Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard live stream: how to watch boxing online from anywhere

Joe Smith Jr. will be putting his WBO light heavyweight belt for the first time, as the native New Yorker finally steps into the ring tonight for his maiden title defence on home turf. Read on as we explain how to watch a Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard live stream today and catch all the boxing action online from anywhere in the world.

Smith claimed the WBO light heavyweight crown last April after defeating Maxim Vlasov via majority decision - a win that took his career record to 27-3 with 21 KOs.

The 32-year-old had been scheduled to face Umar Salamov as his first defence back in October, only for that date to be nixed after the Long Islander tested positive for Covid. Their rescheduled meeting was due to take place tonight, but Salamov was forced to pull out after failing to obtain a visa from his native Russia in time.

Callum Johnson was drafted in as Salamov's replacement, but the British former 175-pound title challenger was also forced to drop out earlier this week after contracting coronavirus.

That means opportunity knocks for short-notice stand-in Steve Geffrard. The 31 year-old is unbeaten since 2013 with a 18-2 record that includes 12 knockouts, but his main credential coming into this fight appears to be his experience as a spar partner for unbeaten unified 175-pound beltholder Artur Beterbiev.

You can watch all of the action from New York unfold, no matter where you are, by following our guide below to watch a Smith Jr vs Geffrard live stream online from anywhere.

• Related: how to get a UFC live stream for every Fight Night and PPV

How to watch Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard from outside your country 

There are some great ways of watching Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard all over the world but you won't be able to if you're away from home and blocked from your usual service. To get round that, you need to use a VPN to dial into a country that's showing the fight. 

VPNs change your IP address making it appear that you're in a  completely different location. Here's how to get started.

Use a VPN to live stream Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard anywhere

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Once you've downloaded the software, just follow the prompts to install it then select the location you want to relocate your IP address to - it really is that easy.

How to watch Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard online in the US

Boxing fans based in the US have several options for watching the Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard fight. If you have cable, you can watch it on ESPN and Spanish-language channel ESPN Deportes.

If you don't have cable, then you can watch Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard on streaming service ESPN+ for a very reasonable $6.99 per month with no contract.

Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard coverage gets underway at 8pm EST / 5pm PST, with the fighters expected to make their ring walks an hour later.

ESPN Plus price is also available for $69.99 for a year and arguably the best value is the combined ESPN+, Hulu and Disney Plus Bundle for just $13.99 a month.

Cable-cutters may also want to consider Sling TV, which includes ESPN channels from just $35 a month on its Sling Orange package, though you can get your first month for just $10.

Meanwhile, fuboTV is an even more complete end-to-end cable replacement service, which offers ESPN and over 120 other channels on plans starting from $64.99 a month. Oh yeah... and it comes with a FREE FREE Trial, too!

How to watch Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard: live stream boxing in the UK

If you stay up late enough, you can watch Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard on Sky Sports.

Coverage begins at 1.30am GMT on Saturday night/Sunday morning, and Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard are expected to make their ring walks at 4am, so it's a good idea to have a pot of coffee to hand. 

Subscribers can also live stream Smith Jr vs Geffrard using the Sky Go app, which is available on nearly all modern phones, tablets, laptops, PCs and consoles.

For those without Sky, a better option may be to pick up a Now TV Sky Sports Monthly Pass, which includes all 11 of its sports channels.

To access your usual streaming service from outside the UK, you'll need to download a good VPN, as detailed above.

How to watch Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard: live stream boxing in Canada

In Canada, the Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard fight is being shown by TSN. Existing subscribers can log-in to watch TSN live streams at no extra charge with details of their TV provider. 

Cord-cutters, meanwhile, can sign up to the TSN Direct streaming service for just $7.99 a day or (much better value) $19.99 a month.

TSN's coverage of Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard begins on TSN 5 at 10pm ET / 7pm PT, and the fighters are expected to make their ring walks at around 11pm EST / 8pm PST.

Canadian abroad? You can use a VPN to magically transport yourself back to Canada to live stream boxing just as you would at home.

Can you watch Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard in Australia?

Sadly there's no confirmed broadcaster for Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard in Australia at the time of writing. The only alternative is to use one of the best VPN service providers to tap into coverage from another nation, as described above.

The software is generally ideal for this as it allows you to change your IP address and appear to be in a completely different location - and all through a safe, encrypted connection. But do bear in mind that many paid streaming services do require a credit card based in the country the service is from.

Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard time and date

The Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard fight takes place on Saturday, January 15 at the Turning Stone Resort Casino, in Verona, New York.

Ring walks for the main event are roughly expected to be as follows.

Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard ring walk times

• Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard time (US and Canada): 11pm ET / 8pm PT / 10pm CT
• Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard time (UK): 4am GMT (Sunday, January 16)

Joe Smith Jr vs Steve Geffrard: full card for Saturday's event

•  Joe Smith Jr (champion) vs Steve Geffrard (WBO light heavyweight title fight)
• Abraham Nova vs. William Encarnacion (featherweight)
• Lyubomyr Pinchuk vs. Jose Mario Flores (heavyweight) 
• Omar Rosario vs. Raekwon Butler (junior welterweight)
• Troy Isley vs. Harry Keenan Cruz Cubano (middleweight) 
• Jahi Tucker vs. Akeem Blac (welterweight)