Joe Smith Jr to return on June 30

Light heavyweight contender Joe Smith Jr will be back in the ring on June 30, facing a to be announced opponent at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.

“I cannot wait to get back in the ring on June 30th,” he said via press release. “I have been looking forward to this day since I was told I needed surgery. I plan on showing why I am still one of the best in the light heavyweight division.”

Smith (23-2, 19 KO) came out of left field in 2016, when he was matched with Andrzej Fonfara in a Premier Boxing Champions main event and scored a shocking TKO-1 victory in Fonfara’s town of Chicago.

He was then matched six months later with the legendary Bernard Hopkins, and knocked Hopkins out of the ring and ultimately out of active competition. In his last fight, Smith dropped Sullivan Barrera in the first round, but suffered a broken jaw and lost a clear 10-round decision.

The return bout on June 30, promoted by Star Boxing, will also be a 10-round fight.