Dave Smith was a typical journeyman. Three times Australian champion, a great fighter, tough, rugged and determined. During his career he beat some of the great names of the era - Jimmy Clabby, Billy Papke, Cyclone Johnny Thompson, Jerry Jerome and Fritz Holland (vanquisher of Les Darcy).More notes on Dave will follow, but here is an introduction.
Fights at Sydney Stadium
Dave Smith ko 17 Pat O'Keefe 19 Jan 1910
Dave Smith pts 20 Arthur Cripps 12 Oct 1910
Dave Smith wf 10 Billy Papke 26 Dec 1910
Dave Smith pts 20 Jimmy Clabby 17 Jan 1911
Dave Smith pts 20 Cyclone Johnny Thompson 05 Feb 1911
Billy Papke ko 7 Dave Smith 11 Mar 1911
Dave Smith pts 20 Bandsman Rice 11 Nov 1911
Dave Smith drew 20 Jimmy Clabby 09 Dec 1911
Dave Smith wf 14 Jack Lester 01 Jan 1912
Dave Smith pts 20 Cyclone Johnny Thompson 26 Jan 1912
Dave Smith drew 20 Jimmy Clabby 24 Feb 1912
Dave Smith ko 3 Ercole De Belzac 01 Jan 1913
Dave Smith ko 10 Reg Midwood 01 Feb 1913
Dave Smith ko 18 Jerry Jerome 19 Apr 1913
Dave Smith ko 16 Les O'Donnell 16 Jul 1913
Dave Smith pts 20 Pat Bradley 25 Oct 1913
Eddie McGoorty ko 1 Dave Smith 01 Jan 1914
Dave Smith pts 20 Jules Dubourg 22 Feb 1914
Eddie McGoorty ko 10 Dave Smith 11 Apr 1914
Jimmy Clabby ko 1 Dave Smith 01 Aug 1914
Dave Smith pts 20 Fritz Holland 30 Jan 1915
Dave Smith pts 20 Ben Doyle 13 Feb 1915
Dave Smith ko 14 Colin Bell 10 Jun 1916
Les Darcy ko 12 Dave Smith 24 Jun 1916
Buck Crouse ko 9 Dave Smith 15 Jul 1916
Dave Smith ko 4 Buck Crouse 05 Aug 1916
Art Maygirl ko 12 Dave Smith 02 Sep 1916
Dave Smith pts 20 Joe Chip 14 Oct 1916
Dave Smith ko 10 Bill Squires 26 Dec 1916
Dave Smith pts 20 Albert Lloyd 14 Apr 1917
Jimmy Clabby ko 10 Dave Smith 26 May 1917
Career Record
Ranji Burns ko 9 1909 Sydney Australia
Starlight pts 8 1909 Sydney Australia
George Reidy pts 20 1909 venue ? Australia
Pat O'Keefe pts 20 1909 venue ? Australia
Reg Dempsey ko 1 1909 venue ? Australia
Billy McColl ko 13 1909 venue ? Australia
Albert Scanlon ko 9 1909 venue ? Australia
Jack Blackmore ko 9 1909 venue ? Australia
Arthur Cripps drew 20 29 Nov 1909 Sydney Stadium Australia
Ted Whiting ko 12 1910 venue ? Australia
Pat O'Keefe ko 17 19 Jan 1910 Sydney Stadium Australia
Arthur Cripps pts 20 12 Oct 1910 Sydney Stadium Australia
Billy Papke wf 10 26 Dec 1910 Sydney Stadium Australia
Frank Bungardy lf 7 1911 venue ? Australia
Jack Howard ko 9 1911 venue ? Australia
Jimmy Clabby pts 20 17 Jan 1911 Sydney Stadium Australia
Billy Papke koby 7 11 Mar 1911 Sydney Stadium Australia
Cyclone Johnny Thompson pts 20 05 Nov 1911 Sydney Stadium Australia
Bandsman Rice pts 20 11 Nov 1911 Sydney Stadium Australia
Jimmy Clabby drew 20 09 Dec 1911 Sydney Stadium Australia
Jack Lester wf 14 01 Jan 1912 Sydney Stadium Australia
Cyclone Johnny Thompson pts 20 26 Jan 1912 Sydney Stadium Australia
Jimmy Clabby drew 20 24 Feb 1912 Sydney Stadium Australia
Eddie McGoorty koby 1 02 Sep 1912 New York Usa
George Asche nd 6 24 Sep 1912 Philadelphia USA
Freddy Hicks pts 12 02 Oct 1912 Boston USA
Leo Houck nd 6 Oct 1912 Philadelphia USA
Battling Levinsky nd 6 21 Oct 1912 Philadelphia USA
Les O'Donnell ko 13 1913 venue Australia
Jerry Jerome ko 11 1913 venue Australia
Bill Lang pts 20 1913 venue Australia
Les O'Donnell pts 20 1913 venue Australia
Ercole De Belzac ko 3 01 Jan 1913 Sydney Stadium Australia
Reg Midwood ko 10 01 Feb 1913 Sydney Stadium Australia
Jerry Jerome ko 18 19 Apr 1913 Sydney Stadium Australia
Les O'Donnell ko 16 16 Jul 1913 Sydney Stadium Australia
Pat Bradley pts 20 25 Oct 1913 Sydney Stadium Australia
Jules Douberg ko 11 1914 venue Australia
Eddie McGoorty koby 1 01 Jan 1914 Sydney Stadium Australia
Jules Douberg pts 20 22 Feb 1914 Sydney Stadium Australia
Eddie McGoorty koby 10 11 Apr 1914 Sydney Stadium Australia
Jimmy Clabby koby 1 01 Aug 1914 Sydney Stadium Australia
Jimmy Clabby pts 20 12 Aug 1914 venue Australia
Fritz Holland pts 20 30 Jan 1915 Sydney Stadium Australia
Ben Doyle pts 20 13 Feb 1915 Sydney Stadium Australia
Jimmy Clabby lpts 20 20 May 1916 venue Australia
Colin Bell ko 14 10 Jun 1916 Sydney Stadium Australia
Les Darcy koby 12 24 Jun 1916 Sydney Stadium Australia
Buck Crouse koby 9 15 Jul 1916 Sydney Stadium Australia
Buck Crouse ko 4 05 Aug 1916 Sydney Stadium Australia
Les Darcy koby 11 23 Aug 1916 Brisbane Australia
Art Magirl koby 12 02 Sep 1916 Sydney Stadium Australia
Joe Chip pts 20 14 Oct 1916 Sydney Stadium Australia
Art Magirl koby 6 28 Oct 1916 Melbourne Australia
Bill Squires ko 10 26 Dec 1916 Sydney Stadium Australia
Albert Lloyd pts 20 14 Apr 1917 Sydney Stadium Australia
Jimmy Clabby koby 10 May 26 1917 Sydney Stadium Australia
Notes On his fight with Colin Bell
