Does anybody have any good info on "The Harlem Thunderbolt"? I really wonder how good he was. He ended his amateur career with a 60-0 record with 55 kayoes. That is impressive. He was 51(37)-1-2-1NC at one point before his wheels fell off. He beat guys like Jack Mcvey and Gorilla Jones, but guys like Maxie Rosenbloom and Mickey Walker refused to fight him. He was a long 6'1 Middleweight. He was a terror 3 years, but ended up only winning two of his last nine bouts in a short 4 year career. Apparently he was feared for his punching power. Has anybody seen film of this guy?
I guess nobody really knows about this guy. For three years, 1929-31, he was a very feared fighter, and other fighters considered it a victory just making it to the final bell. I've never seen anything on this guy and only found out about him by doing research on 1920's and 1930's fighters. I've seen a photo, and the guy looked huge for a Middleweight. This content is protected
yeah i read about him quite a bit, he might have been a true legend if given the chance and a sad ending in his life
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.
I read that. Damn, I'm forgetful. I find it hard to believe somebody who seemed so devastating could be washed up so fast.
Sister Sledge if you are still around, Harry Smith was my Uncle. I can tell you a few things. I just joined so I could find out more myself. Stephane Smith
HI, Harry Smith was my uncle. He was a fierce boxer. He had trouble once his manager died. He could not find another compassionate manager who would treat him with respect. Near the end of his brief life, he could not get anyone to fight him. His income dried up as a result. Unfortunately, he did not actually die of a cerebral hemorrhage. He died of a broken heart.
