How good was Gunboat Smith?

He was good. A dangerous puncher. If he hadnt been robbed against Carpentier he may have gotten a title shot against Jack Johnson and that would have been an interesting fight.

 

Yes, he sparred with Johnson and Stanley Ketchel prior to their 1909 championship. He made his name by knocking Johnson down during a sparring session.

 

How good was Gunboat Smith ? Damn good ! As a lightheavyweight really, the Gunboat
beat Jess Willard [20 rds.],Sam langford, Battling Levinsky, Carl Morris, Frank Moran,Arthur Pelkey, Bomb.Billy Wells,etc. Smith was born in 1887, and started his decline
in his thirties..A great right hand puncher, he was somewhat along the lines of a Bob Foster,but more successful than Foster among the heavyweights...

 

Was Ed 'Gunboat' Smith favored to beat Jack Dempsey.

 

Couldn't say D. But I recall an article Nat Fleischer wrote ages ago .He and a couple of boxing writers traveled to Buffalo in 1918, to see a new young sensation ,Jack Dempsey fight the hard punching Gunboat Smith.They
wanted to see what happens when the great right handed punch landed on
Dempsey's chin. Well in the first round Gunboat Smith,exploded a right cross on Dempsey's jaw, and lo and behold, Dempsey blinked,shook it off, and proceeded to ko Gunboat Smith in the second round.Fleischer and his group knew , they saw a coming champ..Dempsey at that time was moulded out of granite, it was described..A tough and rough guy, before Hollywood beckoned...

 

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Smith was a stiff puncher ,no doubt ,but the decision he took over Langford was rather controversial . Langford murdered him in 3 rds, 11 months later .flooring him twice, before koing him.
I don't think Smith was in any hurry to meet Johnson. Smith did beat both Willard and Moran,but neither had posted any significant wins at the time , their best work was still to come. And, Willard was really a novice then.
This was all in 1913,after this Smith fell apart, he was beaten by LHVY's Levinsky,Dillon,Carpentier, and journeymen like Porky Flynn,Charley Weinert,Colin Bell, Morris and Jim Coffey who kod him.All in a 2 year period, his star did not shine for more than 11 months, and at its brightest, it would not have dazzled Johnson , who would have been a top heavy favourite to beat any of those that took Smith's scalp.

 

First time I hear that someone can win or lose an exhibition. Fascinating.

Like said Smith was pretty good, I think in 1913 he was as good as McVey and Jeanette.

 

Its news to me too ,did Greg Page beat Tyson when he floored him?

I don't, neither of them were destroyed by Langford in 3rds after being floored twice .
McVey and Jeannette beat Langford on occasion ,and drew with him multiple times . The decision Smith received over Langford was met with surprise by the crowd.Langford emphatically restored the staus quo 11 months later.
Smith had one good year, end of.

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F50B11F7395C13738DDDAD0994DC405B858DF1D3

The above is an account of the Smith Weinert fight, in which Smith was decisively out boxed and beaten.

 

The so-called "exhibition" was a sparring "exhibition". Its a common misreading of the vernacular of the times. Like when newspapers of the era commonly refer to a sparring partner as a "trainer". It was NOT an organized exhibition, it was a sparring bout for training/preparation for Ketchel.

 

Yep, and I think he was as good as those two I mentioned in that one. But well, it was just one year compared to their numerous.

 

I think everyone knows that ,but it appears someone wishes to present it as allmost a real bout, for what reason, only they know. :good

 

Some here are selling Weinert a little short. He had a spotty record but for years and years Weinert was considered one of the best pure boxers in the sport. He was a young phenom who had all of the ability in the world. His problem was that he lacked focus, didnt like to train, and enjoyed partying too much. When he was dedicated he was a tough nut for anyone to crack as several very good or even great fighters found out when they met him. To be outboxed by Weinert, particularly a young, in shape, and focused Weinert, was not a black mark on anyones career and certainly wouldnt have been surprise to any observers from that era.