Paul James Smith Jr.
Smith in 2011
Born
Paul James Smith Jr.

(1982-10-06) 6 October 1982
Liverpool, Merseyside, England
NationalityBritish
Other namesReal Gone Kid
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Reach72 in (183 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights45
Wins38
Wins by KO22
Losses7
Medal record
Representing  England
Men's amateur boxing
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal – second place 2002 Manchester Light-middleweight
Paul Smith
GenresGrime
Occupation(s)MC, songwriter
Years active2004–present

Paul James Smith Jr. (born 6 October 1982) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2003 to 2017, and has since worked as a commentator. He held the English middleweight title in 2008, the British super-middleweight title twice between 2009 and 2014, and challenged three times for a super-middleweight world title. As an amateur, he won a silver medal in the light middleweight division at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

Amateur career

Smith started boxing at age nine with the Rotunda amateur boxing club and fought in South Africa, Uzbekistan, and Denmark representing England. He comes from a family of boxers and he and his brothers (Stephen, Liam, and Callum) became the first group of siblings to all win ABA titles.[1][2][3][4][5] Paul won silver medals for his country in the 2001 Copenhagen Cup[6] and 2002 Commonwealth Games, losing to Jean Pascal by two points;[7] Smith was then picked up by Frank Warren and turned professional.

Professional career

Early career

Smith's career has featured many bouts held mainly in the UK, Germany and the USA. He has faced Andre Ward and Arthur Abraham for the WBO Super-Middleweight title twice. The first was a controversial decision.

On 10 March 2007, he KO'd the Belgian, Alexander Polizzi in Liverpool, winning the WBU international middleweight title in the eighth round.

On 20 March 2007, Smith took part in boxing's answer to Golf's Ryder Cup fighting American Jonathan Reid; the Nashville, Tennessee resident lost to Smith on a technical knockout.

The Contender

On 4 September 2007, Smith joined nine other boxing hopefuls as members of season three of The Contender. Smith fought rival David Banks from Portland, Oregon, and ended with a win for Smith by split-decision. However, since Smith had the lowest point total out of the remaining boxers, he was disqualified. The victory over David Banks was fought in Pasadena, California and was broadcast on ESPN and ITV; Ray Leonard said Smith let his anger take away from his ability. Smith was left with two cuts, one on his nose and another around his eye; this meant he was medically unfit to continue the contest regardless of performance.

Smith returned to England and defeated Cello Renda to win the vacant English middleweight title. He lost the title in his very next fight against Steven Bendall on 21 June 2008 in Birmingham, England, on a much contested points decision.[8]

British super-middleweight champion

On 30 October 2009, Smith challenged Tony Quigley for the British super-middleweight title in Liverpool's Echo Arena. Quigley was the holder of the British title after defeating Tony Dodson only months earlier at the same venue. The fight was a tight affair with Smith eventually winning via split decision over 12 rounds thus crowning him the new British super-middleweight title holder.

Smith's first defense of his title came in his thirtieth professional contest at the Echo Arena, Liverpool on 12 March 2010, against Tony Dodson. Smith won again, this time via a unanimous 12-round decision.

Smith boxed Beijing 2008 gold medalist, James DeGale at the Echo Arena, Liverpool on 11 December 2012. The fight was stopped in the ninth round as DeGale landed back-to-back left hooks on Smith, causing the latter to lose his British super-middleweight title.

Smith vs. Groves

Smith (left) vs. Groves, 2011

After winning his next two fights, Smith once again challenged for the British title and the Commonwealth title against George Groves. The bout took place in Groves' native London at the Wembley Arena on 5 November 2011. Smith won the opening round on all three judges cards and landed a hard shot on Groves towards the end of the round. One minute into the second round, however, a lead overhand right from Groves to Smith's jaw floored him. Smith was able to beat the count only to be dropped again, forcing the referee to halt the contest.

Smith vs. Abraham

On 27 September 2014, Smith fought WBO Super-Middleweight title holder Arthur Abraham in Kiel, Germany. Despite arguably outworking Abraham for the full 12 rounds, the judges ruled in the Armenian's favour by scores of 119–109, 117–111 and 117–110. Many ringside observers saw the fight as being far closer than the judges ruled it and Smith's promoter Eddie Hearn labelled the judges scores a "disgrace."[9]

The two met in a rematch on February 21, 2015, at the O2 World Arena in Berlin. This also went the full 12 rounds as Abraham won via points on all three scorecards (116-112, 117-111 twice).[10]

Smith vs. Ward

After his loss to Abraham, Smith faced top pound for pound boxer, Andre Ward. This was Ward's first fight in 19 months, following a promotional dispute which sidelined him and caused him to lose his titles. The fight was scheduled for June 20, 2015 at the Oracle Arena in California at a 172 lbs catchweight fight. The fight was to take place on BET.[11] Ward won via TKO in the 9th round. Ward was winning every round at the time of stoppage (80-72, 3 times).[12][13][14] Smith missed weight, coming in at 176.4 lbs and was fined 20% ($45,000) of his $225,000 purse by the California State Athletic Commission, half of which went to Ward and half to the commission.[15] Despite being available in over 90 million homes, the fight averaged 323,000 viewers on BET.[16]

