1. Edward "Gunboat" Smith was an Irish American boxer, film actor and later a boxing referee.
11 Facts About Gunboat Smith
1. 2.
Gunboat Smith spent much of his youth in orphanages, working on farms and on the railroads.
3.
Gunboat Smith joined the US Navy, where he began boxing and won the heavyweight championship of the Pacific Fleet.
4.
In 1910, Gunboat Smith became known in the Oakland and San Francisco areas by serving as a sparring partner for Jack Johnson and Stanley Ketchel before their heavyweight title fight there.
5.
Author Jack London knew Gunboat Smith and helped fund his training.
6.
Gunboat Smith fought many other ranked fighters, but before his death, Smith was asked to name the greatest fighter he ever met.
7.
Gunboat Smith lost the "title" to Georges Carpentier later that year in a bout with a purse of 9,000 pounds sterling.
8.
In 1920 and 1921, Gunboat Smith suffered a string of KO losses and retired after suffering a one-round knockout to the great heavyweight contender Harry Wills.
9.
Gunboat Smith finished with a record of 81 wins, 46 losses, and 13 draws, a total of 140 bouts.
10.
Gunboat Smith was lean and scrappy, an excellent boxer who moved well and hit sharply with both hands.
11.
Gunboat Smith refereed boxing matches, such as the Harry Greb vs Tiger Flowers middleweight championship bout in 1926 and the controversial Max Schmeling vs Jack Sharkey return heavyweight championship contest in 1932.