Joe Smith Jr. knocks out Eleider Alvarez in Round 9

Joe Smith Jr. and Eleider Alvarez are big light heavyweights who like to impose their will, but Smith got the better of Alvarez, stopping him in round 9.

Joe Smith Jr. and Eleider Alvarez fought on Saturday, Aug. 22, on ESPN from the Top Rank bubble in Las Vegas. The bout was scheduled for 12 rounds, but the night was cut short.

Smith (26-3, 21 KOs), 30, of Long Island, New York, made a name for himself with a string of impressive knockouts throughout his career. He sent Bernard Hopkins into retirement and out of the ring in 2016, but he also lost his lone title shot in 2019 against Dmitry Bivol.

Alvarez (25-2, 13 KOs), 36, of Montreal, Canada, stopped Sergey Kovalev in 2018 to win the WBO light heavyweight title but lost it in the rematch.

Smith vs. Alvarez was a WBO title eliminator, and Smith impressively earned a second chance at fighting for a championship.

Neither man is known for their technical boxing, but Alvarez was considered to have a better ring IQ. Everyone knew that Smith had power, but he showed improvement with his punching accuracy.

For most of the fight, Smith and Alvarez collided in the middle of the ring and exchanged combinations. Both landed, but Smith’s power took an early toll on Alvarez.

Joe Smith Jr. used his power to break down Eleider Alvarez over time

By Round 4, Alvarez’s nose looked broken as blood poured from both nostrils. Smith seemed encouraged by the damage he caused and steadily increased his work rate.

By Round 6, Smith was beating up Alvarez. When they entered the seventh, Smith was on cruise control, but Alvarez caught him with a right hand that wobbled his legs. Smith recovered and boxed well to end the round, but showed a brief moment of vulnerability.

Round 8 was quiet, but things punctuated in Round 9. Less than 15 seconds into the round, Smith plowed a right cross into Alvarez’s jaw that rocked him. Alvarez was out but stayed on his feet. Smith followed with a left jab the sent Alvarez through the ropes.

Referee Tony Weeks began the count, but Alvarez stared back vacantly. As Weeks neared 10, Alvarez tried to get to his feet. He didn’t look like he beat the count, but Weeks waved off the fight, which officially goes into the books as a TKO. It looked like a traditional knockout, despite the small difference in the records.

Smith now has a second shot at a title. He was pleased with his growth as a boxer.

“Kovalev kind of set the way to beat him,” said Smith during the post-fight interview. “We watched that, and we worked off of it. I knew coming in today I had to box a little bit more because he’s got that great right hand.”

Smith added, “I stuck to my gameplan, and it was a great night.”

Smith’s power is a game-changer, but his newfound accuracy and advanced skill make him a real problem. He just might win that world title that he has dreamed of for so long.