The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-02-26
Inch Taller Than Rig Jcss.

Inch Taller Than Big jess.
Smith is ar inch taller than Jess
Willard, standing six feet seven IN
his bare feet As he IA just Il and
still growing rapidly. he will bo a
much bigger man than Willard when
he reaches his greatest development.
His weight at present. all bone and
lean, wiry muscle, Is 220 pounds. lie
will weigh 80 pounds more without
becoming fat.
Smith is fortunate in being start
cd right" Like willard, Dempsey.
Jeffries and other big men who
have made good. he was born on n
farm. His home place was IN Min
nesota. a hundred miles south OF
Minneapolis. lie heard n lot about
Mike and Tom Gibbons when he
was a boy, and boxed with the other
youngsters I'm school, but outErew
them 80 far that he soon had no
sparring partners.
Going to California. Smith became
carpenter at a moving picture stu
do, where, because of his great
strength, he became expert In put
ting up the heavy timbers when sets
were built. He was working as n
carpenter when George Blake, for
merly army boxing instructor at
Camp Fremont, saw him one day
and proposed making him n boxer.
Smith jumped at the chance.
That was four months ago, and
every day since, Smith has worked
two hours under Blake's supervision.
In this way he has started with all
the best boxing methods. and has no
faulty style to forget.
At first Smith was naturally
clumsy, like nearly all very big men,
but being perfectly proportloned and
n natural athlete he has improved
rapidly In skin and speed. IIe had
tremendous hitting power from the
start.
VIII Box In National Meet.
Just now Smith can't find an OPP
ponent on the Pacific coast, having
fought himself out OF rivals in four
short ring battles at the l.. A. a. c.,
whose colors he will wear I'm April
when he goes TO Boston to box in the
A. A. u. national championships.
Smiths latest victim was sailor
Bolts. a big elbow, from the fleet at
San Pedro. Bolts rushed Smith hard
for round. In the second Smith
knocked Bolts cold with single
short right hand punch on tho side
of the head. Tho sailor was
cuckoo" for Is minutes after. he
came to, and squared off at the ref
cree, his seconds, n ships officer
who tried TO quiet him. and the
crowd around the ring.
At last they got Bolts to the dress
ing room by telling him he had won
the fight. He never knew what hit
him. A few days afterward Charlie
Keppen, who runs the boxing
matches, called up a fleet officer
who selects the fighting men for
bouts ashore, and asked for another
big sailor to fight Smith.
SAY shouted the officer, over
the phone, what do you want 20 do
put the navy out OF commission2
II you want action for that big bird
OF yours why don't you chuck him
into a cage with a couple OF go
rillas?"
Smith has the longest reach
known In the ring since Charles
Freeman. the six foot eight inch
giant from New York, went 20 Eng
land nearly a hundred years ago and
became the first international cham
pion. Smiths reach is S5 inches
two inches more than Jess Willard's,
His wrists measure Z Ia inches.
Imagine a reach OF SO inches, and
wrists 8 IA inches around to put
behind the blowl Tho reach In 10
inches more than that OF Jeffriea,
Fitslmmons and Rubin. o inches
more than Dempsey's, 3 inches more
than Fulton's. The wrists are as big
as Jeffs.
His other measurements show
that he's built for the ring. His neck
is 16 i-2. chest normal. Al i-2; biz
ceps, II 1-2; calf, 1G; waist. 80. His
hands are so big his boxing gloves
have to be made to order and he
wears No. 13 shoes. so Blake had
to have boxing shoes made for him
too, no shoes OF that size being kept
in stock In any sporting goods store.
A Huge FitzsimmOns,
In general build. Smith Is a huge
Bob Fltzsimmons, lean, wlry, mar
row hlpped, straight legged and with
wide, square shoulders. He has the
face Of q fighter. bold and aggres"