Close fight according to the stats as Joe Smith outlands Maxim Vlasov 226-214 in total punches, while Vlasov outlanded Smith 187-174 in power punches. Smith went to body often as 53 of his 226 landed punches were to the body. Smith landed 68 power punches over the last 2 rounds to push him over the edge.
Joe Smith Jr., the common man with the common name, finally reached boxing's apex. Smith used a furious late rally to edge Maxim Vlasov by majority decision and win the vacant WBO light heavyweight world title Saturday evening at Osage Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The scorecards — 114-114, 115-113 and 115-112 — represented the nip-and-tuck nature of the bout.
Smith (27-3, 21 KOs), from Long Island, New York, swept the last two rounds on the cards to pull out the victory and joins promotional stablemate Jamel Herring as a Long Island-born world champion. He now sets his sights on the division's other champions, including WBC/IBF king Artur Beterbiev.
Vlasov (45-4, 26 KOs), from Samara Russia, saw his three-bout winning streak come to an end.