Solomon "Solly" Smith
(Solomon Garcia Smith)

BORN    1871;Los Angeles, California
DIED    August 28 1933; Culver City, California (Some sources report 1929)
HEIGHT  5-4
WEIGHT  112-126 lbs
RACE    White; Irish-Mexican
MANAGER  Zeke Abrams

Smith was the first world Boxing champion from the Los Angeles area; His father was Irish and his mother was Mexican; In addition to being an outstanding fighter, Solly was an excellent runner in long distance track events

He possessed well-developed shoulders, a thick and rounded body, and a strong neck; He was very strong but a little slow  - a hard hitter who relied upon a heavy right hand punch; That blow was described as being like "the kick of a mule"

Undated
          -During his early career, Smith traveled with Frank Childs
           through Southern California, stopping all-comers

          -Smith also met one or two men in the Northwest;
           He then went to Los Angeles

       Jerry Haley                Los Angeles, Ca                   W  6

1888
Dec 12 Joe "Kid" Hogan            Sacramento, Ca                   NC 29

1889
Jun  1 Jack Golden                Los Angeles, Ca                  KO  2
Dec  5 George "Young" Abbott      Los Angeles, Ca                   W  4

1889-1890
       Billy Smith                Los Angeles, Ca                  TK  7
       "Young" Billy Moore        Los Angeles, Ca                   W   
       "Young" Billy Moore        Los Angeles, Ca                  TK  5
       Pete Cummings              Los Angeles, Ca                  TK  1
       Billy Jones                Los Angeles, Ca                  TK 13

1890
Jun  1 Seward Smith               Los Angeles, Ca                  EX  3
Sep  3 Dave Williams              Pasadena, Ca                      D 10

1891
Sep 17 -Smith seconded Joe Soto vs Gus Herget at Los Angeles, Ca
Sep 25 Joe Soto                   Los Angeles, Ca                 SCH   
          -This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Nov 11 "Young" Billy Manning      Los Angeles, Ca                  KO  6
Dec  3 Dennis Mahoney             Los Angeles, Ca                  KO 15
          -Featherweight Championship of the Pacific Coast

1892
Feb 25 Tommy Smith                Los Angeles, Ca                  KO  2
May 24 Dal Hawkins                San Francisco, Ca                KO 13
          -Some sources report 5/26/92
Jul  8 Dan Daly                   San Francisco, Ca                KO  3
Jul 20 "Young" Billy Manning      Los Angeles, Ca                  EX  3
          -Smith knocked Manning out
Sep 29 George Siddons             San Francisco ,Ca                 D 56
Dec 29 John Van Heest             San Francisco, Ca                TK 14

1888-1893
       Harry Dally                San Francisco, Ca                 W   
          -Some sources report "ND"   

1893
Mar  7 Owen Harney                New Orleans, La                  EX  4
Apr 15 Frankie McHugh             Chicago, Il                      ND  6
May  8 Oscar Gardner              St. Paul, Mn                     EX  6
          -Some sources report 6/10/93
           Smith failed to knockout Gardner
Jul 10 Sam Fitzpatrick            Roby, In                         EX   
Jul 10 Joe Choynski               Roby, In                         EX   
          -This was a wrestling session of 30 minutes or more
Jul 10 Johnny T. Griffin          Roby, In                         KO  4
          -The previous 3 bouts were held the same date
Sep 22 -Smith participated in and won an 8-mile foot 
           race at Asbury Park, NJ against Jim Corbett,
           "Nonpareil" Jack Dempsey, Billy Delaney, 
           Jack Oliver, and Seward Smith; Solly won 
           by forty yards over Corbett with Dempsey
           third; Smith held the 10 1/2 mile record
           in San Francisco
Sep 25 George Dixon               Coney Island, NY                 LK  7
          -Featherweight Championship of the World
Nov 13 Jimmy Murphy               Chicago, Il                      KO  2
Dec  3 Dan Ryan                   Chicago, Il                      KO  4
Dec  8 Young Griffo               Chicago, Il                      KO  1
          -This was a "private" fight
Dec 28 Dan Daly                   St. Louis, Mo                    KO 14
          -Some sources report this bout as a Featherweight
           Championship of the World contest

1894
Jan  3 Young Griffo               Chicago, Il                       D  6
Feb  8 Billy Plimmer              Chicago, Il                      EX  4
Mar  7 George "Kid" Lavigne       Saginaw, Mi                       D  8
          -Some sources report "L 8"
May 24 Tommy Dixon                Indianapolis, In                SCH   
          -This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Jun 26 Frank Erne                 Buffalo, NY                     SCH   
          -This bout was scheduled but postponed
Aug  9 Kentucky Rosebud           Minneapolis, Mn                 SCH   
          -This man was Walter Edgerton;
           This bout was scheduled but cancelled
Oct  2 Frank Erne                 Buffalo, NY                       D 10
Oct 26 John Van Heest             Buffalo, NY                       D 15
Nov 27 Oscar Gardner              Buffalo, NY                      LF  5
          -Gardner broke his arm in the first round
Dec 29 Kentucky Rosebud           Buffalo, NY                     SCH   
          -This man was Walter Edgerton;
           This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known

