He clearly was a very good puncher .. had several good years and good wins .. had to be somewhat decent ..
He was one of the top boxers in the early teens, mixed it with the best and beat a s##t load of them. He was athletic, technically sound and could punch, seemed to have everything. Except for 1912, 1913 and early 1914 (when he won the White Heavyweight title off a broken Arthur Pelkey) his record is inconsistent, although back then fights were coming hard and fast, but he has a few bad losses, especially after a massive win. Probably one of the best not to get a title shot around then. I think he was scheduled to fight Jack Johnson for the world title at some stage, someone else might back that up. Jack Johnson did use him as a sparring partner and they had exhibitions while he was champion.
He fought in an old fashioned style. Very awkward and uncoordinated looking. All knees and elbows. He reminds me of a smaller Willard.
There's footage of him sparring Bob Armstrong online. https://player.bfi.org.uk/search?q=carpentier-and-gunboat-smith-1914
