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Alex Smith, the brother of former WBO light heavyweight champion Joe Smith Jr., has been shot dead.
According to reports, Alex Smith was murdered early Saturday morning in Mastic Beach, New York. It has been revealed that the 30-year-old was involved in an altercation in the parking lot of Linsa Torr's Place, a popular local bar. The confrontation ultimately led to him being shot and medical responders pronounced him dead at the scene.
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With the full story of the incident still unknown, Police in the area are pleading for help and have urged the local people to report any information that they might have regarding the incident.
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An online GiveSendGo donation portal has also been made by Alex Smith's father to help cover the funeral costs and also help his son's family of four children. A statement written by Joe Smith Sr. on the donation portal read:
“Our son was tragically murdered. We are devastated by the loss of Alex and were not prepared to pay for our son’s funeral, but we would like Alex to receive the memorial he deserves to honor his memory and for us all to say our last goodbyes. We are currently asking for donations to help cover the cost of Alex’s funeral. Thank you.”
When was Joe Smith Jr. last seen in action?
Joe Smith Jr. was last seen in action against Artur Beterbiev back in June last year. The two fought at the Hulu Theater at the historic Madison Square Garden. Smith Jr. was looking to unify the WBO, IBF, and WBC light heavyweight titles, but Beterbiev proved to be too much.
Artur Beterbiev was coming into the fight to further extend his 100% finish rate and he did exactly that. The Russian established his dominance early as he knocked down Joe Smith Jr. in the very first round of the fight.
In the second round, Smith Jr. tried to beat Beterbiev in his own game by closing the distance and applying constant pressure. However, the Russian capitalized on it and landed big shots of his own which knocked his opponent down twice.
Artur Beterbiev continued to land a flurry of punches after the third knockdown. Joe Smith Jr. was visibly stunned again and the referee decided to call a stop to the contest making Beterbiev, the WBO, WBC, and IBF unified light heavyweight champion.
Watch the highlights of Beterbiev vs. Smith Jr. below:
