European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 7, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 28 the stars and stripes saturday March 7, 967 Bon Crusher from Wue As stiff or Flor no wonder Smith myi hell flatten Mike Tyson always wanted id be famous even before joining the army. Way before he started boxing in we Vburg Germany. Now thai i is Champion he wants boxing fun to hear him. Remember him. Smith sounded like Muhammad Ali Vintage 1964,when he landed in Las vegas ncv., for his heavy weight ill fight against Tyson a 7-1 favorite Tyson s ego and Confidence could gel him knocked out in inc first round declared Smith the mauler from Magnolia no. Smith might be the underdog. Bui he s Stilt the world boxing association Champion with a 19-5 re Cord and 14 knockouts so what if he s about to face the great Tyson 28-0 with 26 knockouts and Champion of Trie world boxing Council he s going to enjoy his moment in the spotlight of sports history. It s a different feeling being the Champion Bone Crusher said i have struggled too Long against so Many Odds and i finally got there. It s a great it s a feeling he yearned for years. A feeling that led him into the army soon after graduating from Shaw univer sity in Raleigh n.c., in 1975. According to the University he graduated with honors after earning a degree in Busi Ness management and economics he did t join the army As an officer. He enlisted As a was Aii impulsive decision and i m glad i made it said Smith 31. "1 would t have been a Champion if not for the army. Always wanted 10 be a part of history be famous. Smith takes Pride in being the first heavyweight Champion with a College degree. He also remembers where he started boning at Wuerzburg s Leighton Barracks. Smith landed in Wuerzburg in 1976 and started working at la Ichton s regional personnel Center. He was known As pfc. James Smith. Or Jimmy. Or would come later. So would boxing. At 6-foot-4, he hit the basketball court and played Forward for the bullets As the Wuerz Burg team was called then. Smith made his first big Mark on army sports in Europe during the Vii corps tournament in march1977 at Lucr zbig. He caught fire in the second game amassing 31 Points and 21 rebounds in a Victory Over Stuttgart he followed with games of 39 and 31 Points As Wurzburg look second place. Little did Smith know that he was about to ditch basketball and help Start Wuerzburg s boxing program. By the summer of 77, Wurzburg was building a ring. The Community needed fighters. I was playing basketball one Day and the boxing coach saw me Smith recalled during a phone interview before leaving his Fayet Mcville n.c., training Camp. That coach was Herb Ruffin he s now the top no of Stuttgart sports he s still so close to Smith that he sin vegas helping with Security around the Champion Ruffi n remembers another reason for Smith s Start Smiley was a super basketball player a super racquetball player Ruffin said recently before flying stateside i kept trying to talk him into boxing. His comment was to no Boxer i m a Lover but i stayed on him and stayed on him. Then he finally relented. A couple of his friends Eric Taylor and Joe Lee both connected with the Wurzburg basketball Tea really helped convince him. We were at talking one night Joe was really talk ing trash about How he could do a number on said he was tired of hearing it so he said let s go. 1 had the keys to the gym so we went upstairs and they went at it. Silly nearly beat Joe to death. In three weeks smitty went in the ring Larry Parker now a Usa eur sports assistant was the Nuernberg boxing coach when Smith debuted in the fall of 77 at Leighlon s gym. Parker remembers Smith capturing Wuerzburg s Only Victory of he smoker the heavyweight class was weak so if you threesome punches you had a Good Chance to win says Parker. He hit hard. The name Bon Crusher that came later certainly was an accurate Ruffin remembers Smith losing an Early fight then winning 16 straight. Chuck Large the Wuerzburg sports director in those Days and now a Community activities director in Worms says i Don t remember any bout that Smith lost. Period. The earliest Smith fight on record in the Stan and stripes files is his nov. 5, 1977, Novice Victory in Vilsick. He beat Ramstein s Mike Kniight in a technical knockout at 1 51 of the first round the quickest fight of he smoker. He was a Stone Novice but very dedicated says Ruffin. Smith who goes 226 pounds weighed about the same during his army Days. His stature made him easy left James Smith in he personnel Days in Wamburg. Right Bones Nisher Smith after claiming Che Aba title. Enough to spot. Then came the bout that made him the biggest heavyweight name in Usa eur. On Jan. 22, 197s. At Kiu Ingen s Harvey Barrack gym. Smith fired a right to the nose of Hanau s Shelley under. The first round blow Shook under so badly that he failed to appear for the second Victory gave Smith the