Lonnie Smith in action last month in Brooklyn, New York against Michael Perez (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)

By Chris Robinson

In a fight that flew under the radar, Las Vegas resident Lonnie Smith made a return to the ring last month as he met up with once-beaten Michael Perez on the Bernard Hopkins-Tavoris Cloud undercard from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

This was a crucial fight for Smith, as he was coming off of back-to-back losses to Vicente Escobedo in March of last year and to Mason Menard three months later.

And despite getting dropped by Perez in the second round, Smith showed much fortitude, rising and eventually working his way back into the fight. Several ringside accounts had Smith in control of the action in the seventh round before the fight was stopped after a clash of heads caused a nasty cut on Perez’s forehead.

The bout went to the cards, where the fight was declared a majority draw, with Smith’s ledger shifting to 14-4-3 with 10 knockouts.

And despite not getting the victory he so craved, you can tell that Smith again has his spirits back as he eyes a run in the lightweight division.
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