Smith vs Kubin

In his comeback fight, Smith faced Bronislav Kubin. Smith dropped Kubin twice in the second round, and managed to finish his opponent in the third round, to get his comeback win.[17]

Smith vs Grafka

Smith won the second fight of his comeback too, this time a 59 to 55 points victory over six rounds, against Bartlomiej Grafka.[18]

Smith vs Regi

On 10 September 2016 Smith fought Daniel Regi on the Golovkin vs Brook undercard. Smith dropped his opponent several times, en route to a fifth-round TKO win.[19]

Smith vs. Zeuge

Smith's third and final world title challenge came against WBA (Regular) super middleweight champion Tyron Zeuge in June 2017 at Rittal Arena Wetzlar. The younger Zeuge proved to be too much for Smith, as he won a wide unanimous decision (119-108, 119–108, 119–108). Zeuge outworked Smith with his jab and was able to score a knockdown in round 12.[20]

Music career

As well as being a boxer, Smith is a resident DJ at the 'Society' nightclub in Liverpool.[21] He co-wrote the Ultrabeat song "Better Than Life", with Mike Di Scala and has remixed the song "Falling Stars (Waiting For A Star To Fall)" by Sunset Strippers, also with Di Scala.[22]

Personal life

Paul Smith comes from a family of professional boxers, which includes Stephen Smith, Liam Smith, and Callum Smith.[23]

Professional boxing record

45 fights 38 wins 7 losses
By knockout 22 3
By decision 16 4
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
45 Loss 38–7 Tyron Zeuge UD 12 17 Jun 2017 Rittal Arena, Wetzlar, Germany For WBA (Regular) and GBU super-middleweight titles
44 Win 38–6 Daniel Regi TKO 5 (6), 2:16 10 Sep 2016 The O2 Arena, London, England
43 Win 37–6 Bartlomiej Grafka PTS 6 29 May 2016 Goodison Park, Liverpool, England
42 Win 36–6 Bronislav Kubin TKO 3 (6), 0:25 7 May 2016 Manchester Arena, Manchester, England
41 Loss 35–6 Andre Ward TKO 9 (12), 1:46 20 Jun 2015 Oracle Arena, Oakland, California, US
40 Loss 35–5 Arthur Abraham UD 12 21 Feb 2015 O2 World Arena, Berlin, Germany For WBO super-middleweight title
39 Loss 35–4 Arthur Abraham UD 12 27 Sep 2014 Sparkassen-Arena, Kiel, Germany For WBO super-middleweight title
38 Win 35–3 David Sarabia TKO 2 (8), 1:17 17 May 2014 Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Wales
37 Win 34–3 Jamie Ambler PTS 6 14 Dec 2013 ExCeL, London, England
36 Win 33–3 Tony Dodson TKO 6 (12), 2:31 29 Jun 2013 Bolton Arena, Bolton, England Won vacant British super-middleweight title
35 Win 32–3 Tommy Tolan RTD 4 (6), 3:00 9 Nov 2012 Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England
34 Loss 31–3 George Groves TKO 2 (12), 1:18 5 Nov 2011 Wembley Arena, London, England For British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles
33 Win 31–2 Paul Samuels TKO 1 (8), 2:22 17 Sep 2011 Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England
32 Win 30–2 Jozsef Matolcsi KO 1 (8), 0:58 21 May 2011 The O2 Arena, London, England
31 Loss 29–2 James DeGale TKO 9 (12), 2:08 11 Dec 2010 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England Lost British super-middleweight title
30 Win 29–1 Tony Dodson UD 12 12 Mar 2010 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England Retained British super-middleweight title
29 Win 28–1 Tony Quigley SD 12 30 Oct 2009 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England Won British super-middleweight title
28 Win 27–1 Michal Bilak PTS 8 18 Jul 2009 MEN Arena, Manchester, England
27 Win 26–1 Rashid Matumla TKO 2 (12), 2:35 14 Mar 2009 MEN Arena, Manchester, England Won vacant WBA International super-middleweight title
26 Win 25–1 Ciaran Healy PTS 6 12 Dec 2008 Kingsway Leisure Centre, Widnes, England
25 Win 24–1 Danny Thornton KO 6 (8), 2:50 6 Sep 2008 MEN Arena, Manchester, England
24 Loss 23–1 Steven Bendall PTS 10 21 Jun 2008 National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, England Lost English middleweight title
23 Win 23–0 Cello Renda TKO 6 (10), 1:55 8 Mar 2008 The O2 Arena, London, England Won vacant English middleweight title
22 Win 22–0 Francis Cheka PTS 8 8 Dec 2007 Bolton Arena, Bolton, England
21 Win 21–0 David Banks SD 5 9 Oct 2007 The Contender Arena, Los Angeles, California, US Part of The Contender series 3
20 Win 20–0 Jonathan Reid TKO 7 (8), 1:21 30 Mar 2007 Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, England Part of The Contender Challenge: UK vs. USA
19 Win 19–0 Alexander Polizzi TKO 8 (12) 10 Mar 2007 Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England
18 Win 18–0 Ryan Walls TKO 4 (8), 2:48 18 Nov 2006 Newport Centre, Newport, Wales
17 Win 17–0 Dean Walker TKO 3 (10), 2:49 14 Oct 2006 MEN Arena, Manchester, England Won vacant British Central Area middleweight title
16 Win 16–0 Conroy McIntosh PTS 8 1 Jun 2006 Metrodome, Barnsley, England
15 Win 15–0 Hussain Osman TKO 4 (6), 2:00 11 Mar 2006 Newport Centre, Newport, Wales
14 Win 14–0 Simeon Cover PTS 6 3 Jun 2005 MEN Arena, Manchester, England
13 Win 13–0 Rob Burton KO 1 (6), 1:54 11 Feb 2005 MEN Arena, Manchester, England
12 Win 12–0 Howard Clarke KO 1 (6), 2:11 17 Dec 2004 Everton Park Sports Centre, Liverpool, England
11 Win 11–0 Jason Collins TKO 1 (6), 1:42 1 Oct 2004 MEN Arena, Manchester, England
10 Win 10–0 Ojay Abrahams PTS 4 10 Sep 2004 Everton Park Sports Centre, Liverpool, England
9 Win 9–0 Steve Timms TKO 1 (6), 2:57 12 Jun 2004 MEN Arena, Manchester, England
8 Win 8–0 Howard Clarke PTS 4 3 Apr 2004 MEN Arena, Manchester, England
7 Win 7–0 Davy Jones PTS 4 26 Feb 2004 Kingsway Leisure Centre, Widnes, England
6 Win 6–0 Joel Ani PTS 4 13 Dec 2003 MEN Arena, Manchester, England
5 Win 5–0 Mike Duffield TKO 1 (4), 2:41 10 Feb 2003 Everton Park Sports Centre, Liverpool, England
4 Win 4–0 Patrick Cito PTS 4 29 Aug 2003 Everton Park Sports Centre, Liverpool, England
3 Win 3–0 Silver Fox TKO 2 (4), 2:40 20 Jun 2003 Everton Park Sports Centre, Liverpool, England
2 Win 2–0 Andrey Ivanov TKO 2 (4), 1:00 8 May 2003 Kingsway Leisure Centre, Widnes, England
1 Win 1–0 Howard Clarke PTS 4 5 Apr 2003 MEN Arena, Manchester, England

