Ishe Smith facts for kids

Ishé Oluwa Kamau Ali Smith (born July 22, 1978) is an American former professional boxer. He competed in boxing from 2000 to 2019. In 2013, he won the IBF junior middleweight title. This made him the first boxer from Las Vegas to become a world champion. Early in his career, he was part of the first season of the reality TV show The Contender in 2005.

Early Life and Amateur Boxing

Ishe Smith grew up in Nevada with his mother and siblings. He was a talented amateur boxer for many years. In 1996, he reached the finals of the US National Championships. He also made it to the semifinals of the U.S. Olympic trials. In 1999, he had another close fight in the quarterfinals of the US National Championships.

Professional Boxing Career

Smith started his professional career very strongly. He won his first fourteen fights. In 2001, he won a fight against Alfonso Gomez. Later that year, he beat Norberto Bravo. In 2003, he had a big win against David "King" Estrada.

In 2004, Smith won his first boxing titles. These included the WBC Continental Welterweight title and the USBA Welterweight title. He won these by beating former world champion Randall Bailey. It was a very close fight, but Smith won by a decision from the judges.

On The Contender TV Show

Ishe Smith decided to join The Contender, a reality TV show about boxers. He was on the West Coast team. In his first fight on the show, he beat Ahmed Kaddour.

Later, another boxer, Juan de la Rosa, had to leave the show due to medical reasons. Some boxers brought Kaddour back into the competition. This was done to bother Smith. Smith then fought Sergio Mora and lost a close fight. Mora went on to win the whole tournament.

Smith later faced Anthony Bonsante in a "Fan Favorite Fight." Smith won this fight easily. Other boxers from The Contender that Smith had fought before included Alfonso Gomez and Norberto Bravo.

After The Contender

After the show, Smith had some disagreements with the show's management. He felt they were trying to make him fight at a weight that was too heavy for him. He wanted to fight at a lower weight class.

Smith eventually won his case and left The Contender promotions. He then signed a contract with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions. He also started working with famous boxer Bernard Hopkins.

In June 2006, Smith won a fight against Patrick Thompson. He fought at 154 pounds, which is the junior middleweight division. This division offered many chances for young boxers.

In 2007, Smith lost a fight to Sechew Powell. This made it harder for him to get a title shot. He lost another close fight to Joel Julio in 2008.

Smith then had some good wins. In August 2008, he beat Pawel Wolak. He followed that with a win over Chris Gray.

In 2009, Smith moved up to the Middleweight division and lost to Danny Jacobs. He then fought Fernando Guerrero in 2010. It was a tough fight, and Smith lost by decision. After this, Smith said he wanted to go back to the Light Middleweight division.

Smith took a break from fighting for over a year and a half. He returned to the ring in May 2012, winning easily. In September 2012, he won another fight. These wins earned him a chance to fight for a world title.

IBF Junior Middleweight Champion

On February 23, 2013, Ishe Smith fought Cornelius Bundrage for the IBF junior middleweight title. Smith won the fight and became the new champion! This was a huge moment for him.

However, on September 14, 2013, Smith lost his title to Carlos Molina. It was a close fight, but Molina won by a split decision.

In May 2014, Smith fought Ryan Davis and won by knockout in the second round.

Professional Boxing Record