Boardwalk/Oakland Billy Smith was a black light-heavyweight who fought out of Oakland, California and Atlantic City, New Jersey during the 1940s and 1950s. One of two bouts between Smith and Charley Burley was filmed, the only known film of Burley in action. It appears that Smith's full name was Urias Billy Smith. According to the Find A Grave website, there was a Urias Billy Smith who was born on May 24, 1921 in Little Rock, Arkansas and died on December 21, 1997 in Norfolk, Nebraska. He was buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Omaha, Nebraska. - Chuck Johnston
A good fighter but he was no Mysterious Billy Smith: Oakland Billy had 89 fights and couldn’t manage to get himself DQ’d even once.
Chuck, don't you mean "Boardwalk Billy" Smith rather than "Broadway Billy?" I think he got the name when he was knocked down by Archie in their fourth fight in Portland, Oregon in 1951. Instead of taking the count, he climbed out of the ring and walked down the aisle back to his dressing room. He later claimed that he was out cold and didn't know what he was doing -- kind of like sleepwalking. After that, some clever reporter called him "Boardwalk Billy." His career wasn't done at that point. He even earned status as No. 1 contender for the light-heavy title near the end of his career when he KOed Harold Johnson in one round in Philly in October 1954. His high rating didn't last that long. He lost to Paul Andrews a couple months later. He drew once with Moore, lost a decision, and was kayoed twice by Archie. In addition to the Burley film, we also have one of his fights with Moore. He competed long and hard against a lot of the guys in Murderer's Row and defeated some of them like Jack Chase, Lloyd Marshall, and Bob Foxworth.