1895
Jan 31 Kentucky Rosebud           Philadelphia, Pa                SCH   
          -This man was Walter Edgerton;
           This bout was scheduled but cancelled
Feb  9 Mike Kelly                 New York, NY                    SCH   
          -This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Mar  4 Tom Denny                  Coney Island, NY                  D 10
Mar 16 Billy McCarthy             Philadelphia, Pa                 ND  4
Mar 22 Jerome Quigley             Philadelphia, Pa                 ND  4
Apr 11 Jack Mullen                Albany, NY                        W  6
May  7 Jerry Barnett              New York, NY                    SCH   
          -This bout was scheduled but not held;
           Barnett injured a wrist during training
May  7 Jack Grant                 New York, NY                     EX   
May 15 George Siddons             New York, NY                     ND  8
Jun  8 George "Kid" Lavigne       New York, NY                    SCH   
          -This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Jul 29 Jack Downey                                                SCH   
          -This bout was scheduled; The outcome is not known
Dec 23 "Torpedo" Billy Murphy     New Orleans, La                  TK 14
          -Police intervened

1896
Jan  9 Jimmy Selfridge            New York, NY                      W  4
Feb 22 Johnny Lavack              Boston, Ma                        D 15
Mar 21 Jerry Barnett              New York, NY                     TK  5
          -Police intervened
Jun  1 Adolph "Dolly" Lyons       Brooklyn, NY                      D 10
Jun 22 Frank Patterson            Brooklyn, NY                      W 10
Jun 30 Johnny Lavack              Cleveland, Oh                     D 10
Nov  9 Willie Smith               London, Eng                      TK  8

1897
Jan 12 Tommy White                New York, NY                      D 25
Mar 13 Oscar Gardner              Brooklyn, NY                      W 20
May  4 Martin Flaherty            New York, NY                      W 25
Aug 20 Johnny T. Griffin          San Francisco, Ca                TK  7
          -Some sources report "Roby, In"
Oct  4 George Dixon               San Francisco, Ca                 W 20
          -Featherweight Championship of the World

1898
Apr 18 Eddie Santry               Chicago, Il                      ND  6
Jul  7 Billy O'Donnell            Buffalo, NY                      WF  7
          -Featherweight Championship of the World;
           Some sources report "WF 8"
Aug  1 Tommy White                Coney Island, NY                  D 25
          -Featherweight Championship of the World
Sep 26 Dave Sullivan              Coney Island, NY                 LT  5
          -Featherweight Championship of the World
Oct 12 Aurelio Herrera            Bakersfield, Ca                   D 10

1899
Feb  7 Oscar Gardner              New York, NY                     LT  6
May 20 Frank Patterson            Brooklyn, NY                      D 20
          -Some sources report 5/10/99
Jul 10 Frank Patterson            Brooklyn, NY                      D 25
          -Some sources report "D 20"
Aug 18 Joe Bernstein              Brooklyn, NY                     LK 13
Oct  2 Jack McClelland            Pittsburgh, Pa                   LF  6
          -Some sources report "LT 6"

1900
Jan 15 Frank Patterson            Brooklyn, NY                      D 25
Mar  3 Billy Barrett              Brooklyn, NY                      L 20
Mar 17 "Turkey Point" Billy Smith Chicago, Il                       D  6
May 28 Billy Maynard              Brooklyn, NY                     KO 10
Jun 22 Joe Bernstein              New York, NY                     LF 14

1901
May 10 Joe Bernstein              Los Angeles, Ca                   D 20
Jun 18 Joe Bernstein              Los Angeles, Ca                   D 20
Sep  5 Dennis "Kid" McFadden      Sacramento, Ca                   LF  7
          -Some sources report "LF 6"

1902
Nov 11 Billy DeCoursey            Los Angeles, Ca                  LK 11
          -Some sources report 11/12/02;
          Some sources report "LK 10"

1904
Aug 26 Billy Snailham             San Diego, Ca                    LK  3
          -Smith went down to avoid Snailham's blows

*** The Following Bouts Are Reported But Not Confirmed ***

1888
       Joe Soto                   Los Angeles, Ca                   D  6

1895
Mar  8 Jimmy Dime                 Boston, Ma                        D  8
          -This bout appears to be an error

1902
Jan  6 Alf Levy                   Philadelphia, Pa                 ND  6

Review courtesy of Tracy Callis, Historian, International Boxing Research Organization