BoxRec

hes a horribly underated black middleweight who some historians rate very highly.

I've never heard of him, but looking him up he has a pretty solid record and beat a couple decent guys. What do you know about him?


~A.W.F~

heres a fantasic summary of harry smith from our very own rowan smith

"Smith is one of the great unknowns. A truly tremendous puncher who fought as a stand up bxer puncher. He had a good jab that he used to set up his right hand. Knocked out a very high percentage of fighters. Defeated Jack McVey in 1929 to win general recognition as the Colored Middleweight Champion and then beat Gorilla Jones to solidify that claim. Beat Yale Okum, Osk Till, Babe McCorgary, Frank Rowsey and a cast of others. His resume is fairly incomplete in terms of top names, but that is because he found it very difficult to get fights. Maxie Rosenbloom, who fought everyone, black and white, refused several offers to meet him, as did Larry Johnson, Billy Jones and Tiger Thomas. Mickey Walker, middleweight champion at the time, avoided Smith like the plague--as did most of Mickey's other top contenders.

Smith's decline was rapid. He was universally copped to win the middleweight elimination tournament of 1931 when it was announced, but for some strange reason, he never took part in the proceedings. he instead fought a number of bouts out on the West Coast. There he met with the same success as he had in the East until running in Lightheavy Jimmy hannah from Idaho. Smith and Hannah first met in Los Angeles in August of 1931, where Harry won a ten round decision over his rival. they met again a few months later at San Francisco when Harry was again giving Hannah a stiff lesson. However, when the two men met at the middle of the ring to shake hands before the beginning of the last round, Hannah sucker punched Harry with a wicked right hand to the chin. Smith, who had never been knocked down, hit the canvas with a thud, his eyes glazed and his legs gone. he somehow rose, but Smith was in no condition to continue and the bout was stopped by referee Willie Ritchie. It was a blatant foul, in CA there was an actual rule that stated for the shaking of hands before the fight began and before the beginning of the last round, however, Hannah was awarded the victory on a TKO.

This was the end of Harry Smith. He fought on, even traveling to Europe for a spell, but never again reached the heights of 1931. He died of a Cereberal Hemmorage(sp?) in Chicago while on his way to California(where he was to be Married) in 1933.

I spoke with Harry's brother, Earl I think, a number of years ago and he told me that Harry was a soft spoken, family type guy who didn't really like to fight. He said that as a young man, Harry often got pushed around. But when he became a fighter, he was the biggest thing in Harlem. Earl told me that harry was always get free things, haircuts, shoes, suits etc, offered to him but his mother would not allow him to take the freebie. I remember asking Earl about his brother's quick demise and he told me it was bad management. A good manager Earl insisted, would have gotten harry the right fights, the championship fights. He said the Hannah fight had "hurt Harry in the head" and that he was never right afterwards. Earl said that when Harry went to Germany in 1932, he was already a dying man, slurring his words and always dizzy. Truly sad.

Mike Silver once told me that he met Billy Kohut, a new york middleweight who was knocked out by Smith in 1929. At the time Mike had never heard of Harry Smith, but when he asked Kohut who he thought was the best middleweight he had ever seen, Billy replied Harry Smith.

I am not big on all time rankings, but I certainly believe that Harry Smith could have held his own with any middleweight ever. I also happen to think that in 1930-31, he could have beaten Mickey Walker. I think Mickey and his management may have felt the same."

anyone know why harry smith never took on dave shade or vince dundee?


who do u think would win between tiger flowers-harry smith?