Terry Smith

Well, actually, I was born in Chicago and moved around a lot as a kid. My father passed when I was young and then one of my sisters passed and we moved around from place to place for a while before I ended up settling in Little Rock, where I went to trade school and found boxing. I’ve been in Little Rock ever since. That’s where my family is and that’s where I call home.How did I become involved in boxing?Terry Smith: Well, an officer by the name of Craig Hodgins saw me in a street fight where I was outnumbered by five guys and still won; and, instead of taking me in for causing ruckus on the streets, he took me down to the boxing gym. And, that’s where I got my start.Where did you get the nickname, “Troublemaker”?Terry Smith: Well, uh, that was just a little nickname. I never really just started problems or anything like that; but when it all came down to it, I was always in the mix. So, they just called me a little troublemaker.I’m sure you’re aware that many people think the heavyweight division is as bad now as it’s ever been. What are your thoughts on the current situation in boxing’s glamor division?Terry Smith: The heavyweight division’s not bad. It’s just that everybody who has a title isn’t fighting each other. They need to unify the title and then fight the best guys and not just keep fighting the same old people over and over again; fight everybody. And then that way a true heavyweight champion will evolve out of all of that. That’s what needs to happen; they need to defend against the guys who work their way up the latter, like myself, and give them an opportunity to fight for the title and then a true heavyweight champion will emerge from all of that.When you hear the words, “THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION”, what comes to mind?Terry Smith: As of right now, I’d say Klitschko, then Lyakhovich. Those two come to mind right off the bat. Then you got Hasim Rahman and James Toney; those are the four top right now. So, I see it like this; just make a tournament. Everybody fight one another, get a unified title and then those who are lined up in the ranking, let them all battle it out as well. Just make the fights.If I wasn’t a boxer, I would be?Terry Smith: Well, my first love was football; I always wanted to be a football player; but since that didn’t pan out for me, I’d probably be somewhere in the nursing field or a doctor, helping out elderly patients and just giving back to the community.Currently, you’ve got an impressive record of 28-1-1 with 18 knockouts. The only loss on your record was a decision to Calvin Brock. What are your remembrances of that fight?Terry Smith: Well, I know that fight right there, I had a bout three months prior to that. I hadn’t been I the gym and it was the biggest payday of my life at that point; and it was an opportunity to be put on TV. So, I was looking at all of that instead of looking at the fact that I wasn’t 100% ready for the fight. But, even though I wasn’t 100% ready for the fight, I still went into that fight and gave it everything that I had. I showed that I had guts. I showed I had a little bit of stamina; not all the stamina I had to offer; but I still went ten rounds with somebody who’s considered to be in the Top 5 right now. And if I’d been given 3 or 4 weeks to train for that fight, that fight would have been mine. I feel there would have been a different outcome in that fight if given the opportunity; but Calvin Brock fought a great fight. He got the win, he was in shape, he didn’t make the wrong decisions; he came prepared. So, I look at that as a learning experience. I told myself after that fight that I’d never be put in that situation again where I’m fighting for just the money. When I got into this sport, I got into it because I love it and I wanted to compete. So, whenever I get into the ring now, you best believe I’m gonna be 100% and ready to go with anybody. However many rounds we’re going, I’m gonna be prepared to go that many rounds. If it ends early, that much better.I would like to thank all of the Memphis area fans, all the Little Rock fans that have been behind me from day one, my family, the John Ruiz camp, the James Toney camp, my camp; and everybody who’s always been behind me 100%.