive transition to the pro ranks winning his debut with a first round TKO win Halloween 2009.
Winning his next five inside the distance “The Irish Bomber” had his KO run come to an abrupt end August 2010 when after dominating the opening three and half minutes of his seventh pro fight, a scheduled six rounder versus Lawrence, Massachusetts slugger Eddie “Thunder” Caminero, fighting with what was later diagnosed as multiple jaw fractures, the rough and ready Smith still controlling the action finally succumb to the pain after being shouldered in a clinch with two seconds to go in the fourth round. Most ringside had Smith ahead at the time of the stoppage.
Under going surgery immediately following the bout, leading to eleven months of inactivity surviving on a liquid diet “The Irish Bomber” returned to action and his heavy handed ways July 30th, 2011 stopping Santos Martinez in the second round with a ripping body shot.
Going on a new four bout KO tear scoring stoppage wins over Dennis Ogboo, Amador Acevedo, James Denson and Yasin Rashid, Smith finding it increasingly hard to get named fights closed out 2013 showcasing his improving boxing skills scoring one way unanimous decision wins over Lamont Williams and Hamid Abdul-Mateen.
Smith continuing to display his graduating skills opened his 2014 campaign in February scoring a solid six round unanimous decision win over Sacramento, California’s cagey veteran Otis “Triple G’ Griffin only to return to his power punching ways recording early dismissals of Ghana’s heavy handed Michael Gbenga and LA’s Tyrell “Hollywood” Hendrix.
Signing with Joe Deguardia’s Star Boxing in the fall, Smith would close out 2014 bringing his maturing boxer / puncher skills to Star Boxing’s popular “Rockin Fights” series at the Paramount Theater in Huntington New York where he would close out the year blowing out Maxell Taylor in one round.
Opening 2015 with TKO wins over veteran Cory Cummings and Shujaa El Amin, Smith Jr. would score his breakout victory December 5th, on the undercard of the Daniel Jacobs / Peter Quillin WBA World Middleweight Championship card at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, demonstrating a full stockpile of skills working an active and accurate jab, setting up clean power shots to the body and head, out boxing Ozone Park’s highly touted Will “Power” Rosinsky to a convincing ten round unanimous decision win.
Smith managed and trained by the “Fighting” Capobianco’s, Phil and Gerry, with Phil over seeing the management side and his brother Gerry handling the day to day training chores while Tommy Gallagher handles the yet to be used cut work.
Smith’s brutal workout sessions would gain an additional and very appropriate moniker “The Beast” going into most recent bout, a April 23rd “Rockin Fights” 2nd round TKO annihilation of tough Brazilian Fabiano “Pit Bull” Pena.
During these politically charged times the soft spoken, confident and upset minded Smith is a old school throwback breath of fresh air. The straight forward “Irishman” coming in with a no baggage and the personality and ring mannerism’s that could easily be mirrored in the words used to label former President Theodore Roosevelt who most famously described his foreign policy as “Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick” as Smith will be carrying two June 18th when he takes his aggressive but tightly defended, pressure styled, paralyzing punching offense into Fonfara’s backyard June 18th.
In boxing as in life, we all know timing is everything and Smith flourishing under Joe DeGuardia’s Rockin Fights shows at the Paramount Theater is intent on showing he belongs at the world championship level and presented with the challenge, financial reward and potential future door opening opportunities the question taking his skills to the next level was a no brainer for this old school tradesman who is mind bent on scoring an upset victory and making his mark the talent laden light heavyweight division.
The 28 year old Fonfara, 28-3, 16Ko’s originally from Warsaw, Poland now residing in Chicago, the third largest Polish population in the world behind Warsaw and New York also comes from a standout amateur career winning a Bronze Medal at the Poland Nationwide Youth Olympics in 2003, a Bronze Medal at the Polish Junior Championship and a Silver Medalist at the Polish Junior Cup in 2004, collecting a Gold at the Polish Junior Championships in 2005 beginning his professional career three years earlier than Smith in Ostrołęka, Poland, June 3rd, 2006 winning a majority decision over the Czech Republic’s Miroslav Kubik.
