Ishe Smith

Ishe Smith
Data
Birth Name	Ishe Oluwa Kamau Bhoduri Ali Smith
Fight name	Sugar Shay
Weight class	Light middleweight
nationality	US-american
birthday	July 22, 1978
place of birth	Las Vegas
style	Left delivery
size	1.78 m
Combat Statistics
Struggles	40
Victories	29
Knockout victories	12
Defeats	11

Ishe Oluwa Kamau Bhoduri Ali Smith (born July 22, 1978 in Las Vegas ) is an American professional boxer and former world champion of the IBF in the light middleweight division.

Amateur career

He started boxing at the age of eight and has won 100 of his 117 amateur fights. He won several tournaments in his age and weight class, including ten times the Nevada State Golden Gloves .

In 1996, as a 17-year-old for the first time in the elite class (adults) at the US Championships in Colorado Springs , where he won the silver medal in the light welterweight division; he was only defeated in the final against Héctor Camacho junior (11:18), son of the multiple world champion Hector Camacho senior . He was then invited to the national eliminations ( Olympic Trials ) in Oakland , to participate in the 1996 Summer Olympics , where he reached third place in the light welterweight division. He was only eliminated in the semifinals against Zab Judah , who was then defeated in the final against David Díaz .

Professional career

After careful preparation, he switched to the professional camp in 2000 and is trained by Eddie Muhammad . He remained unbeaten for more than four years and won his first 15 fights, including against Alfonso Gómez (later, two-time World Cup challenger who became famous for his knockout victory against Arturo Gatti ), the WBA World Cup challenger Sam Garr ( 34-6) and US champion David Estrada (15-0). On January 15, 2004, he defeated the former WBO and later IBF World Champion Randall Bailey (27-3) by unanimous decision on points and had his opponent on the ground in the second round. He then received the US welterweight championship, as well as the American-Continental championship of the WBC and the North American championship of the WBO .

He then took part in the reality TV series The Contender , in which a group of boxers are introduced and compete in an elimination process in the ring. He beat the undefeated Ahmad Kaddour (18-0) unanimously on points in his first fight. In his second duel, however, he lost controversially due to a split judge's decision against the also undefeated, later WBC world champion Sergio Mora (13-0). In a third duel in the series, a Fans Favorite Fight , he defeated Anthony Bonsante (26-5) unanimously on points in May 2005.

On February 17, 2007 he lost on points against Sechew Powell (20-1), and on April 30, 2008 also on points against Joel Julio (32-1). On August 1, 2008, however, he defeated the undefeated Poland Pawel Wolak (21-0) unanimously on points. In August 2009 he lost on points to Daniel Jacobs (17-0) and in July 2010 on points against Fernando Guerrero (18-0).

After three consecutive victories against Alexander Quiroz (14-8), Ayi Bruce (21-6) and Irving Garcia (17-7), IBF title holder Cornelius Bundrage (32-4) accepted him on February 23, 2013 as a World Cup challenger . Ishe Smith defeated Ring Magazine's Top 10 Bundrage on points and became the first world champion from the city of Las Vegas.

However, he lost the title in his first title defense on September 14, 2013 in Las Vegas just on points to Carlos Amado Molina . In December 2014, he boxed for the WBA world title against Erislandy Lara , but lost to the Cuban on points.

In May 2015 he defeated Cecil McCalla (20-1) unanimously. However , he lost on points against Vanes Martirosyan (35-2) in September 2015.

predecessor	Office	successor
Cornelius Bundrage	Light Middleweight Boxing Champion ( IBF ) February 23, 2013 - September 14, 2013	Carlos Molina

Web links

• Ishe Smith at BoxRec