Yesterday’s Heroes: Eddie Smith, one of boxing’s first “apprentice boxers”, beat Tony Sibson at the Royal Albert Hall

By Miles Templeton

WHEN I first began to comply with boxing, Eddie Smith was one of my favorite fighters. An unheralded fighter out of Nat Basso’s Manchester camp, Eddie turned professional in 1976, beating Derby’s Cyril Bishton on a three-bout present at the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool. Top of the invoice noticed Pat Thompson profitable the Central Area light-heavyweight crown after almost 60 contests as a high-quality journeyman.

Eddie didn’t set the world on fireplace as an beginner and thus his debut went largely unnoticed. He was solely 17 at the time, and this was a really younger age to change into knowledgeable fighter in the mid-Nineteen Seventies.  As a outcome, every of his first seven contests had been restricted to 4 rounds and Eddie was one of the first of the Board’s ‘apprentice boxers’.  A ruling had been launched the earlier 12 months permitting boxers aged 17 to compete for the first time in a few years.  Eddie received his first six-rounder simply 11 days after turning 18 and he ended 1976 with seven wins from eight contests.  His secure included Kenny Webber, Winston Cousins and Danny McLoughlin, all educated by that nice Manchester determine, Brian Hughes.

Throughout 1977 Eddie continued to study his commerce, dropping choices to Howard Mills and Jimmy Pickard, each good high quality Northern middleweights, however profitable in opposition to the likes of Steve Fenton, Joe Lally and Bob Tuckett. He received 4 from 5 in 1978 after which received his first large break, coming in as a late substitute in opposition to Tony Sibson in an eight-rounder at the Royal Albert Hall.

Sibson had solely misplaced one of his 19 contests and was rated quantity 4 in the British middleweight rankings, with Smith down at 15. ‘Sibbo’ boxed horribly that night time claiming that he was weight-drained. He acknowledged that he misplaced 19lbs throughout the week of the struggle, the final 4 of which had been shed in the sauna on the day of the contest. This would by no means be allowed in the present day, fortunately.

BN reported that “From the sixth onwards Smith got stronger while Sibson faded.  Tony was on the verge of real trouble as he took those rights to the head and he was hit with a volley of vicious two-handed hooks to the side of the body after taking a right to the head in the seventh.”  Eddie was throughout him and he deserved his factors victory.

By now, Smith had switched managers, linking up with Ernie Fossey. Brian Hughes additionally joined the Fossey secure, taking Danny Miller, Lee Hartshorn and Lance Williams, all Manchester lads, with him on his transfer south. The Sibson win pushed Eddie as much as quantity six in Britain and he continued to enhance, regardless of dropping a slim 10-round choice to Sibson of their return in March 1979. By the finish of the 12 months, Eddie was ranked behind solely John Conteh and Dennis Andries at quantity three in the light-heavyweight division after a victory over Cardiff’s Bonny McKenzie. Tom Collins then upset the applecart, beating Smith in a good one at the Midlands Sporting Club, Solihull.

After shedding out to Eddie Burke, Smith then topped the invoice on the Grand National present at Liverpool Stadium. Eddie got here in as a late substitute for Frankie Lucas and hammered the American, Johnny Heard, in 5 rounds. In 1981 Eddie boxed at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, beating Rafael Zamora in three rounds on the identical night time that Alan Minter was overwhelmed by Mustafa Hamsho.

Continuing to ply his commerce till 1987, topping the invoice at Belle Vue, and beating males like Frank Wissenbach and Blaine Logsdon inside the distance, all of it ended for Eddie at Blazer’s nightclub in Windsor when a younger Nigel Benn stopped him in a spherical. Eddie received 29 of his 45 bouts and he went out along with his head held excessive. Later years haven’t been form to Eddie, he suffered a nasty automotive crash shortly after retiring, however I bear in mind him as a wonderful fighter.