|
Harry Smith
(Harold Anthony Smith)
(the "Harlem Thunderbolt")
BORN |
October 28
1907; Kingston, Jamaica |
DIED |
September
19 1933; Chicago, Illinois |
HEIGHT |
6-1 |
WEIGHT |
155-175 3/4 lbs |
MANAGER
|
Dave Brown |
|
Smith was a
devastating hitter who could handle any man his size and most larger
men; His right hand was deadly; As a result of his skills, most of the
top men avoided fighting him; Those who did paid the price
Harry had an awesome amateur record and had lost only one professional
fight (by foul) up to 1931; He won the Colored
Middleweight Championship of the World in 1929 and may have won
the major one if given the chance
During his career, he defeated such men as William "Gorilla" Jones,
Jimmy Francis, Osk Till, Yale Okun, Babe McCorgary, Fred Lenhart, Frank
Rowsey, Billy Alger, Homer Robertson, Jack McVey, Pal Silvers and Sandy
Garrison Casanova |
Al Lippe once wrote that Harry Smith was
the most ferocious puncher he ever saw and thought he could
knock out any middleweight or light-heavyweight in the world. An
imposing figure with fearsome power in his right hand, Harry
Smith was the scourge of the middleweights for a brief time in
the early thirties. His difficulty in getting top-flight middles
to face him was summed up best by Ed Hughes of the Brooklyn
Eagle: "Harry Smith is the worst kind of opponent: a colored
boy who can sock."
Harry's list of victims included Title Claimant "Gorilla" Jones,
the venerable
Jack McVey, Osk Till, Yale Okun, Fred Lendhart and Joe
Anderson. But what may be more impressive than those whom Harry
actually defeated is the list of fighters who refused to face
the "Harlem Thunderbolt".
Maxie Rosenbloom, twice refused Smith as an opponent in 1930
and so too did
Mickey Walker whom reportedly turned down a guaranteed
$50,000 offer from Jess McMahon to fight Harry for the title at
Ebbets Field in the summer of 1930. Black fighters wanted little
to do with Smith as well. Light heavyweights Larry Johnson and
Billy Jones both turned down bouts with Smith in Pittsburgh
citing other obligations. But no prospective opponent was
clearer in his or her unwillingness to face Harry than
middleweight Tiger Thomas, a decent fighter and stable-mate of
George Godfrey's. When asked by the Pittsburgh Courier's
Rollo Wilson why he had turned down a proposed match with Harry,
Thomas stated, "cause I don't think my momma would want me dyin'
in Philadelphia."
Harry's reign of terror was brief. After moving to the West
Coast in 1931, his love of wine, women and cabaret's took their
toll. He was knocked out by journeyman Jimmy Hannah (who Smith
had beaten a few months earlier) and never regained his form. He
made an unsuccessful sojourn to Europe in 1932 and after several
defeats, returned to America a has-been.
On October 19th, 1933 Harry Smith died of a cerebral hemorrhage
in Chicago en route to California. He was to have been married
two days later.
© 1998 Kevin Smith
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***
Important Amateur Bouts : Record 60-0 (55 kayos) ***
1927
Mar 25 Tom Ferro New York, NY KO 2
-This was Smith's first amateur bout
Mar 26 Frank Baldi New York, NY KO 2
Apr 10 Ed Schwartz New York, NY KO 1
Jul 16 Art Moran New York, NY KO 3
Mar 29 Frankie Merno New York, NY KO 1
Jun 3 Kid Rumson New York, NY KO 1
Aug 23 Ed Priest New York, NY KO 1
Dec 21 Billy Burns New Haven, Ct KO 2
-Smith won the Canadian Amateur Middleweight Championship
-Smith won the Inter-City Middleweight Championship
1928
Metropolitan Amateur Championship Competition
Jan 27 Edward Fuchs New York, NY KO 1
