Joe Smith Jr. pounded out a hard fought 12-round majority decision over Maxim Vlasov to win the WBO Light Heavyweight title at the Osage Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma

In round one, Smith was cut over his right eye from a punch of Valsov. The two fought hard, taking turns winning rounds. Everytime one of the fighters would gain advantage, the adversary would come back and seize control of the action. Smith landed several hard shots and seemed to have Vlasov in trouble. Vlasov was crafty throughout.

Smith landed 226 of 888 punches; Vlasov was 214 of 863.

Both guys were marked up facially, but in the end, it was Smith who by scores of 115-113, 115-112 and 114-114.

Smith, 174 lbs of Long Island, NY is 27-3. Vlasov, 175 lbs of Russia is 45-4.

Smith said, “It’s a great feeling. It was definitely a close, tough fight. I give it to Vlasov. Great fighter. He really put on a great show tonight and toughed it out. I believe that round where I hurt him there… I believe he had his head down, and I should’ve got the knockout. I think I would’ve got the stoppage in {the 11th} round, but he pulled it off and made it out on his feet. I believe I got the victory tonight because they saw I landed the harder shots. He landed a lot of punches. It was a great fight.

“I want the other belts. I want the big fights out there. Now I gotta get back in the gym and keep working on my technique and stuff. I believe I’m going to start unifying belts.”

Vlasov disagrees with Smith’s assessment of the fight and believes the world title should be going home to Russia.

“This was a very hard-fought, competitive fight,” Vlasov said. “I thought I was winning rounds and was well ahead. Against the aggressive style of Joe Smith, I came forward the entire fight. I felt confident I was winning and was securing rounds in the bank with the judges. I never felt that I was behind at any stage of the fight. This was my opportunity to show the world I was a world champion, and I did that, and Joe Smith knows I did that.” 

Ajagba Destroys Howard in 3

Efe Ajagba viciously stopped Brian Howard in round three of their scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout.

In round three, Ajagba landed a huge right hand that twisted Howard completely around as he fell hard the canvas with his legs wrapped up underneath him.

Ajagba, 236 lbs of Nigeria is 15-0 with 12 knockouts. Howard, 218 lbs of Lake Wells, FL is 15-5.

Ajagba said, “I felt good. I tried to pick the punches, use the jab. This guy is very slick sometimes. I tried to do the job. He was shaky, so when I went back to the corner after the first round, my coach told me to take my time, start with the body, leave the head.
 
“I trained for this fight, took my time, started with my boxing foundation, and came back strong. This camp was the best one for me, the best camp ever in my boxing career.
 
 “It’s my time to shine, so I’m coming for the heavyweights.”

Jared Anderson remained perfect by stopping Jeremiah Karpency in round two of a scheduled eight-round heavyweight bout.

In round one, Anderson landed a perfect right to the body that sent Karpency down to the canvas. In round two, it was another right to the body that sent Karpency to a knee for the 10-count at 34 seconds.

Anderson, 253.8 ls of Toledo, OH is 9-0 with nine knockouts. Karpency, 226.6 lbs of Adah, PA is 16-3-1.

Anderson said,  “I knew he was going to find a spot to fall. I respect him for getting in there and showing up today. It’s a man’s sport. I’m just grateful to be here, thankful for the opportunity.

“I {saw} the shot. His hands kept going up. I kept throwing my jab, looking for openings, feinting, moving around the ring, and it just came. It was a good shot, and he didn’t want to get back up.

“Everybody who says they’re the biggest and the baddest, come see ‘Big ‘Baby’ then.

“I want to thank Toledo, my city. A lot of them came out to Oklahoma, and I wanted to put on a show for them. I can’t wait for what is next.

Albert Bell remained undefeated by winning an eight-round unanimous decision over Manuel Rey Rojas in a junior lightweight bout.

In round two, Rojas was cut on the outside of his right eye. In round two, a headbutt opened up a cut on the left side of his head.

Bell landed 114 of 392 punches; Rojas was 94 of 383.

Bell, 132.2 lbs of Toledo, OH won by scores of 78-74 on all cards and is now 18-0. Rojas, 132 lbs of Dallas, TX is 20-5.

Robson Conceicao stopped Jesus Antonio Ahumada in round seven of a scheduled eight-round junior lightweight bout.

In round five, Ahumada started to bleed and have a lot of swelling on his face. In round seven, Conceicao landed a hard left that put Ahumada down. Ahumada got to his feet, but the fight was stopped at 1:20.

Conceicao, 128.4 lbs of Bahia, BRA is now 16-0 with eight knockouts. Ahumada, 129 lbs of Mexico is 17-4.

Trey Lippe Morrison stopped Jason Bergman in round three of a scheduled eight-round heavyweight bout, when Bergman could not continue due to a leg injury.

Bergman seemed to have scored a knockdown in round one when he landed a left hand that put Morrison on the deck, but it was ruled no-knockdown.

In round three, Bergman seemed to have twisted his ankle and fell to the canvas, and the bout was stopped at 1:27.

Morrison, 225.8 lbs of Tulsa is now 17-0 with 17 knockouts. Bergamn, 256 lbs of Adah, PA is now 27-20-2.

Duke Ragan won a six-round unanimous decision over Charles Clark in a featherweight bout.

Ragan, 125.8 lbs of Cincinnati, OH won by scores of 60-54 on all cards and is now 4-0. Clark, 126.6 lbs of Dallas, TX is 3-7-1.

Jeremiah Milton stopped Jayvone Dafney in the 1st round of their four-round heavyweight bout.

