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Joe Smith Jr clears way for Artur Beterbiev fight with win over Maxim Vlasov

Joe Smith Jr vs Maxim Vlasov. Photo credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images

Joe Smith Jr 27-3 (21) claimed the vacant WBO light heavyweight title with a close-cut 12 round points decision win over Maxim Vlasov 45-4 (26) at the Osage Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday night.

Vlasov, 34, of Russia started well, cutting Smith over the left eye in the opening round, but the 31-year-old Long Islander landed a big right hand of his own in round two.

Smith wrested control of the bout in the middle rounds, cutting Vlasov in the mouth during the fifth. The seventh was a strong round for Smith but Vlasov bounced back in the eighth and had the wood over Smith in the ninth and 10th.

Smith found his second win in the championship rounds. The pair combined to land a remarkable 74 power shots in the 12th round alone.

When the dust settled judge Gerald Ritter had the fight 115-112, judge Pat Russell saw it 115-113, while judge David Sutherland couldn’t split them at 114-114. Ritter awarded Smith a 10-8 round in the 11th.

According to CompuBox, Smith outlanded Vlasov 226-214 in total punches, while Vlasov outlanded Smith 187-174 in power punches. Smith went to the body regularly with almost a quarter of his landed blows coming downstairs. A total of 1,751 punches were thrown by the pair throughout the bout.

“It’s a great feeling,” Smith said. “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 that [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.

Vlasov thought he did enough to get the nod.

“This was a very hard-fought, competitive fight. I thought I was winning rounds and was well ahead,” Vlasov said.

“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.”

The victory clears the way for a unification bout with WBC and IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev 16-0 (16) of Russia later this year.

“I want the other belts,” Smith said. “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.”