James "Bonecrusher" Smith

Reverend James Smith is a native of Magnolia, North Carolina. He was raised on a tobacco farm where he was taught hard working skills early in life. At the age of ten, God told James to start running, and he's been running ever since.

James graduated from James Kenan High School in Warsaw, North Carolina in 1971. He then went on to graduate from James Sprunt Community College in Kenansville, North Carolina in 1973 with an Associate Degree in Business Administration. James went on to earn a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1975.

After graduation, James entered the Army and had tours of duty in the United States and Germany. It was in the Army that James started his amateur boxing career, picking up the nickname "Bonecrusher".

After his stint in the Army, James worked with the North Carolina Department of Corrections from 1979 to 1981. He started his professional boxing career in 1981 with a loss on ESPN. In 1986, James became the first college graduate to win a World Heavyweight Title with a first round knockout of Tim Witherspoon

In 1995, James helped establish the NC Boxing Commission and served as its first chairman.

In 1996, James Bonecrusher Smith became an ordained minister and retired from boxing in 1999.

James established Champion for Kids, Inc. in 2002 to help raise funds and provide scholarships for high school students.

In April 2007, James Bonecrusher Smith was inducted into Carolina Boxing Hall of Fame

James represents several companies on a local level, and speaks on character education in schools.

Click here to see more about Bonecrusher's boxing career.