James Smith (boxer)

James "Bonecrusher" Smith (born April 3, 1953) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1981 to 1999 and held the WBA heavyweight title from 1986 to 1987.

Early life

Smith was born in Magnolia, North Carolina. After graduating from high school, he attended James Sprunt Community College in Kenansville, North Carolina. He earned an associate's degree in business administration in 1973.<ref name=JBS-Bio /> Two years later, he got a bachelor's degree in business administration from Shaw University in Raleigh.<ref name=JBS-Bio>Biography of James Smith Template:Webarchive at his charity, ChampionForKids.org</ref>

Amateur career

After serving in the U.S. military and working as a prison guard, Smith competed as an amateur boxer, compiling a record of 35–4 before turning professional in November 1981.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Professional career

He lost his first fight against James "Broad-Axe" Broad, a world-class amateur and qualifier for the 1980 Olympics who was 2–0 as a pro. The fight was broadcast on ESPN. Smith was dropped in 4 rounds with body shots and counted out.

The following year Smith upset future cruiserweight world champion and southpaw Ricky Parkey, then 2–0 as a pro, by winning a 6-round points decision. After scoring two knockouts, Smith followed up the Parkey win with another upset: an 8-round points decision over Chris McDonald, who was 8–0–1 as a pro and had been a top amateur. He went on to score nine straight knockouts, before traveling to the UK in 1984, where he fought and knocked out Frank Bruno, who was 21–0 (21 KOs).

In November 1984, he fought Larry Holmes for the IBF heavyweight championship. Holmes had a record of 45–0 (32 KOs) and won eighteen straight world title fights. Smith was stopped on advice of the doctor in the 12th round, due to a severe cut, and was behind on points again. He had Holmes in trouble from rounds five to seven.

Smith came back in 1985, fighting on Don King undercards. He lost a 10-round decision to 19–0 amateur star and future world champ Tony Tubbs in an eliminator, won a 10-round decision over 18–1 Cuban contender José Ribalta, then dropped a wide 12-round decision to ex-world champ Tim Witherspoon in a bid for Witherspoon's NABF belt.

In 1986 he dropped Marvis Frazier, including breaking Frazier's jaw, but lost the 10-round decision. At this time, Bonecrusher began consulting a psychiatrist. In his next fight he beat ex-world champ Mike Weaver in one round. He followed it up with two 10-round decisions over Jesse Ferguson (14–2) and David Bey (15–2).

WBA Heavyweight Champion

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} In December 1986, while preparing for a fight with Mitch "Blood" Green, Don King informed him at short notice that Tony Tubbs had dropped out of his upcoming challenge to WBA champ Tim Witherspoon, and now Smith would be getting a rematch with Witherspoon. He dropped Witherspoon three times in the opening round, scoring a first-round knockout and winning the WBA title in an upset.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

With his victory over Witherspoon, Smith took his place in the heavyweight unification series, an ongoing competition being conducted by HBO and King to crown an undisputed world heavyweight champion for the first time since the retirement of Muhammad Ali. The victory garnered Smith another fight, where he was to defend his belt against newly crowned WBC champion Mike Tyson in a unification contest. Taking place on March 7, 1987, the bout saw Tyson beat Smith to the punch in nearly every round, while Smith resorted to holding to keep himself in the fight. The decision saw Smith lose eleven rounds on two scorecards and all twelve on another.

Final years

Smith returned to the ring for a few months, taking on Brazilian contender Adilson "Maguila" Rodrigues in São Paulo and losing by split decision.

In 1989, now aged 36, he took on the Jamaican-Canadian Razor Ruddock. Ruddock won by knockout in the 7th round and Smith announced his retirement afterwards, declaring he would pursue politics.

Smith was back in the ring only two months later, knocking out journeyman Calvin Jones, followed by three more knockouts before being matched with former victim Mike Weaver in a battle of hard hitting ex-champs. This time, Smith was resigned to having to win a dull 12-round points decision over Weaver, although he did score a knockdown in a brief moment of excitement. He also earned the WBA Americas belt and a world ranking.

After a year-long layoff he was back, now aged 38, and scored six knockouts. Achievements included a notable 8-round knockout of the cement-skulled journeyman Everett "Bigfoot" Martin (who had just taken George Foreman the distance) and a first-round knockout of Jeff Sims.

Smith lost his world ranking and all his momentum in November 1991 when he dropped a shocking 10-round decision to club fighter Levi Billups who had a patchy 15–5 record. Smith looked under-prepared as he was banged around and generally outhustled by Billups. Smith rallied to knock down the underdog in the 9th; however, it was too little too late.

Still active in 1992, now aged 39 and with a 33–9–1 record, Smith regained some credibility with a 10-round decision over Mark Wills. His old agitator Don King gave him another opportunity on one of his undercards and matched him with warhorse Greg Page, in a battle of two ex-champs. In the opening round, Bonecrusher tried to rush Page as he had done Witherspoon; however, Smith was decked for his efforts and outpunched by Page over the 10 round distance.

In 1993 Smith lost to undefeated southpaw and #1 contender Michael Moorer. The paying audience jeered the two passive fighters through to the 10 round finish, where Smith lost a lopsided decision.

