DEATH OF FORMER N.Z. BOXER

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24581, 1 June 1945, Page 3

DEATH OF FORMER N.Z. BOXER

DAVE SMITH’S CAREER IN AUSTRALIA SYDNEY, May 30. Rated as one ot the greatest light-heavy-weight boxers ever produced in Australia, the former champion, Dave Smith, aged 59. died in a private hospital in Sydney yesterday. Smith was a New Zealander, being bom at Dunedin on May 10, 1886, but all his boxing was done in Australia. _ . „ After winning the Australian and New Zealand, heavy-weight championship as New South Wales representative In 1908, he turned professional, and was twice Australian heavy-weight champion. He fought all the great ones In Australia s golden era of boxing between 1914 and 1917. Although weighing just over 12st, Smith defeated such noted heavy-weights as Bill Squires and Bill Lang. When the brilliant Les Darcy first came to Sydney from the New South Wales coal mining district of Maitland In 1914. he took lessons from Smith, under whose tuition he showed remarkable Improvement. Later master and pupil met twice In the ring, with Darcy knocking out Smith on each occasion. . . Earlier in 1914 Smith had lost the Australian heavy-weight title to the American, Jimmy Clabby, but he later regained it and retired. In 1917 he became heavyweight champion again, defeating Albert Lloyd. He fought for the last time in 1917 He had been In ill-health for some time.