Moving to Chicago to train for his next fight Fonfara remained in “Chi-Town” with his family building a record of 12-2, 3Ko’s. Signing a contract with Dominic Pesoli’s, 8 Count Productions, Fonfara picking a bit of baggage June 26th, 2009 initially claiming the vacant World Boxing Foundation United States Super Middleweight title in a fight originally scored a TKO win over Skyler Thompson had the results overturned to a “No Contest” with the “Polish Prince” testing positive for a banned substance.
Moving to the light heavyweight division in his next fight November 19th, 2010, the 6′ 2½″ Fonfara with his 77″ reach the same as Smith, found his niche running off nine straight stoppage wins claiming the vacant WBC Youth World, WBO NABO and United States Boxing Organization Light Heavyweight titles before taking a major step up in competition scoring a ten round unanimous decision win over former IBF Light Heavyweight Champion “Road Warrior” Glen Johnson, June 13, 2012 at Chicago’s UIC Pavilion.
Claiming the vacant International Boxing Organization World Light Heavyweight title his next time out stopping Tommy Karpency in seven rounds November 16th, 2012, Fonfara adding 2013 KO wins over veterans Gabriel Campillo and Samuel Miller the popular Polish fighter would lose his first major title bout dropping a twelve round unanimous decision WBC light Heavyweight Champion challenge of Adonis “Superman” Stevenson, May 24th, 2014 in Stevenson’s hometown of Montreal, Canada.
Signing with Al Haymon after the Stevenson challenge, Fonfara unbeaten in his last three coming off victories over Doudou Ngumbu, November 1st 2014, a technical knockout Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. to claim the vacant WBC International Light Heavyweight Championship April 18th, 2015 made the first defense of his new title in his 27th fight in Chicago and his 15th at UIC Pavilion, October 16th winning a twelve round unanimous decision over former WBO Light Heavyweight Champion Nathan Cleverly, in a fight both he and Cleverly combined to break the light heavyweight punch output record.
While it’s apparent Fonfara’s camp isn’t taking the fight lightly with his trainer Sam Colonna telling Fight News Przemek Garczarczyk that Smith Jr. is “a better version of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.” adding “he goes fast and hard from the first second of the first round, no fu… around, straight to the business of punching hard. Like it’s his last meal. He hits harder (tahn Chavez Jr.) and will be better prepared.”
That said, by no measure is Smith over looking “The Polish Prince.” In the gym with Smith training and sparring with local top pro’s and Olympic caliber amateurs daily under the close scrutiny of trainer Gerry Capobianco it was easy to see “The Beast” knows the importance of this fight and will be well prepared when he invades Chicago, June 18th.
I see Fonfara vs Smith Jr. as an attractive pairing of similar styles and close skill sets in a potential quantity vs quality styled fight with the champion carrying an average punch, but holding a firm edge in experience having faced the higher quality pro level opposition, while Smith with over looked skills, highlighted by a jarring, thudding jab carrying one punch KO power in both hands holding a steel forged upset ready trump card.
In chief support of the Premier Boxing Champions Fonfara / Smith tripleheader Cincinnati, Ohio, former three-time US Olympian Rau’shee Warren, 13-1, 4Ko’s is set to face Miami, Florida, southpaw bantamweight titleholder Juan Carlos Payano, 17-0, 8Ko’s in a rematch of their August 2nd meeting in which Payano down in the 12th round having been deducted one point for a low blow in the 3rd round and two points from Warren for intentionally pushing Payano down in round nine allowing Payano to walk away with a 113-111 times two 109-115 split decision win.
Also scheduled for action is 20 year old Orlando, Florida, highly touted super welterweight prospect Erickson “Hammer” Lubin, 14-0, 10Ko’s taking on Guadalajara, Mexico’s tough puncher Daniel “Galeno” Sandoval, 38-3, 35Ko’s.
Tickets for Fonfara vs Smith Jr. promoted by Warriors and Star Boxing, priced at $201, $101, $61 and $41, are on sale and can be purchased by phone with a major credit card, calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or UIC Pavilion Box Office at (312) 413-5740 or online at www.ticketmaster.com or just visiting the UIC Pavilion Box Office.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPy5tY4rM_o