By Scott Gilfoid: WBA World super featherweight champion Jason Sosa (20-1-4, 15 KOs) defeated a game but limited former world title challenger Stephen Smith (24-3, 14 KOs) by a 12 round unanimous decision on Saturday night at the Salle des Étoiles, in Monte Carlo, Monaco. The judges scored the fight 116-111, 117-110 and 116-112 for Sosa. Boxing News 24 scored the fight 10 rounds to 2 in favor or Sosa.
Smith was knocked down by a left hook to the head by Sosa in the 2nd round. It looked like Sosa was stepping on Smith’s lead foot when he scored the knockdown. Never the less, Smith went down hard.
Smith, 31, suffered a cut over his right eye late in round three after Sosa unloaded on him with a flurry of shots. The cut would worsen as the fight wore on. It wasn’t the reason why Smith lost the fight to Sosa though. Smith was always going to lose this fight, because he was facing a more talented fighter.
You can argue that the only reason Smith wasn’t knocked out in the fight was because he was holding nonstop in every round. Smith would grab Sosa at every opprotunity to keep him from throwing shots. The referee probably should have stepped in and took points away from Smith at some point in the fight, because it was a tactic that really got in the way of the action. It’s one thing to occasionally hold, and another thing entirely to be clinching as your major game plan, which is what it appeared Smith was doing. He just grabbing Sosa to keep him from punching his lights out.
Smith did have his moments in the fight. Smith hurt Sosa late in the 9th round from a flurry of heavy shots to the head.
At the end of the 11th round, Smith nailed Sosa after the bell had sounded. The referee didn’t do anything about it. I thought Smith should have been penalized for the late shot.