Boxing’s Greats of the States | Nevada: Ishe Smith

Boxers come from every corner of the globe. Sometimes, fighters are products of their environment, favoring styles prevalent in the country or state from which they hail. Various regions of the United States are considered factories for great fighters, though that certainly is not the case with each state. In this weekly Sherdog.com series, the spotlight will shine on the best boxer of all-time from each of the 50 states. Fighters do not necessarily need to be born in a given state to represent it; they simply need to be associated with it.

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Considering boxing’s rich history with the city of Las Vegas, one might think the state of Nevada spawned a plethora of world champions. Fighters like Floyd Mayweather Jr., Diego Corrales, Mike Tyson and countless others all called Sin City home at one time or another, but only one native Nevadan -- one -- has captured a world championship in boxing: Ishe Smith.

Smith has long toiled in relative obscurity, and while he fought a steady stream of solid and elite opponents throughout his career, he has yet to become a household name. Wins over Alfonso Gomez and Randall Bailey raised his profile, but it seemed as though every time he moved to within a fight or two of a world title or huge payday, he fell short. Losses to Sergio Mora, Sechew Powell, Daniel Jacobs and Fernando Guerrero curtailed his advances. However, Smith upset the heavily favored Cornelius Bundrage by majority decision to win the IBF junior middleweight title on Feb. 23, 2013.

“Sugar Shay” relinquished the championship in his first defense against Carlos Amado Molina but later fought Erislandy Lara for the WBA junior middleweight crown, losing a 12-round unanimous decision. Smith, who nearly qualified for the 1996 United States Olympic team, holds a professional record of 29-8 with 12 KOs.

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