Well, he knocked Monzon down and hurt him, how many fighters can say that from themself? He stopped Bennie Briscoe who had a proven iron chon, one of the best ever at mw. Who else can say that? He certainly has an argument for that.
Dick Tiger. Not that he was the hardest hitting, but one of the harder hitters. Jackson, Ketchel, Fitz, Hearns
My vote goes to Benn, who I thought of immediately. Second thoughts go to McClellan, Jackson. Hearns hit hard at middle, but not on the level of the aforementioned...
Harry Smith (Harold Anthony Smith) (the "Harlem Thunderbolt") BORN October 28 1907; Kingston, Jamaica DIED September 19 1933; Chicago, Illinois HEIGHT 6-1 WEIGHT 155-175 3/4 lbs MANAGER Dave Brown Smith was a devastating hitter who could handle any man his size and most larger men; His right hand was deadly; As a result of his skills, most of the top men avoided fighting him; Those who did paid the price Harry had an awesome amateur record and had lost only one professional fight (by foul) up to 1931; He won the Colored Middleweight Championship of the World in 1929 and may have won the major one if given the chance During his career, he defeated such men as William "Gorilla" Jones, Jimmy Francis, Osk Till, Yale Okun, Babe McCorgary, Fred Lenhart, Frank Rowsey, Billy Alger, Homer Robertson, Jack McVey, Pal Silvers and Sandy Garrison Casanova Al Lippe once wrote that Harry Smith was the most ferocious puncher he ever saw and thought he could knock out any middleweight or light-heavyweight in the world. An imposing figure with fearsome power in his right hand, Harry Smith was the scourge of the middleweights for a brief time in the early thirties. His difficulty in getting top-flight middles to face him was summed up best by Ed Hughes of the Brooklyn Eagle: "Harry Smith is the worst kind of opponent: a colored boy who can sock." Harry's list of victims included Title Claimant "Gorilla" Jones, the venerable Jack McVey, Osk Till, Yale Okun, Fred Lendhart and Joe Anderson. But what may be more impressive than those whom Harry actually defeated is the list of fighters who refused to face the "Harlem Thunderbolt". Maxie Rosenbloom, twice refused Smith as an opponent in 1930 and so too did Mickey Walker whom reportedly turned down a guaranteed $50,000 offer from Jess McMahon to fight Harry for the title at Ebbets Field in the summer of 1930. Black fighters wanted little to do with Smith as well. Light heavyweights Larry Johnson and Billy Jones both turned down bouts with Smith in Pittsburgh citing other obligations. But no prospective opponent was clearer in his or her unwillingness to face Harry than middleweight Tiger Thomas, a decent fighter and stable-mate of George Godfrey's. When asked by the Pittsburgh Courier's Rollo Wilson why he had turned down a proposed match with Harry, Thomas stated, "cause I don't think my momma would want me dyin' in Philadelphia." Harry's reign of terror was brief. After moving to the West Coast in 1931, his love of wine, women and cabaret's took their toll. He was knocked out by journeyman Jimmy Hannah (who Smith had beaten a few months earlier) and never regained his form. He made an unsuccessful sojourn to Europe in 1932 and after several defeats, returned to America a has-been. On October 19th, 1933 Harry Smith died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Chicago en route to California. He was to have been married two days later. http://cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/smith-h.htm
Damn...Harry Smith got around...Kicking everybody's ass and writing for the San Fran Chronicle too!...(kidding) Seriously, thx for bringing him and the info up it's always good to learn about someone on here. Great info.
All of these guys were powerful would you guys add Micky Walker to the list? And what about Robinson? I agree with all the other names that have been mentioned