UPSET: Smith demolishes Fonfara in one

By Craig Wick and Jesse Wright at ringside
Photos: Leonard Wilson Jr. & Nabeel Ahmad/Premier Boxing Champions

In a Windy City shocker, little-known light heavyweight Joe Smith Jr. came into the lion’s den and flattened WBC #2, WBA #3, WBO #4 rated Andrzej “The Polish Prince” Fonfara at 2:32 of the first round on Saturday night at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. Fonfara, who drops to 28-4, 16 KOs, just landed his best combination of the fight when “The Irish Bomber” suddenly dropped him hard in ring center courtesy of a monstrous overhand right. Fonfara gamely rose, but crashed into the ropes on unsteady legs. The fight was allowed to continue, but several pinpoint combinations to the head left Fonfara in a heap in his respective corner, unable to rise. With the spectacular win, Smith Jr., out of Brookhaven, NY, improves to 22-1, 17 KOs.

Joe Smith Jr: “There’s no feeling like this. I’m happy to take this victory back home to New York to all my fans. I’ll talk to my promoter but I’m hoping for another big fight to get myself to a world title. Now everybody knows who I am. This is the best thing that could have happened. Once I started hitting him and pushing him back he fell away and left himself open for the right hand. I thought this would be more of a fight, but I took him out early and it feels great. He was punching and I knew he leaves himself open. I was just looking for the punch and it landed.”

Andrzej Fonfara: “He is a heavy puncher. He hit me with a great punch. It happens. I threw some good punches, but I got too comfortable. I didn’t see the punch coming. That made it a great punch. I’m disappointed because I thought I would win the fight but it is boxing. I will rest and get back in the ring. I’ll get back to work.”