Solly Smith boxer

Solly Smith boxer
bouts
65
won
28
lost
14
draw
19
Status
inactive
Division
featherweight
Debut
1888-07-01
Height
5′ 4″/163cm
Reach
-
Age
62
Born
1871-03-00
Death
1933-08-28
Nationality
USA

Solomon Garcia Smith (March 6, 1871 – August 28, 1933) was an American professional boxer in the featherweight division. He was a World Featherweight champion and is the first world champion of Hispanic descent.Smith was born in Los Angeles, the son of a Mexican mother and an Irish father. He was an outstanding long-distance track runner in his youth, which may have later aided his ability to endure long boxing bouts.Solomon Garcia Smith made his professional debut in 1888 at the age of 17. In his 21st bout on September 25, 1893, he challenged future hall of famer George Dixon for the World Featherweight Championship but was defeated by seventh-round tko. The fight drew the largest paying crowd recorded at Brooklyn's Coney Island Athletic Club. After the bout, Smith was arrested for participating in a fight with Johnny Griffin in Roby, Indiana, two months earlier. Wyatt Earp had been the timekeeper.He improved his skills in subsequent bouts and established himself as one of the top fighters in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions, fighting to draws against future hall of fame member Young Griffo and future two-division champion Frank Erne, along with scoring quality wins over opponents such as former champion Torpedo Billy Murphy and avenging a disqualification loss to Oscar Gardner.The crowning moment of Smith's career came on October 4, 1897, when he defeated George Dixon in a rematch bout to capture the World Featherweight title, thus ending the Canadian champion's six-year reign. The San Francisco Call wrote of Smith's performance: "Instead of swinging wild and recklessly, as he was wont to do in his early fighting days, he gauged his distance and timed his blows like a polished veteran. His quick ducking under the left arm of his opponent to avoid a jaw warmer was a revelation to his admirers, who repeatedly cheered him when he escaped the hot shots aimed at the jaw point by Professor Dixon"Smith was seen as a promising champion, having avenged losses to two of the three men who held victories over him up to that point, Dixon and Gardner, with the third being reigning lightweight champion and future hall of fame member Kid Lavigne who had outpointed Smith in an eight round contest. However, after twice retaining his title, he relinquished it due to a mishap against Dave Sullivan. Smith had the misfortune to break his left arm near the wrist in the second round of their bout, ending his chances to give a good showing. Unable to use his left at all in the fourth and fifth rounds, he was deemed unable to continue.

