C.C. Smith (May 3, 1860? – October 1, 1924), a.k.a. Charles C. Smith, Charles A.C. Smith, and Charlie Smith, was an African American boxer who claimed the status of being the World Colored Heavyweight Champ and was the first boxer recognized as such.

Biography Smith was born in Macon, Georgia, likely into slavery, and he and his mother moved north in 1865. His birth date is given as May 3, 1860, but since he supposedly did not begin boxing until he was 19 and claimed the title in 1876, the birth year likely is spurious. Some sources cite 1869 as the year his boxing career began, and others 1879, which would have been three years after he claimed the championship.

He began fighting as a bareknuckle boxer. The 5'11" Smith, whose moniker was "The Black Thunderbolt", fought as a heavyweight out of Buffalo, New York. Bill Muldoon, his manager, said he was a great pugilist possessed of cunning and a terrific punch. He reportedly fought 225 bouts.

In 1891, he traveled with Muldoon's traveling carnival, where he boxed with future lightweight champ Joe Gans, who was beginning his career. Gans would become the first African American to hold a world's championship boxing title.

Smith killed a man in the ring. On October 24, 1894, Amos Theis died of injuries inflicted by Smith during a bout in Louisville, Kentucky.

In 1903, when he was in his forties or fifties, he fought and defeated the former British Heavyweight champ, 40-year-old Jem Smith, in Manchester, Lancashire, England via a knockout. He reportedly fought Colored Heavyweight Champ (and future world heavyweight champ) Jack Johnson in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1906, but it was likely an exhibition or never occurred due to Smith's age.

Smith's official record is 39 wins (33 by knockout) against 14 losses (he was KO-ed nine times) and five draws. He also recorded one newspaper decision win.

He died on October 1, 1924.

Legacy

In 2020 award-winning author Mark Allen Baker published the first comprehensive account of The World Colored Heavyweight Championship, 1876–1937, with McFarland & Company, a leading independent publisher of academic & nonfiction books. This history traces the advent and demise of the Championship, the stories of the talented professional athletes who won it, and the demarcation of the color line both in and out of the ring.

For decades the World Colored Heavyweight Championship was a useful tool to combat racial oppression-the existence of the title as a leverage mechanism, or tool, used as a technique to counter a social element known as “drawing the color line.”

Professional boxing record

ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes66Win40–14–5 ContadenKO?Jul 15, 190365Win39–14–5 Jem SmithKO?Jun 15, 190364ND38–14–5 Billy RhodesND4Aug 15, 190163Loss38–14–5 Jim FitzpatrickTKO7 (20)Oct 25, 189962Win38–13–5 Tom McCarthyDQ3 (20)Mar 6, 189961Loss37–13–5 George GardinerKO7 (?)Dec 25, 189860Loss37–12–5 Ed DunkhorstPTS20Nov 24, 189859Win37–11–5 Johnny RuhlinPTS4Oct 15, 189858Loss36–11–5 Peter MaherKO3 (6)Feb 15, 189857Win36–10–5 Jim DelaneyKO2 (?), May 31, 189756Win35–10–5 Fred TaylorKO1 (?)May 10, 189755Win34–10–5 George WatsonKO1 (20), Mar 26, 189754Loss33–10–5 Peter MaherPTS6Feb 15, 189753Win33–9–5 Al MurphyPTS3Nov 20, 189652Win32–9–5 Mike QueenanTKO2 (20)Aug 6, 189651Win31–9–5 Amos ThesisKO?Oct 24, 189450Loss30–9–5 Jack SlatteryDQ5 (?)Jan 11, 189449ND30–8–5 John HughesND4Sep 5, 189348Draw30–8–5 Con RiordonPTS4Jul 4, 189347Win30–8–4 Jerry SlatteryKO1 (?)Jun 15, 189346Loss29–8–4 Con CoughlinDQ3 (?)Apr 15, 189345Win29–7–4 John JacksonKO1 (?)Apr 14, 189344Win28–7–4 Con CoughlinKO1 (?)Apr 13, 189343Win27–7–4 Mike BrennanDQ3 (6)Nov 26, 189242Loss26–7–4 Joe ChoynskiKO4 (?)Nov 21, 189241Win26–6–4 Mike BrennanKO3 (?)Nov 5, 189240Loss25–6–4 Joe ButlerKO3 (?)Oct 5, 189239Win25–5–4 Frank CraigKO2 (?)Sep 12, 189238ND24–5–4 Frank CraigND4Aug 29, 189237Loss24–5–4 George GodfreyKO4 (?)Aug 15, 189236Win24–4–4 Bill GabigTKO2 (4)Apr 25, 189235Win23–4–4 Billy BakerKO9 (?)Sep 1, 189134Loss22–4–4 Billy BakerPTS9Jul 1, 189133ND22–3–4 Fred MorrisND6May 15, 189132Draw22–3–4 George GodfreyPTS6Jan 15, 188531Win22–3–3 Edward McKeownKO2 (?)Nov 20, 18843021–3–3 Big SullivanNC1 (?)Oct 27, 188429Loss21–3–3 Tom RobinsonKO1 (?)Mar 18, 188428Loss21–2–3 Mervine ThompsonKO8 (?)Mar 10, 188427Win21–1–3 Charles HadleyDQ2 (?)Feb 2, 188426ND20–1–3 Charles HadleyND4Dec 15, 188325Draw20–1–3 Tommy ClearyPTS6Nov 15, 188324Draw20–1–2 Jack StewartPTS6Oct 5, 188323Loss20–1–1 Jack StewartTKO2 (6), Aug 16, 18832220–0–1 Harry WoodsonND3Jul 16, 188321Win20–0–1 Thomas McAlpinePTS4Apr 18, 188320Win19–0–1 W. ShipmanKO?Apr 17, 188319Win18–0–1 Professor CorlinKO?Apr 16, 188318Win17–0–1 Amos LavenderKO?Apr 15, 188317Draw16–0–1 Professor John DonaldsonPTS4Nov 14, 188216Win16–0 Dan CarrKO8 (?)Jan 15, 188215Win15–0 Dan CarrKO4 (?)Nov 11, 188114Win14–0 Bill JohnsonKO2 (?)Aug 15, 188113Win13–0 Professor John DonaldsonKO4 (?)Jun 15, 188112Win12–0 Maurice CaseyPTS4Mar 15, 188111Win11–0 Joseph MassieKO8 (?)Nov 16, 187910Win10–0 Jack ChapelKO12 (?)Aug 15, 18799Win9–0 Jim WhalenKO23 (?)Jul 12, 18798Win8–0 Jack Silver Bill DriscollKO3 (?)Jun 29, 18797Win7–0 Steve TaylorKO14 (?)Jun 22, 18796Win6–0 Mike GreenKO29 (?)Jun 15, 18795Win5–0 Mervine ThompsonPTS3May 15, 18794Win4–0 William SpillingsKO?Apr 15, 18793Win3–0 Battler StevensonKO?Mar 15, 18792Win2–0 Ed GrayKO?Feb 15, 18791Win1–0 WelshKO?Jan 15, 1879

References