Milton landed a booming right that made Dafney prone on the top rope and the fight was stopped at 1:19.

Milton, 231.8 lbs of Tulsa, OK is 3-0 with three knockouts. Dafney, 226 lbs of McComb, MS is 2-3.

Sonny Conto Knocked out Waldo Cortes in the opening round of their scheduled four-round heavyweight bout.

Conto landed a booming right hand that sent Cortes plummeting to the canvas, and the fight was stopped at 1:41.

Conto, 230.4 lbs of Philadelphia is 7-0 with six knockouts. Cortes, 262 lbs of Phoenix, AZ is 6-4.

TULSA, OK (March 26, 2021) — The heavyweight division’s next king is taking his show on the road. Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson, who knocked out five opponents inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble, returns to action Saturday, April 10 against Jeremiah “The Bullfrog” Karpency in a bout scheduled for 8/6 rounds from Osage Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Anderson-Karpency is among the undercard contests streaming live and exclusively on ESPN+ (5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT), preceding the vacant WBO light heavyweight world title main event featuring Joe Smith Jr. and Maxim Vlasov, and the 10-round heavyweight co-feature between Efe Ajagba and Brian Howard (ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT).

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing and Tony Holden Productions, limited tickets are available and can be purchased by visiting StubWire.com.

“Jared Anderson is a superstar in the making,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “He is the world’s most exciting young heavyweight, and I can’t wait to see what he shows next. When you watch Jared, you are watching a future world champion.”

Anderson (8-0, 8 KOs), from Toledo, Ohio, turned pro with Top Rank following a stellar amateur career that included U.S. National Championship victories in 2017 and 2018. He has been spotless as a professional, notching five first-round knockouts and serving as Tyson Fury’s primary sparring partner before the Deontay Wilder rematch. He last fought Feb. 13 and created a viral moment with a left hook that knocked out Kingsley Ibeh in the sixth round. Karpency (16-2-1, 6 KOs), from Adah, Pennsylvania, is an 11-year pro whose only defeats have come against previously undefeated foes: Oscar Rivas (third-round TKO) and Sergey Kuzmin (sixth-round KO).

Anderson said, “I began 2021 on a high note against Ibeh, and I’m looking forward to carrying over my momentum against Karpency. The fans love big knockouts, and my goal is to deliver that every time I fight.”

In other undercard action:

Robson Conceição (15-0, 7 KOs) vs.Jesus Antonio Ahumada (17-3, 11 KOs)
8 Rounds, Junior Lightweight

2016 Olympic gold medalist Conceição, from Bahia, Brazil, cemented his status as a contender with last October’s gut check against Louie Coria. Conceição recovered from a knockdown and a pair of point deductions to squeak out a unanimous decision victory and preserve his unbeaten record. Ahumada, from Hermosillo, Mexico, is 3-1 since a 2018 TKO loss to Stephen Fulton, who went on to win a junior featherweight world title.

Albert Bell (17-0, 5 KOs) vs. Manuel Rey Rojas (20-4, 6 KOs)
8 Rounds, Junior Lightweight

The six-foot Bell, from Toledo, Ohio, makes his 2021 debut following last July’s 10-round shutout over Filipino veteran Mark Bernaldez. Bell, who is ranked in the top 15 by the WBO, holds a 2019 victory over longtime contender Andy Vences and is closing in on a potential world title opportunity. Rojas, from Dallas, Texas, is 8-1 in his last nine bouts, with his only defeat coming by 10-round decision in January 2020 to Puerto Rican star Felix Verdejo. He fought last September in Mexico and scored a second-round stoppage.

Sonny Conto (6-0, 5 KOs) vs. Waldo Cortes (6-3, 3 KOs)
4 Rounds, Heavyweight

Conto returns for his first fight in 15 months against the man he was supposed to fight Feb. 20 inside the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble. A medical issue forced Cortes out of the fight, but he is now recovered and ready to face the South Philadelphia native who has two consecutive first-round stoppages.

Troy Isley (1-0) vs. LaQuan Evans (4-1, 2 KOs)
4 Rounds, Middleweight

Decorated former U.S. amateur star Isley, from Alexandria, Virginia, turned pro Feb. 13 and shut out Bryant Costello over four rounds. Isley will step up in pro bout number two against Evans, a two-year pro who has won three straight bouts since a majority decision defeat.

Duke Ragan (3-0, 1 KO) vs. Charles Clark (3-6-1, 1 KO)
6 Rounds, Featherweight

Ragan, from Cincinnati, Ohio, signed a professional contract with Top Rank last year following an amateur run that included a silver medal at the 2017 World Championships. As a professional, he’s been perfect, following up a first-round knockout in his professional debut with a pair of shutout four-round decisions. He steps up to six rounds against Clark, who bested the 4-1 Malik Loften in his last fight.

Trey Lippe Morrison (16-0, 16 KOs) vs. TBA
8 Rounds, Heavyweight

Tulsa’s Morrison, son of the late heavyweight star Tommy Morrison, returns from a nearly two-year layoff intent on extending his knockout streak. A proven ticket-seller in Oklahoma, this will be Morrison’s 14^th professional fight in the Sooner State.

Jeremiah Milton (2-0, 2 KOs) vs. Jayvone Dafney (2-2, 2 KOs)
4 Rounds, Heavyweight

Tulsa native Milton returns home after a pair of stoppage wins to begin his career late last year. Dafney is coming off a first-round knockout Feb. 27 in Georgia.

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