VERONA, N.Y. — Dmitry Bivol’s skill level was simply too much for the upset-minded Joe Smith Jr. to overcome.
Bivol, with fast hands, quick feet and sharp combinations, dominated Smith to retain his light heavyweight world title for the fifth time on Saturday night at the Turning Stone Resort Casino.
The judges awarded Bivol a unanimous decision via scores of 119-109, 119-109 and 118-110. ESPN also scored the fight 118-110 for Bivol, who had to stave off Smith in the final few rounds.
Smith (24-3, 20 KOs), 29, from Long Island, came out fast trying to go right at Bivol, but Bivol was calm under pressure and got his jab going early to keep Smith off of him. He continued to pick Smith apart in the second round with more jabs and also landed three-punch combinations down the middle that left Smith with swelling on the left side of his face.
Smith landed a right hand to the head that buzzed Bivol in the fourth round but he quickly shook it off and went back to work firing his jab and combinations.
Smith could do little against the far more skilled Bivol, whose hand speed and footwork, not to mention his straight, sharp punches, kept him off balance.
Bivol (16-0, 11 KOs), 28, of Russia, hurt him with a short left hand inside in the seventh round that forced him to hold in yet another dominant round for the titleholder.
Perhaps Smith was frustrated when they got tangled up in the ninth round and he slammed Bivol to the mat, eliciting a strong warning from referee Gary Rosato.
Smith was the crowd favorite and the crowd tried to lift him in the later rounds with changes of “Let’s Go Joe!” He kept plowing forward looking to land a big right, which he finally connected with just as the 10th round was ending. Bivol was rattled by the shot and wobbled back to his corner.
Smith tried to land another right as he chased Bivol around the ring in the 11th round but he seemed so tired he couldn’t get to him again. Bivol appeared to have recovered by the 12th round and nearly dropped Smith with a slew of hard punches in the final seconds of the fight.