Smith competed in the One-Night Heavyweight Tournament in Bay St Louis (not included in the official record, counted as show), where a group of heavies of varying quality would fight a series of 3 round fights with the winner being awarded one million dollars. He beat Lester Jackson and Marshall Tillman, before losing in the semi-final to Romanian prospect Daniel Dăncuţă. Smith's old buddy Tony Tubbs eventually won the tournament.

In 1994 Smith was matched with power punching Lionel Butler, who was highly ranked and on a red-hot string of knockouts. Smith collapsed in 3 rounds with little resistance.

Later that year he traveled to Europe to drop a points decision to German Axel Schulz, and in Denmark he was stopped in 5 rounds due to a cut from a headbutt by Brian Nielsen. Smith was overweight for both fights and his days as a contender dwindled.

He fought on and off for a few more years. In 1998, he traveled to Australia to battle Joe Bugner for the WBF heavyweight championship, but had to retire after one round when his shoulder dislocated. The same injury ended a fight in 1999 with former world champion Larry Holmes. After this loss, Smith retired at the age of 46, touting a record of 44–17–1 (32 KOs).

In 1995, Smith helped establish the North Carolina Boxing Commission and served as the first chairman.<ref name=JBS-Bio />

Life after boxing

Smith became an ordained minister in 1996<ref name=JBS-Bio /> and dedicated his life to helping young people stay clear of crime and drugs. Three years later, he retired from boxing.<ref name=JBS-Bio />

In 2004 Smith started the non-profit Champion For Kids Inc. to provide scholarships to high school students.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Smith began working as a recruiter and the Director of Intramural Athletics for Sandhills Community College in June 2005.

Deeply committed to helping impoverished fighters, Smith was a guest at the Ring 10 Veterans Boxing Foundation 2nd Annual Fundraiser in 2012, where he expressed his support of initiatives to better provide for those in need.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Smith is currently working with organizers to establish the Legends of Boxing Hall of Fame in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Professional boxing record

