Harlan Alonso Smith, known as Lonnie Smith (born November 5, 1962 in
Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
), is an American boxer at
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...
. He reigned briefly as the
WBC world Junior Welterweight champion between 1985 and 1986.
Professional career
Known as "Lightning" Lonnie, Smith turned pro in 1980 and lost once in his first 22 fights, before he had a win over undefeated
Billy Costello to capture the WBC Light Welterweight world title in 1985. He lost the title in his first defense to
Rene Arredondo via 5th round TKO.
Julio César Chávez fight
In 1991 he took on WBC Light Welterweight Title holder
Julio César Chávez
Julio César Chávez González (; born July 12, 1962), also known as Julio César Chávez Sr., is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2005. A multiple-time world champion in three weight divisions, Chávez was list ...
, but lost a one-sided decision.
Before their bout, the two had a confrontation at
McCarran International Airport
Harry Reid International Airport is an international airport in Paradise, Nevada, and is the main government airport for public use in the Las Vegas Valley, a metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Nevada, about south of Downtown Las Vegas. ...
when Chavez arrived in Las Vegas. This was recorded by Showtime channel's television camera people and shown to viewers before their actual ring encounter.
Smith never again fought for a title, and retired in 1999 after a loss to
Diosbelys Hurtado
Diosbelys Hurtado (born September 4, 1973 in Santiago, Cuba) is a Cuban-Spanish boxer and former NBA, IBA and WBA Light Welterweight(super lightweight ) Champion.
Amateur career
Amateur Record: 221-20
*1990 Represented Cuba at the World Junio ...
with a record of 45-6-2.
Professional boxing record
See also
*
List of world light-welterweight boxing champions
References
External links
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Lonnie
1962 births
Living people
American male boxers
Boxers from Denver
African-American boxers
World Boxing Council champions
World light-welterweight boxing champions
Welterweight boxers