Beterbiev-Smith confirmed for June 18
Three belts and light heavyweight supremacy will be at stake when WBC/IBF world champion Artur Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs) meets WBO champion Joe Smith Jr. (28-3, 22 KOs) in a highly anticipated unification showdown on June 18 in the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. Beterbiev, boxing’s only world champion with a 100 percent knockout rate, hopes to pick up another strap against “Cinderella Man” Smith, a Long Island native who grew up about 70 miles from Madison Square Garden.
Artur Beterbiev: “I look forward to the challenge ahead of me. Joe Smith Jr. is a worthy champion, but I am coming to Madison Square Garden to add another world title to my collection. This fight will get me one step closer to becoming undisputed champion.”
Joe Smith Jr: “I am extremely excited and focused on this task I have ahead. Facing Beterbiev is huge. It is going to be a fight that fans remember forever, with two of the biggest punches in boxing today facing off. This opportunity is a dream of mine to accomplish. Fighting with three titles on the line is one step closer to becoming undisputed.”
In the 10-round featherweight co-feature, two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Robeisy “El Tren” Ramirez (9-1, 5 KOs) will battle the unbeaten Abraham “El Super” Nova (21-0, 15 KOs). Beterbiev-Smith and Ramirez-Nova will be broadcast live on ESPN.
The undercard will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+
In six-round bouts, featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (3-0, 2 KOs) and welterweight Jahi Tucker (7-0, 4 KOs) hope to extend their unbeaten records. U.S. Olympian Troy Isley (5-0, 3 KOs), fresh off his knockout win on the Oscar Valdez-Shakur Stevenson undercard, returns in a six-round middleweight bout. Featherweight Kurt Walker (2-0, 1 KO) and junior middleweight Kieran Molloy (1-0, 1 KO) will make their respective U.S. debuts.
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