Top Rank heads to New York City on June 18th for a big light heavyweight championship unification bout between undefeated WBC/IBF champ Artur Beterbiev and WBO champion Joe Smith Jr., the co-main event will be Robeisy Ramirez vs. Abraham Nova.
Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs), is ready to be a three belt champion and move himself one step closer to undisputed, he will need to defeat the blue collar WBO champion Joe Smith Jr. and that will be no easy task.
What makes Beterbiev special is his 100 percent knockout ratio, he has finished every single one of his opponents and has never been the distance in any of his professional bouts.
Joe Smith Jr. (28-3, 22 KOs) is a Long Island native and his biggest moment came when he sent legendary hall of fame fighter Bernard Hopkins through the ropes and into retirement.
Smith Jr. lost his first title bid when he faced WBA champion Dmitry Bivol in 2019 and would eventually become a world champion when he defeated Dmitry Bivol for the vacant WBO title on April 10, 2021.
Beterbiev wants to make a statement with a knockout and Smith Jr. who is the underdog is motivated to prove the boxing world wrong and become a unified champion and be the first to beat the hard hitting Beterbiev.
Undefeated Brooklyn featherweight prospect Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington will headline the preliminary undercard on ESPN+ before the main broadcast on ESPN.
ESPN Main Card
Light Heavyweight Championship – Artur Beterbiev vs. Joe Smith Jr (WBC/IBF/WBO titles)
Featherweight – Robeisy Ramirez vs. Abraham Nova
ESPN+ Live Stream Undercard
Featherweight – Bruce Carrington vs. Adrian Leyva
Welterweight – Jahi Tucker vs. D’Andre Smith
Super Bantamweight – Floyd Diaz vs. Daniil Platonovschi
Middleweight – Troy Isley vs. Donte Stubbs
Junior Middleweight – Kieran Molloy vs. Jonathan Ryan Burrs
Women’s Super Welterweight – Wendy Toussaint vs. Asinia Byfield
Junior Middleweight – Jahyae Brown vs. Keane McMahon
How to Watch Beterbiev vs Smith Jr Fight
The Top Rank on ESPN card takes place on Saturday, June 18, 2022 at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The fight will be broadcast on ESPN and will be shown via live stream on ESPN+, to find out more visit: TopRank.com.
