How Good was Gunboat Smith?

I am interested in this comparison.

The guys Smith fought had to be good. Yet some film of this era requires a lot of allowances made to excuse what passed for “good” back then.

I tend to think if it looked bad, it doesn’t necessarily mean the fighters were bad. Just aesthetically not what we look for today for what passes for good. What they did back then worked for those days. it’s how the best guys had to fight to “get on” in those days. For all we know the sequences and coordinated rythems we are used to now might have been less effective back then.

 

I dont know. Its an interesting question because you have contemporaries (or even earlier fighters) of Smith who look very modern. That being said I dont mean to dismiss Smith based solely on how he looked because he had some impressive performances on his resume. My gut tells me he was probably limited stylistically but tough and hard hitting. That combination can make up for a lot of deficiencies. Weve seen numerous fighters throughout history who werent all that aesthetically pleasing but were successful based on toughness, power, and/or determination. I think Smith was probably never that great, never championship material but he was the type of guy that could surprise you at his best and if you slacked off or took him lightly you were probably in for a tough night.

 

Thanks. That’s a good reply.

I remember watching that old Treat Williams film on Dempsey and they had Gunboat giving Jack a real beating before a “saving the day” come from behind KO. I have never found any documented reports to support this though. Seems like it was Hollywood BS.

 

My understanding is that Gunboat landed a good punch on Dempsey that buzzed him pretty good but Dempsey recovered and resumed control. This is supported by the newspapers which state that the lone round Smith won was the second when he landed a hail mary right hand that exploded on Dempseys jaw and almost dropped him. Dempsey took that round to recover and regained control in the third. Dempsey himself said he didnt know where he was for bit. I think this instance has been blown out proportion to make the fight seem like a life and death battle when it was more like the second round of Carpentier wher Dempsey was Buckled but quickly regained control.

 

Or perhaps Dempsey just had a good poker face.

After I ran the Ultra Trail du Mount Blanc, I woke up in the medical tent, on the wrong end of a saline drip.

I assumed that I had failed to finish the event, and was already composing the excuses in my head.

Then the race director walked in, and presented me with my finishers vest.

I was like "what, I actually finished?".

That was my Jack Dempsey moment!

 

One report said Dempsey was dropped if I recall correctly but as Klompton said the rest ran with a good shot that buzzed Jack in a fight he dominated.

 

That’s great! Well done.

 

This makes sense. Thanks for the info. I’m glad there was a trace of truth to the story rather than the usual Hollywood treatment.

 

Neither man weighed in so actual weights are guess work. Langfords age is a matter of congecture too.
I've had this discussion with Clay Moyle and as I remember he used the phrase "likely"concerning Sam's DOB.

 

Welcome back old chum!

 

He was a tough fighter and hit hard. He looks crude on film against Carpentier

 

Welcome back form your second unplanned vacation from the board.

You mentioned Kaufman perceived as the best of the white hope? Hardly! Who said this? In high sight, he was far from the best white hope, probably a reason Johnson selected him.

Regarding Langford's age and weight when he meet Johnson, 20 years and 156 pounds is the best estimate. Sam could have been less than 156 pounds, wasn't he at a lower weight in fight before this? I think so.

 

This is film I'd like to see. Is it on the web?

 

Got banned for," bypassing the word button."I haven't got a clue what that is so Ill be getting banned again soon.I messaged a Mod but haven't had a reply yet!

 

I bet a few more of us could fall through that trap door. I don’t have a clue what a word button is either?