Info on Mysterious Billy Smith

There were those who spoke up for Smith long after his retirement, indeed decades after in some cases.

We can go up to the 30s.

It is not so much what I have heard about Smith, as the shark tank that he was sitting on top of.

We have both identified Tommy West as a forgotten talent for example.

Indeed there is a Welsh boxing site, that lists great Welsh boxers, and I have pleaded for his inclusion, to no avail.

Not wanting to get distracted.

The short answer to this, is that Smith's career is unresearched.

We need to know much more about the circumstances of his fights, and his opponents, and the context of those fights.

It might just lead to an Adam Pollack moment!

 

I dont ever recall seeing Ryan top 25 in an all time p4p list, apart from my mine.

Yet Charley Burley (my #28 p4p and a fighter I like greatly), who ranks similar to Ryan at MW and clearly behind him at WW, based on fights contested in those divisions, is almost always ranked ahead of him on p4p lists.

 

I don't see how Burley could plausibly be above Ryan.

Just my take.

 

I'm not confident enough in my rankings to be so bold as to use the word plausible in this instance, and I only have them separated by 5 spots on my p4p list, but I agree with you Ryan ranks higher.

Based on fights contested at WW, Ryan is clearly higher, imo.

I have Ryan #9 and Burley #10 at MW, based solely on fights contested there. I've no problem with Burley being ranked higher, but even so, they are closer at MW than they are in Ryan's favour at WW.

I love Burleys win over Jay Turner, which obviously doesnt contribute to my rankings of him at either WW or MW, but it's not enough to close the gap, imo, when comparing the respective greatness of their entire careers.

 

It has previously struck me how highly regarded Burley was by his peers, too.

The intention of my comparison with Ryan wasnt to denigrate Burley, but rather to support the logic of my ranking Ryan higher p4p than I've ever seen on any other list.

I've seen Burley in and around the top 25 on multiple p4p lists. I broadly agree with that, having him at #28 myself.

I've never seen Ryan ranked top 25 pfp. Not on a single list except my own. Yet I've seen him ranked comfortably above Burley on multiple WW lists and on the whole he ranks similar to Burley on MW lists. They were both WWs, or LMWs at most, in their prime.

 

His thirteen DQ losses still hold the all-time record, aye?

 

I think Petty Officer Nutty Curran had 13 also.

 

@apollack pretty please? I know Christmas has past and you’ve been dead for over a year now… @Stonehands89 do you have anything on the back burner?

 

That might be true but I only count 12 on boxrec (which I know isn’t always complete, especially going back that far).

Plus the guy was just nutty. Nothing mysterious about him.

 

For what it's worth, Nat Fleischer - in 1954 - rated Smith the second greatest welterweight of all time, behind Walcott and ahead of Britton, Lewis and Walker, with Sugar Ray Robinson limping across the line in 6th place.

 

Ryan beat Smith x 3 and never lost to him.

Ryan never lost at WW, Smith lost around 20 times.

Nat ranks Smith #2 and Ryan not in the top 6? I cant respect his list.

 

He called Ryan the second greatest middleweight of all time. There were fighters who made Fleischer's ratings in two divisions, but Ryan wasn't one of them.