Smith finally on the right side of boxing politics

Smith finally on the right side of boxing politics
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
February 23, 2013

My first contribution to RingTV.com.


At 34 years of age, longtime contender and sometime gatekeeper Ishe Smith has finally found himself on the right side of boxing politics.

For years, Smith was often cast as a B-side in his most meaningful fights, meaning the deck was often stacked against him. However, in his 14th year as a professional fighter, the Las Vegas native has an opportunity to earn a major world title as he meets IBF junior middleweight beltholder Cornelius Bundrage in the main event of a Showtime Championship Boxing telecast from Detroit that was originally headlined by Devon Alexander against Kell Brook. That fight was postponed when Alexander suffered an injury.

For Smith, Saturday marks an opportunity to make history. Despite the Sweet Science's rich connection to the city of Las Vegas, no homegrown talent has ever held any sort of major title, an interesting anomaly.

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