Joe Smith Jr. to fight Umar Salamov in the fall

WBO light heavyweight champion Joe Smith Jr. will be returning to the ring this upcoming fall. The American will be fighting his mandatory challenger Russia's Umar Salamov.

The fight will take place in October or November, with the exact date to be announced in the upcoming weeks.

The 31-year-old champion is finalizing another fight for the spring of 2022. If everything goes to plan and Smith jr. defeats the underdog Salamov, he'll be facing former two-time middleweight champion, Daniel Jacobs in New York.

Smith hasn't fought since April 2021 when he beat Maxim Vlasov via MD. Salamov, 27, was last seen in the ring also in April. He defeated fellow countryman Sergey Ekimov via UD.