heavyweight title in the Usa eur knew he had potential says Bill Mallon a ring annoy emf in those Days and now Augsburg sports director. But he was not on an ego trip so i did t expect him to go this question Parker had Over Smith s potential was erased by one Bon crushing blow. It came against the fac of Charles Hunter one of Parker s Nuernberg boxers Jimmy bit Hunter and my Guy just stood at attention hands at his Side. Then he Al total on his face. The fall probably Hurt his face even More says s invitational title earned him a nomination to All army. But be was t an automatic. Large recalls the department of the army in Washington looked askance at Smith s lean record Only about 10 fights Smith needed help. Large appealed to the Luenburg Community commander maj. Gen. R. Dean called a and they told him they were wavering on Smith s experience. He said Bull this Guy Osgood " recalls Large. A Gal the message. Smith got his All army ticket Smith lost the All army championships in the Spring of 1978, but his experience at the states Decamp was a shot in the Arm not to mention a shot in the enemy s was extremely polished when he came Back said Parker he was t just flailing away anymore on Smith s return to Europe in mid May he entered the German american boning tournament in Vonwest he Tai. He opened with a. Decision Over Reinhard Peter of the German Arney. Peter was fresh off a second place atthe International military championships but Smith knocked him Down in the third Days later Smith decision Ned Olaf Maar Peter s teammate. The next Day Smith won the title by stopping Baum older s Roosevelt Jordan in one round. Hank Rone now Wiesbaden s army Community recreation officer refereed that a a final and stopped it before the second round could Start. Smith s upper Cut to Jordan s Chin had done enough damage. "1 remember there was a Hole under Jordan s lower lip because when he look water i t leaked out says Rone Al Johnson was t surprised. He destroyed peo ple says Johnson who was one of Smith s Vii corps coaches and now runs the Augsburg boxing were intimidated by thai Smith s army Days were numbered. Thai a tournament really got him talking about getting out of the army says Ruffin. He thought about re enlisting says Large. He wanted to Box professionally but he was 24 years old then. One faction was saying he was Good enough to go pro. Another faction was saying at 24 he was too old to Start. It probably look courage on his part to go off and is Smith armed enough How three current army Boxen predict tonight soon Crusher Smith Mike Tyson title bout Ray Mercer of Baum older Usa eur heavyweight Champion in 1985 and &6 i sparred with Bon Crusher when he visited the All army Camp in 85 at fort Bragg. I knocked his mouthpiece out but he was out of shape. I want him to win because of hit Start in the Amy. I Hope he can catch him with that right hand Kevin Bryant of Baum older Usa eur middleweight Champion in 1983 and 84, recently returned from fort Hood Texas Bon Crusher s chances Little and none. He has a hard punch Butas far As endurance he has t had anybody stay on top of him like Tyson will. 1 saw Bon Crusher a Bragg and he does t train that hard. Tyson is Young fast and will hit hard from Ding to Dong. It won t go past two or three Terry Dixon of Wiesbaden a highly ranked stateside featherweight who will fight lightweight at v corps Bon Crusher does t have much of a Hance. It would have to be in the Laler rounds if he beat try the pros. He would be fights whereas t t _ with 200he probably had about 20." says Bon Crusher. The army gave me a Good Chanceton travel around and 1 was treated Well. For Guys who Are in now my advice is make a commitment and work a your goals. You can achieve them. I m an example. Bey s an example. Kirkley s an refers to David Bey and Lucious Kirkley former Usa eur boxers who have been sparring with the Aba Champion. When Smith left the army in 1978, he went to Phil Adelphia searching for a pro boxing career. He says he received Little backing got homesick and returned to Magnolia in 1979. In the fall of 1981, Smith was working As a prison guard when he got a Call they needed an opponent for James Broad says Smith i had no seasoning. He had six fights. I went at it hard with guns blazing. But i ran out of Gas Broad who also had boxed in the army knocked out Smith in the fourth round of that nov. 4 bout Bon Crusher bounced Back to win 14 straight fights. That landed him a shot at Champion Larry Holmes i november 1984. Holmes won in 12, two years later on dec. 12,1986, first title since that Usa eur invitational so Long ago. This time his first round pounding of Tim Witherspoon gave him the Aba Belt. March 7 is my Date says the old private. I going to collect for All my Lime in the lion s Den. Then i m Ping to head Back to North Carolina with another if so hell win $1 he a net 1500,000," says urge enlisting in the army made his life for him