Date Opponent Last Opponents' Results Place Result
1904-08-26 Billy Snailham DWWWWW San Diego A.C., San Diego LOST
KO
1902-11-11 Billy DeCoursey WWDDDL Hazard's Pavilion, Los Angeles LOST
KO
1901-09-05 Kid McFadden WWLWLW Oak Park, Sacramento LOST
1901-06-18 Joe Bernstein WLLLLD Hazard's Pavilion, Los Angeles DRAW
Points
1901-05-10 Joe Bernstein LWLLLL Hazard's Pavilion, Los Angeles DRAW
Points
1900-06-22 Joe Bernstein WDLLWL Broadway A.C., New York LOST
1900-05-28 Billy Maynard LDWWWW Sampson A.C., Brooklyn WIN
KO
1900-03-17 Turkey Point Billy Smith DLWDLL Tattersall's, Chicago DRAW
Points
1900-03-03 Billy Barrett LWDLDW Greenwood A.C., Brooklyn LOST
Points
1900-01-15 Frank Patterson WDWDDD Hercules A.C., Brooklyn DRAW
Points
1899-10-02 Jack McClelland WDWWDW Pittsburgh LOST
1899-08-18 Joe Bernstein DWWDLL Broadway A.C., Brooklyn LOST
KO
1899-07-10 Frank Patterson LWDWDD Coney Island A.C., Brooklyn DRAW
Points
1899-05-20 Frank Patterson DDLWDW Greenwood A.C., Brooklyn DRAW
Points
1899-02-07 Oscar Gardner DDLWWD Lenox A.C., New York LOST
KO
1898-09-26 Dave Sullivan WWWLWW Greater New York A.C., Brooklyn LOST
Technical knockout
1898-08-01 Tommy White DWWWWD Greater New York A.C., Brooklyn DRAW
Points
1898-07-07 Billy O'Donnell LDLDDD Olympic A.C., Buffalo WIN
1898-04-18 Eddie Santry WDWDWD Tattersall's, Chicago DRAW
Points
1897-10-04 George Dixon WDWWDD Woodward's Pavilion, San Francisco WIN
Points
1897-08-20 Johnny Griffin LDLLLL Woodward's Pavilion, San Francisco WIN
KO
1897-05-04 Martin Flaherty DDDDWL Broadway A.C., Brooklyn WIN
Points
1897-03-13 Oscar Gardner LWWDLD Broadway A.C., Brooklyn WIN
Points
1897-01-12 Tommy White WWDWWD Bohemian Sporting Club, New York DRAW
Points
1896-11-09 Willie Smith WWWWW National Sporting Club, Covent Garden WIN
Technical knockout
1896-06-30 Johnny Lavack DDWWDL Red Cross Rink, Cleveland DRAW
Points
1896-06-22 Frank Patterson WDDDWW Eastern A.C., Brooklyn WIN
Points
1896-06-01 Dolly Lyons LDWDWD South Brooklyn A.C., Brooklyn DRAW
Points
1896-03-21 Jerry Barnett WDWDLW Grand Central Palace, New York WIN
Technical knockout
1896-02-22 Johnny Lavack DWDDWW West Newton Street Armory, Boston DRAW
Points
1895-12-23 Torpedo Billy Murphy DWDWWW Olympic Club, New Orleans WIN
Technical knockout
1895-05-15 George Siddons DDDLWD Manhattan A.C., New York WIN
Unanimous decision
1895-04-11 Jack Mullen debut Leland Opera House, Albany WIN
Points
1895-03-22 Jerome Quigley WWWDDD Philadelphia NC
1895-03-16 Billy McCarthy DLDW Philadelphia NC
1895-03-04 Tom Denny WD Seaside A.C., Coney Island DRAW
Points
1894-11-27 Oscar Gardner WDWWWW Buffalo A.C., Buffalo LOST
1894-10-26 Johnny Van Heest WDDLWW Buffalo A.C., Buffalo DRAW
Points
1894-10-02 Frank Erne DWWWDW Buffalo A.C., Buffalo DRAW
Points
1894-03-07 George (Kid) Lavigne WDWWWD Arbeiter Hall, Saginaw LOST
Points
1894-01-03 Young Griffo WWWDDW Tivoli Theater, Chicago DRAW
Points
1893-12-01 Dan Ryan debut Tivoli Theater, Chicago WIN
1893-11-13 Jimmy Murphy DDL Tattersall's, Chicago WIN
KO
1893-09-25 George Dixon DWWDWL Coney Island A.C., Brooklyn LOST
Technical knockout
1893-07-10 Johnny Griffin WLDWWW Columbian Athletic Club, Roby WIN
KO
1893-06-10 Oscar Gardner WWDWWW Minneapolis LOST
KO
1893-05-08 Oscar Gardner WWWWDW Phoenix A.C., Saint Paul LOST
Points
1893-04-15 Frankie McHugh DLD 2nd Regiment Armory, Chicago WIN
1893-01-01 Harry Dally LWLDD NC
1892-12-29 Johnny Van Heest WWWWWD California A.C., San Francisco WIN
KO
1892-09-29 George Siddons DWWLDD California A.C., San Francisco DRAW
Points
1892-07-08 Dan Daly DLW Pacific A.C., San Francisco WIN
KO
1892-05-24 Dal Hawkins LWWWWW California A.C., San Francisco WIN
KO
1892-02-25 Tommy Smith debut New Cribb A.C., Los Angeles WIN
KO
1891-12-03 Danny Mahoney WLDL Pastime A.C., Los Angeles WIN
KO
1891-08-27 Young Billy Manning L Pastime A.C., Los Angeles WIN
KO
1890-09-03 Dave Williams debut Pasadena DRAW
Points
1889-12-05 Young Abbott debut Los Angeles WIN
Points
1889-12-01 Billy Jones debut Los Angeles WIN
Technical knockout
1889-11-01 Pete Cummings debut Los Angeles WIN
Technical knockout
1889-10-01 Young Billy Moore L Los Angeles WIN
Technical knockout
1889-09-01 Young Billy Moore debut Los Angeles WIN
Points
1889-06-01 Jack Golden debut Los Angeles WIN
KO
1888-12-12 Joe 'Kid' Hogan debut Sacramento NC
No Contest
1888-08-01 Joe Soto LWW Los Angeles DRAW
Points
1888-07-01 Billy Smith L Los Angeles WIN
Technical knockout