· Take the fight he had with Dave Smith at the Sydney Stadium on June 10, 1916, as an instance. It was typical of other battles which the Moree giant participated in with, if anything, this difference - that he demonstrated his incapacity to become a great fighter in a greater measure than usual. For that night he had victory within his grasp four or five times and was not equal to effecting the “killing” that should have been easy for him.
· Smith, who although heavyweight champion of Australia, was little better than a middleweight. As a matter of fact he weighed 13 stone 11 ¾ pounds as against hi opponents 11st 9lb, a difference of over two stones.
But this tremendous advantage did not worry Smith, who had the fighting instinct well developed, and besides was a firm believer in the familiar and popular boxing axiom that the bigger they are the harder they fall. And so instead of Bell being the aggressor and endeavoring to overwhelm his man with his strength, it was Smith who took up the attack from the moment they were called together. David and Goliath in a modern setting.
The enormous strength which Bell possessed, with the added advantages of skill with his hands and cleverness on his feet, should have counselled the big fellow to carry the war into the enemy camp, but the absence of “devil” that prompted caution proved his undoing. Smith, realising that his strength would not prove equal to the task if he remained on the defensive and allowed Bell to wear him down, punished his man at every opportunity and set a pace that might have caused his own downfall had he not been in superb condition.
· The fact was, that Smith knew of Bell’s weakness and, like a good general, capitalized it at every stage of the contest. Ducking and side-stepping and dodging he leaped in and out at the mountain of muscle in front of him and so punished him about the head with lefts and rights that after a few rounds Bell was tottering. But only momentarily. He pulled himself together well and then did what he should have done from the start - opened out. For a round or two he fought as if he really meant it. Smith was hard put to it to defend himself and in the sixth session was in such a bad way that had Bell taken proper advantage of the opportunity he would probably have with a knock-out.
· ……with the result that Smith was given the “breather” that enabled him to gather his scattered senses. And having done that and possessing the very thing that Bell was deficient in, he made attack his defence and in a few moments was dominating the fighting again.
· Again a few rounds later he caught Smith with a terrific left over the right eye, splitting it badly and causing the blood to flow freely. A second later he hooked a powerful left to the jaw and again Smith was flying distress signals. But did Bell go in to finish his man? He did not. And so Smith, maintaining a relentless attack, continued on until, by the time the tenth round was reached, Bell was obviously done.
• For a while the big fellow tried to bluff that all was well, but Smith refused to believe him and continued to pepper him with rights and lefts. And then Bell got another chance. A heavy right to the jaw had Smith in a bad way, but instead of crowding in and administering the finishing punch as he had plenty of opportunities to do, he allowed the damaged warrior freedom from trouble until such time as his head had cleared and then had to take what was coming to him - which was not altogether pleasant.
• By the time the fourteenth round was reached Bell was badly used up. Smith had gradually worn him down until he was comparitively easy for the smaller man to handle. And so Smith, who was showing signs of wear and tear, concluded that the best thing to do would be to get the business over. With right and left he pasted Bell unmercifully and drove him staggering, back on to the ropes. As Bell rebounded Smith’s right flashed through the air on to the opposing jaw and Bell crashed to the floor helpless. The finishing punch was not a particularly hard one, but it was all that was necessary to terminate the big fellow’s interest in the proceedings.
• If ever a boxer should have won a fight it was Bell that night.
Newspaper clipping from The Canberra Times, Wednesday 30 May 1945. Transcript below
Three times heavyweight champion of Australia, Dave Smith died at a private hospital to-day at the age of, 59. He was acknowledged as one of the fairest and squarcst fighters Australia had known, and he fought the leading boxers of the world be tween 1914 and 1917.
Copyright Mike Hitchen, Lane Cove, NSW, Australia. All rights reserved
