Gunboat Smith

Gunboat Smith
Statistics
Real name	Edward Smith
Nickname(s)	Gunboat
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Reach	72 in (180 cm)
Nationality	United States
Born	February 17, 1887 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	August 6, 1974 (aged 87) Leesburg, Florida
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	140
Wins	81
Wins by KO	38
Losses	46
Draws	13

Edward "Gunboat" Smith (February 17, 1887 – August 6, 1974) was an Irish American boxer and later a boxing referee. Smith's career record reads like a veritable Who's Who of the early 20th century boxing scene, facing 12 different Hall of Famers a combined total of 23 times. Among the all-time greats he faced were the legendary Jack Dempsey, Harry Greb, Sam Langford, and Georges Carpentier.

Boxing career

Smith (right) during his first encounter with Arthur Pelkey

Smith was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He spent much of his youth in orphanages, working on farms and on the railroads. He joined the U.S. Navy, where he began boxing and won the heavyweight championship of the Pacific Fleet.

In 1910, Smith became known in the Oakland and San Francisco areas by serving as a sparring partner for Jack Johnson and Stanley Ketchel before their heavyweight title fight there.

From 1912–1915, Smith established himself as a leading candidate for the heavyweight title, beating, among others, British and British Empire champion Bombadier Billy Wells and future world champion Jess Willard, and beating and losing to Sam Langford in two fights (this is especially notable since many white fighters refused to fight black opponents). He fought many other ranked fighters, but before his death, Smith was asked to name the greatest fighter he ever met. His response: Langford, in his words, “The best of all of them.”^[1]

In 1914, Smith won the "White Hope" heavyweight championship. This title, created by boxing promoters due to the unpopularity of the black heavyweight champion Jack Johnson, was never widely recognized. He lost the "title" to Georges Carpentier later that year in a bout with a purse of 9,000 pounds sterling.^[2]

After 1916, Smith's career suffered a decline; in 1917, he suffered a loss by decision to future champion Jack Dempsey in a hotly contested four-round fight. A year later, he was knocked to the canvas 9 times by Dempsey, suffering a one-sided second-round knock out.

In 1920 and 1921, Smith suffered a string of KO losses and retired after suffering a one-round knockout to the great heavyweight contender Harry Wills. He finished with a record of 81 wins, 46 losses, and 13 draws, a total of 140 bouts. “Not a great record on paper,” Dave Allen remarked, “but one that becomes much more impressive when you take into consideration that he fought the very best of his era.”^[1]

Smith was lean and scrappy, an excellent boxer who moved well and hit sharply with both hands. Among the men he defeated were Willard, Langford, Wells, Battling Levinsky, Carl Morris, Frank Moran, and Fireman Jim Flynn.

Professional boxing record

After boxing

After his retirement, Smith went on to have a variety of jobs: runner on Wall Street, private policeman at Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium, and an actor in several small roles in silent films, including The Great Gatsby and Wings, the first Academy Award-winner for Best Picture.^[4] He also refereed boxing matches, such as the Harry Greb vs. Tiger Flowers middleweight championship bout in 1926 and the controversial Max Schmeling vs. Jack Sharkey return heavyweight championship contest in 1932.

He died in 1974 in Florida.

Partial filmography

• Manhattan (1924)
• The Shock Punch (1925)
• Lovers in Quarantine (1925)
• Let's Get Married (1926)
• Say It Again (1926)
• The Great Gatsby (1926)
• Wings (1927)
• Midnight Rose (1928)

References

1. Allen, Dave, “Gunboat Smith,” Ring News, April 20, 2011 http://www.ringnews24.com/index.php/boxing-news/boxing-history/18408-gunboat-smith.html#axzz1kcXrZ1ee
2. Heller, Peter (1994). In This Corner...!. New York, New York: Da Capo Press. p. 31. ISBN 0-306-80603-7.
3. Gunboat Smith's Professional Boxing Record. BoxRec.com. Retrieved on 2014-05-03.
4. Heller, Peter (1994). In This Corner...!. New York, New York: Da Capo Press. p. 32. ISBN 0-306-80603-7.

External links

• Professional boxing record for Gunboat Smith from BoxRec
• Gunboat Smith at the Internet Movie Database