European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 7, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 26 the stars and stripes saturday March 7,1967 Bori Crusher from we to Bobucky Folstaff writer no wonder Bon Crusher Smith says hell flatten Mike Tyson tonight Smith always wanted to be famous even before joining the army. Way before he started boxing in Wuerzburg hat he is Champion he wants boxing fans to hear him. Remember sounded like Muhammad All Vintage 1964, when he landed in Las vegas nev., for his heavy weight title tight against Tyson a 7-1 favorite. Tyson s ego and Confidence could gel him knocked out in the first round declared Smith the mauler from Magnolia might be the underdog. But he s still the world boxing association Champion with a 19-3 re Cord and 14 knockouts. So what if he s about to face the great Tyson 28-0 with 26 knockouts and Champion of the 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 Romany 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 ., in 1975. According to the University he graduated with honors after earning a degree in Busi Ness management and did t join the army As an officer. He enlisted As a private it was an impulsive decision and i m glad 1 made it said Smith 33. I would t have been a Champion if not for the army. I always wanted to be a part of history be takes Pride in being the first heavyweight Champion with a College also remembers where he started boxing at Wuerzburg s Leighton landed in Wuerzburg in 1976 and started working at Leighton s regional personnel Center hews known As pfc. James Smith. Or Jimmy. Or smitty. Bon Crusher would come would boxing. At 6-Fooi-4, he hit the basketball court and played Forward for the bullets As the Wuerz Burg team was called then. Smith Madu his first big Mark on army sports i Europe during the Vii corps tournament in March 1977 at Wuerzburg. 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 Pointras Wuerzburg 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, Wuerzburg was building is 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 Reviue Training 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. Ruffin remembers another reason for Smith s Slart smitty was a super basketball player a super i Quet Ball player Ruffin said recently before stateside. I kept trying to talk him into i comment was tin no Boxer. I m a Lover but .1 stayed on him and stayed on i. Finally relented. A couple of his friends and Joe Lee both connected with the i netball Tea really helped convince him we were All hiking one night. Joe drs really talk ing trash about How he could do a number on said he was tired of hearing Jota he said let s go. 1 had the keys to the gym so went upstairs an they went at it. Smitty nearly by Joe to death. In three weeks smitty went in the Larry Parker now a usage the nue Beig boxing coach Wifall of 77 at Leighton s i capturing Wuerzburg s on the heavyweight to sports assistant was Smith debuted in the remembers Smithiii of the smoker. As weak so if you threesome punches you had Good Chance to win says Dyrl a till liar a " he name Bon Crusher that in accurate . He hit a came later certainly we Ruffin losing an Early fight then winning 16 straight Chuck Large the Wuerzburg sports director in Fiose Days and now a Community activities Worms says i Don t remember any bout that sgt la lost. Period. The earliest Milf fight on record in the stars an stripes files ii his nov. 5, 1977, Novice Victory in Vilseck. Haj eat Ramstein s Mike Knight in a technical knock$0t at 1 51 of the first round the quickest fight Fotte a Stone Novice but very dedicated says Ruffin Smith who goes 228 pounds weighed about the same during his army Days. His stature made him easy left june Smith in his personnel Days in army mho Appl Loright Bonk Uher Smith liter claiming the Aba title. Enough 10 spot. Then came the him the biggest heavyweight name in usar apr. On Jan. 22, 1978, at Kitzinge Harvey Barrack gym. Smith fired a right to the nil of Hanau s Shelley under. The first round blow of Linder so badly that he failed to appear for Thop cond round. The Victory gave Smith of heavyweight title in Theu Sarteur Anvil Alionar we knew he Hao a Jenial says Bill Mallon Aring announcer in Uke Days and now Augsburg s sports director a Fie was not on an ego Tnp so Idin t expect Hiro Jago this any question maker had Over Smith s potential was erased by one byte crushing blow. It came against the face of Charles Huper one of Parker s Nuernberg , and my Guy just stood at attention hands at Ksida. Then he fell Flat on his face. The his face even More nays Parker. To invitational title earned him a nomination . But he was t an automatic. Large recalls the tent of the army in Washington looked askance la s lean record Only about 10 Smith needed help. Large appealed to the Wuerzburg immunity commander maj. Gin. R. Dean Tice. Tick called a and they told him they were wavering on Smith s experience. He said Bull this Guy is Good " recalls got the message. Smith got his All army ticket. Smith lost the All army championships in the Spring of 1978, but his experience at the stateside Camp was a shot in the Arm not to mention a shot inthe enemy s Chin. He was extremely polished when he came Back said Parker. He was t just flailing away on Smith s return to Europe in mid May he entered the German american boxing tournament in to Enwesi Heim. He opened with a decision Over Reinhard Peter of the German army. Peter was fresh off it second place at the International military championships but Smith knocked him Down in the third round. Two Days later Smith deals toned Olaf Maar Peter teammate. The next Day Smith won the title by slopping Baumholzer s Roosevelt Jordan in one round. Hank Rone now Wiesbaden s army Community recreation officer refereed that a a final and slopped it before the second round could Start. Smith s upper Cut to Jordan s Chin had done enough damage. I remember there was a Hole under Jordan s lower lip because when be look water it 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 that Power Smith s army Days were numbered. That 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 pan to go off and is Smith armed enough How three current army boxers predict tonight soon Crusher Smith Mike Tyson title bout Ray Mercer of Baum older Usa eur heavyweight Champion in 1985 and 86 i sparred with Bon Crusher when he visited the All army Camp in 85 at fort Bragg. I knocked his mouthpiece out but be was out of shape. I want him to win because of his Start in the army. I Hope he can catch him with that right Kevin Bryant of Bauchot Der. Usa eur middleweight Champion in 1983 and 84, recently returned from fort Hood Texas Boner usher s chances Little and none. He has a hard punch Butas tar As endurance he has t had anybody stay on lop of him like Tyson will. I 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 Nave much of a Hance. It would have to be in the later rounds if he beat try the pros. He would be going against Guys with 200fights whereas he probably had about 20. Says Bon Crusher the army gave me a Good Chanceton travel around and i 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 resumed 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. M had no seasoning. He had six fights. I went at it hard with guns blazing. Bui i ran out of , who also had boxed in the army knocked out Smith in the fourth round of thai nov. 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, Bon Crusher won his first litle since that Usa eur invitational so Long ago. This Lime his first round pounding of Tim Wutherspoon gave him the Aba Belt March 7 is my Dale says the old private i going to collect for All my Lime in the Jion s Den then i m going to head Back to North Carolina with another title if so hell win it he can net 1500,000," says Large enlisting in the army made his life for
