Joe Smith Jr. (pictured) and Maxim Vlasov are headed to the Sooner State to fight for the vacant WBO light heavyweight title on Saturday, April 10th at Osage Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They were originally scheduled to fight Feb. 13th, but Vlasov tested positive for the coronavirus prior to the weigh-in, forcing a postponement. In the ten-round co-feature, unbeaten heavyweight Efe Ajagba will take on Brian “MVP” Howard. Smith-Vlasov and Ajagba-Howard will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (simulcast on ESPN+) at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ at 5:30p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT, including a trio of big-punching heavyweights: Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson and Tulsa natives Trey Lippe Morrison (16-0, 16 KOs) and Jeremiah Milton (2-0, 2 KOs). Ticket information wiill be announced shortly.
“Joe Smith Jr. deserves this opportunity, and I know Maxim Vlasov will give him a great challenge,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “The light heavyweight division is one of the hottest in boxing, and the winner will have no shortage of lucrative opportunities.”
Smith (26-3, 21 KOs), the “Common Man” from Long Island, New York, hopes his 2021 kicks off where 2020 concluded. Last August, he broke through inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble, knocking former WBO champion Eleider “Storm” Alvarez out and through the ropes. Smith has won three straight bouts since his first world title opportunity in March 2019, a unanimous decision loss to WBA champion Dmitry Bivol. He became a household name in boxing in 2016 when he knocked living legend Bernard Hopkins through the ropes and into retirement.
“I am extremely motivated after all I have been though in my career,” Smith said. “I am proud of all I have accomplished, and I am confident I will bring the belt home on April 10 and move forward with my goal of unifying belts and proving I am the best light heavyweight in the world.”
Smith is promoted byJoe DeGuardia of Star Boxing who said, “We all worked very hard to get Smith and Vlasov back in the ring as soon as possible, not just for the fans that love to watch the Common Man fight, but for Joe, who is very anxious to become world champion. The blue-collar banger will be ready to fight and thrill the fans. He is laser-focused and fully intends on bringing the WBO world title to Long Island on April 10th.”
Vlasov (45-3, 26 KOs), from Samara, Russia, is 3-0 at light heavyweight since moving down from cruiserweight, where he challenged for an interim title. He had a banner 2019 at light heavyweight, knocking out the 14-1 Omar Garcia, avenging a previous defeat with a unanimous decision over Isaac Chilemba, and shutting out the 15-0 Emmanuel Martey over ten rounds.
“I am ready to return to the ring and become the new WBO light heavyweight world champion,” Vlasov said. “The postponement was a minor setback, but it will be worth the wait when I have that belt around my waist.”
Ajagba (14-0, 11 KOs) was a 2016 Nigerian Olympian. At 26 years old, he’s already stopped Amir Mansour and Razvan Cojanu. He made his Top Rank debut last September and outlasted veteran Jonathan Rice via decision over ten rounds.
Howard (15-4, 12 KOs) is an eleven-year pro who has split a pair of bouts since moving up to heavyweight. In August 2019, he knocked out 2008 Puerto Rican Olympian Carlos Negron in the first round then was stopped by Frank Sanchez.
