Greg Leon: Congrats on your recent victory over Jesse Hart. Can you give us some thoughts on your performance? Joe Smith Jr: "It was defnitely a great night. I came fought hard and I did what I came to do it was definitely great night for me." Greg Leon: Were you surprised that he decided to fight so passively? Joe Smith Jr: "During the press and everything he told me that he was going to stand there and trade with me and be very aggressive. I kind of felt that as soon as I hit him with something he was going to start running, but I didn't even have to do that because he came out and started running."

 

GL: What did you think the way Hart was using what you did to Hopkins to motivate him?

 

JS: "At the press conferences and stuff he was telling me I can't punch and he's got more knockouts than me and he's not worried about my power or anything. As soon as that opening bell rang I went after him and he started running. I told him, 'c'mon I thought you were going to fight with me', but he just kept it moving. I feel like it was just something he was trying to get into his head to give him confidence really."

 

GL: Have you improved since the Barrera fight or is this a classic case of styles make fights? You lost to Barrera, he beat Barrera and now you've beat him.

 

JS: "The Sullivan Barrera fight was just a bad night for me, but I do believe I've improved on my movement and I'm always trying to improve in all areas everyday. With this fight I tried to show off the new movement, but that wasn't the game plan. The game plan was to keep pushing forward and to stay on top of him because he folds under pressure, so I didn't want to change it up and box the guy."

 

GL: Were you concerned when you heard the fight was a split decision?

 

JS: "Yes because I was fighting on a Top Rank card and he's a Top Rank fighter, so I did get a little nervous. When I heard it was a splt decision and saw that judges card, I mean I don't know how a guy could give a score like that. He basically had Jesse winning every round."

 

GL: Will you be fighting on ESPN from now on?

 

JOE DEGUARDIA: "Yes. We're looking for our next fight to be on ESPN. I think the National coverage was great and a lot more people got to see Joe and what he's all about both in the ring and outside the ring. We have very high expectations about where we'll have him in 2020."

 

GL: Back to work, or is it going to be full time boxing?

 

JS: "I stay in the gym, but I show up to jobs and do what I can do when there's the opportunity to work."

 

GL: Where do you go from here? Who do you want to fight the most?

 

JS: "Whatever is going to bring the money or the best opportunities for me."

 

GL: Is there somebody within that Top Rank stable on ESPN that you feel would be a great fight for you to keep this momentum going?

 

JS: "I'm with whatever Joe is able to line up for me."

 

GL: Any early indication as to when your next fight might take place?

 

Joe DeGuardia:  "We expect to get him in the ring sometime before the summer."

 

GL: What do you feel like you still need to improve on? Was there something you wanted to execute vs. Hart that you failed to pull the trigger on?

 

JS: "I believe that we had a game plan to really keep the pressure on him and I was able to do that. I wanted to show a bit more of the moving and stuff I've been working on the ring, but the game plan was working so I just stuck to it."

 

GL: Closing thoughts for the fans.

 

JS: "I'm looking forward to getting back out there and putting on another great show for everyone. People love to come and watch me fight because they never know what's going to happen. They like to see the big knockouts and I bring that to the table."