References

  1. ↑ "ABA Light Middleweight Champions – BoxRec".
  2. ↑ "ABA Light Welterweight Champions – BoxRec".
  3. ↑ "Great Britain Champs 2010".
  4. ↑ "Great Britain Champs 2011".
  5. ↑ "ABA Featherweight Champions – BoxRec".
  6. ↑ http://amateur-boxing.strefa.pl/Tournaments/CopenhagenCup2001.pdf
  7. ↑ "17.Commonwealth Games – Manchester, England – July 27 – August 4 2002".
  8. ↑ "Smith stunned by Bendall defeat". Icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk. 23 June 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  9. ↑ "Paul Smith robbed in fight against Arthur Abraham in Germany as Eddie Hearn calls judges' verdicts 'a disgrace'". 27 September 2014.
  10. ↑ "BoxRec - Arthur Abraham v Paul Smith". boxrec.com. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  11. ↑ "Press Release: BET To Air Andre Ward vs Paul Smith, Plus 9 "Throne boxing" events with Roc Nation | BoxingInsider.com". BoxingInsider.com. 23 April 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  12. ↑ Christ, Scott (21 June 2015). "Ward returns with easy win over Smith". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  13. ↑ "Andre Ward beats Paul Smith in comeback fight in Oakland". BBC Sport. 21 June 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  14. ↑ "Ward TKO's Smith in return from 19-month break". ESPN.com. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  15. ↑ "Paul Smith blows weight for second time for Ward fight". ESPN.com. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  16. ↑ "Ward vs. Smith nets low ratings of 323k in viewership". Inside the Ropes Boxing - Your #1 source for boxing news. 24 June 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  17. ↑ "Paul Smith Makes a Successful Return With TKO Win". BoxingScene.com. 7 May 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  18. ↑ "Bellew vs. Makabu LIVE Results From Goodison Park". BoxingScene.com. 29 May 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  19. ↑ "Gennady Golovkin vs. Kell Brook LIVE Results From London". BoxingScene.com. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  20. ↑ "Zeuge vs Smith: Paul Smith suffers points defeat in WBA title fight with Tyron Zeuge".
  21. ↑ "Club Society website". Societyuk.com. Archived from the original on 30 April 2007. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  22. ↑ "Paul Smith Jnr". Discogs.com. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  23. ↑ "Biography at boxrec.com". boxrec.com. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.