Jan 28 Cliff Gardnerb New York, NY W 3
-Metropolitan Amateur Middleweight Championship;
Jack Dempsey refereed this bout
Feb 11 Stan Seymour New York, NY KO 1
*** Professional Bouts ***
1928
Mar -Smith turned Professional
Apr 7 Gene McCue New York, NY KO 5
Jun 23 Billy George New York, NY KO 1
Aug Henry Shaw New York, NY KO 2
Aug 8 Joe Hummell Mineola, NY KO 2
Aug 24 Jimmy Sullivan Rockaway, NY KO 3
Sep 8 Joe Salino Brooklyn, NY TK 3
Sep 22 Joe Pisano Brooklyn, NY KO 1
Oct 6 Jackie Miller Brooklyn, NY TK 1
Oct 20 Joe Harris Brooklyn, NY KO 3
Nov Willie Feldman Detroit, Mi KO 3
Nov 24 George Deschner New York, NY W 6
Dec 15 Joey Knapp New York, NY W 10
Dec 21 Eddie Phister New York, NY KO 1
-Some sources report "Eddie Pfeister"
1929
Feb 9 Gummy Snyder Brooklyn, NY W 6
Apr 6 Nick Palmer Brooklyn, NY LF 1
May 24 Gary Leach Boston, Ma KO 1
Jun 8 Billy Alger Brooklyn, NY W 6
-Some sources report "W 10"
Jun 17 Dick Evans Holyoke, Ma W 10
Jul 15 Homer Robertson Boston, Ma KO 7
-Some sources report "TK 8"
Aug 6 Henry Goldberg Long Island City, NY WF 5
Oct 5 Billy Montgomery New York, NY KO 1
-Some sources report "Billy Morangonthay"
Oct 19 Eddie Dempsey New York, NY KO 5
Nov 16 Jack McVey New York, NY W 15
-Colored Middleweight Championship of the World
Dec 11 Billy Kohut Bronx, NY KO 4
Dec 20 Billy Green Boston, Ma KO 2
1930
Jan 1 Frankie Kornelius Holyoke, Ma KO 3
-Some sources report "Frank Kearns"
Jan 7 Pal Silvers Brooklyn, NY TK 5
Jan 18 Jimmy Francis New York, NY KO 2
Jan 28 Johnny Krieger Brooklyn, NY W 10
Feb 3 Connie Josenio Jamaica, NY KO 5
Mar 1 Osk Till New York, NY KO 2
Apr 12 Billy Franklin New York, NY TK 5
Apr 18 Billy Shaw New York, NY KO 1
Apr 30 Billy George New York, NY KO 1
May 24 Charley Belanger New York, NY D 10
Jun 2 Billy Franklin Freeport, NY TK 2
-Some sources report "TK 3"
Jun 4 Mickey Fedor New York, NY W 6
Jun 18 Yale Okun Brooklyn, NY W 10
Jul 23 Babe McCorgary Brooklyn, NY KO 3
Aug 13 Joe Tinsley Poughkeepsie, NY KO 7
-Some sources report "KO 5" against "Joe Kingsley" on 8/12/30
Sep 4 William "Gorilla" Jones Long Island City, NY NC 9
Sep 11 Mickey Fedor Freeport, NY W 6
-Some sources report "KO 3" on 9/05/30
Sep 30 Eddie Bremer Brooklyn, NY KO 5
-Some sources report "Eddie Hulsebus"
Oct 5 Eddie Matranger New York, NY KO 1
Oct 23 William "Gorilla" Jones New York, NY W 10
Nov 21 Tait Littman New York, NY D 10
1931
Jan 19 Frank Boja Jamaica, NY TK 4
-Some sources report "KO 5"
Apr 10 Fred Lenhart New York, NY KO 1
Apr 17 Chief Wilbur New York, NY KO 7
May 5 Tony Ferrante Brooklyn, NY TK 2
Jul 28 Frank Rowsey Los Angeles, Ca W 6
Aug 11 Harry Goodland Los Angeles, Ca KO 2
Aug 28 Jimmy Hannah San Francisco, Ca W 10
-Some sources report "Los Angeles, Ca"
Sep 22 Joe Anderson Los Angeles, Ca TK 3
Oct 2 Jimmy Hannah San Francisco, Ca LK 10
Dec 8 Sandy Garrison Casanova Los Angeles, Ca W 10
1932
Jan 15 Vincent Forgione San Francisco, Ca NC 9
-Some sources report "NC 4"
Mar 24 Yale Okun New York, NY L 8
May 17 George Manley Los Angeles, Ca L 10
Jul 12 Yale Okun Los Angeles, Ca L 10
Nov 14 Pierre Gandon Paris, Fr L 10
Nov 30 Emile Lebrize Paris, Fr LF 7
Dec 7 Willie "Snowy" Unwin London, Eng KO 5
-Some souces report "KO 6"
*** The Following Bouts Are Reported But Not Confirmed ***
Undated
Dynamite Jackson SCH
-This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
1928-1929
Billy Kohut New York, NY KO 3
Eddie Matranger New York, NY KO 1
Eddie Bowie Philadelphia, Pa KO 2
Barney Shaw New York, NY KO 1
Jackie Lee New York, NY KO 1
Joe Harris Brooklyn, NY KO 2
Young Fisher Detroit, Mi KO 1
*** Assistance Provided by Bob Yalen ***