Template:Abbr	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
62	Template:No2Loss	Template:Nowrap	Larry Holmes	TKO	8 (10), Template:Small	Jun 18, 1999	Template:Small
61	Template:Yes2Win	44–16–1	Dave Slaughter	TKO	2 (8), Template:Small	Nov 27, 1998	Template:Small
60	Template:No2Loss	43–16–1	Joe Bugner	RTD	1 (12), Template:Small	Jul 4, 1998	Template:Small	Template:Small
59	Template:Yes2Win	43–15–1	Lynwood Jones	UD	8	Feb 25, 1998	Template:Small
58	Template:Yes2Win	42–15–1	Troy Roberts	TKO	3 (10), Template:Small	Apr 11, 1996	Template:Small
57	Template:Yes2Win	41–15–1	Eli Dixon	TKO	3 (8)	Aug 22, 1995	Template:Small
56	Template:Yes2Win	40–15–1	Bernd Friedrich	SD	10	Mar 25, 1995	Template:Small
55	Template:No2Loss	39–15–1	Brian Nielsen	TKO	5 (8)	Oct 7, 1994	Template:Small
54	Template:No2Loss	39–14–1	Axel Schulz	UD	10	Sep 17, 1994	Template:Small
53	Template:No2Loss	39–13–1	Lionel Butler	TKO	3 (10), Template:Small	Jan 18, 1994	Template:Small
52	Template:Yes2Win	39–12–1	Lester Jackson	UD	3	Dec 3, 1993	Template:Small
51	Template:Yes2Win	38–12–1	Marshall Tillman	UD	3	Dec 3, 1993	Template:Small
50	Template:No2Loss	37–12–1	Daniel Dăncuță	UD	3	Dec 3, 1993	Template:Small
49	Template:Yes2Win	37–11–1	Elijah Tillery	TKO	6 (10), Template:Small	Sep 14, 1993	Template:Small
48	Template:Yes2Win	36–11–1	Andrew Stokes	UD	10	Aug 7, 1993	Template:Small
47	Template:Yes2Win	35–11–1	Kevin Ford	TKO	9 (10)	Jun 26, 1993	Template:Small
46	Template:Yes2Win	34–11–1	Donnell Wingfield	TKO	2 (10), Template:Small	Jun 1, 1993	Template:Small
45	Template:No2Loss	33–11–1	Michael Moorer	UD	10	Feb 27, 1993	Template:Small
44	Template:No2Loss	33–10–1	Greg Page	UD	10	Jun 26, 1992	Template:Small
43	Template:Yes2Win	33–9–1	Danny Wofford	TKO	8	Apr 24, 1992	Template:Small
42	Template:Yes2Win	32–9–1	Mark Wills	UD	10	Feb 15, 1992	Template:Small
41	Template:Yes2Win	31–9–1	Andre Crowder	KO	1 (10), Template:Small	Dec 13, 1991	Template:Small
40	Template:No2Loss	30–9–1	Levi Billups	UD	10	Nov 4, 1991	Template:Small
39	Template:Yes2Win	30–8–1	Marshall Tillman	TKO	10 (10), Template:Small	Sep 24, 1991	Template:Small
38	Template:Yes2Win	29–8–1	Jeff Sims	KO	1 (10), Template:Small	Sep 17, 1991	Template:Small
37	Template:Yes2Win	28–8–1	Everett Martin	TKO	8 (10), Template:Small	Aug 6, 1991	Template:Small
36	Template:Yes2Win	27–8–1	Kimmuel Odum	TKO	3 (12), Template:Small	Jul 22, 1991	Template:Small	Template:Small
35	Template:Yes2Win	26–8–1	Terry Armstrong	KO	2	Jun 28, 1991	Template:Small
34	Template:Yes2Win	25–8–1	Lawrence Carter	TKO	1 (12), Template:Small	Apr 28, 1991	Template:Small
33	Template:Yes2Win	24–8–1	Mike Weaver	UD	12	Apr 4, 1990	Template:Small	Template:Small
32	Template:Yes2Win	23–8–1	Manoel de Almeida	Template:Abbr	6 (10), Template:Small	Feb 20, 1990	Template:Small
31	Template:Yes2Win	22–8–1	Mike Rouse	KO	7 (10), Template:Small	Dec 14, 1989	Template:Small
30	Template:Yes2Win	21–8–1	Jesse McGhee	TKO	2	Oct 21, 1989	Template:Small
29	Template:Yes2Win	20–8–1	Calvin Jones	TKO	8 (10)	Sep 29, 1989	Template:Small
28	Template:No2Loss	19–8–1	Donovan Ruddock	KO	7 (10), Template:Small	Jul 2, 1989	Template:Small
27	Template:DrawDraw	19–7–1	Mike Rouse	Template:Abbr	3 (10)	Jul 30, 1988	Template:Small	Template:Small
26	Template:No2Loss	19–7	Adílson Rodrigues	SD	10	Aug 9, 1987	Template:Small
25	Template:No2Loss	19–6	Mike Tyson	UD	12	Mar 7, 1987	Template:Small	Template:Small
24	Template:Yes2Win	19–5	Tim Witherspoon	TKO	1 (15), Template:Small	Dec 12, 1986	Template:Small	Template:Small
23	Template:Yes2Win	18–5	David Bey	UD	10	Aug 23, 1986	Template:Small
22	Template:Yes2Win	17–5	Jesse Ferguson	MD	10	Jun 7, 1986	Template:Small
21	Template:Yes2Win	16–5	Mike Weaver	TKO	1 (10), Template:Small	Apr 5, 1986	Template:Small
20	Template:No2Loss	15–5	Marvis Frazier	UD	10	Feb 23, 1986	Template:Small
19	Template:No2Loss	15–4	Tim Witherspoon	UD	12	Jun 15, 1985	Template:Small	Template:Small
18	Template:Yes2Win	15–3	José Ribalta	Template:Abbr	10	Apr 29, 1985	Template:Small
17	Template:No2Loss	14–3	Tony Tubbs	Template:Abbr	10	Mar 15, 1985	Template:Small
16	Template:No2Loss	14–2	Larry Holmes	TKO	12 (15), Template:Small	Nov 9, 1984	Template:Small	Template:Small
15	Template:Yes2Win	14–1	Frank Bruno	KO	10 (10)	May 13, 1984	Template:Small
14	Template:Yes2Win	13–1	Rahim Muhammad	TKO	5	Feb 19, 1984	Template:Small
13	Template:Yes2Win	12–1	Leroy Boone	TKO	4 (10)	Nov 4, 1983	Template:Small
12	Template:Yes2Win	11–1	Walter Santemore	TKO	4 (10)	Aug 23, 1983	Template:Small
11	Template:Yes2Win	10–1	Eugene Cato	KO	4 (10)	Jun 14, 1983	Template:Small
10	Template:Yes2Win	9–1	Lynwood Jones	TKO	2	May 10, 1983	Template:Small
9	Template:Yes2Win	8–1	Lee Cohen	KO	1	Apr 23, 1983	Template:Small
8	Template:Yes2Win	7–1	Nate Robinson	TKO	2 (8), Template:Small	Apr 2, 1983	Template:Small
7	Template:Yes2Win	6–1	Larry Givens	Template:Abbr	3	Dec 14, 1982	Template:Small
6	Template:Yes2Win	5–1	Lonnie Chapman	KO	2	Oct 16, 1982	Template:Small
5	Template:Yes2Win	4–1	Chris McDonald	Template:Abbr	8	Sep 11, 1982	Template:Small
4	Template:Yes2Win	3–1	Louis Alexander	KO	2, Template:Small	Jul 31, 1982	Template:Small
3	Template:Yes2Win	2–1	Mike Cohen	KO	2	Apr 22, 1982	Template:Small
2	Template:Yes2Win	1–1	Ricky Parkey	Template:Abbr	6	Jan 30, 1982	Template:Small
1	Template:No2Loss	0–1	James Broad	Template:Abbr	4 (6), Template:Small	Nov 5, 1981	Template:Small

External links

• Template:Boxrec
• Documentary Series from History of Boxing – "James Bonecrusher Smith: Triumph and Tragedy"