Info on Mysterious Billy Smith

The only weight boxrec gives for Ryan's wins over Smith was Ryan 140lbs and Smith 141.5lbs. I dont see Ryan's wins over Smith as a MW beating a WW.

Smith was clearly a very, very good fighter. I just think Ryan and BJW rank ahead of him, and clearly so.

 

Welterweight is a very difficult weight class to attain top 10 in, after 130 years of welterweight giants.

It is probably much harder than getting a top 5 heavyweight spot to be honest.

If you don't like Smith vs the later talents, then at least consider his place among the pre 1930s welterweights.

 

I also rate Ryan and indeed Walcott as ATG Welters, Smith not close. He did however get the better of Walcott in one of their most important fights.

 

I don't get the idea that people saw it that way at the time.

 

Of fighters with over half their fights being contested pre 1930, based solely on fights at or around WW:

1. Britton
2. Fields
3. TKL
4. Ryan
5. BJW
6. Walker
7. Mclarnin
8. Young Corbett III

I'm not confident after that. I suspect Smith would be in contention for 9th spot, together with Fearns and Glover.

 

#10 on my WW list. Beat a lot of world class fighters at WW, very rarely lost at WW.

 

I personally regard Walker as one of the greatest p4p fighters of all time.

However he won the welterweight title at the age of 21, and I would submit outgrew it somewhat.

This as an impressive accomplishment, but if you view him purely as a welterweight, he is perhaps not top ten based on that division alone.

Smith was the youngest welter champion, in a totally sick era, and he held the title twice.

Perhaps he is the Tommy Hearns figure of the era?

Ryan by the way, is very arguably still top ten, at both welter and middle.

 

You had him #13 in your 2016 article.

I have Fields, TKL, BJW, Ryan 10-13. I could rank those 4 in any and each of the possible permutations if I reviewed my same set of notes, enough different times.

 

The Oba Carr of his generation

 

I have Walker 10-12 P4P and 15 at WW (factoring in only fights at and around WW).

Smith wasnt in my top 20 at WW.

I rank Ryan #13 at WW and #9 at MW, again factoring in only fights contested in and around those respective divisions.