Reggie Smith, Jr. remembers the first time someone nailed him in the ring. Bada-bing, a real jolt to the head that fueled a response.
“I just got mad,” he said. “I started throwing punches.”
It turns out those punches contained the power of a champion. A national champion. The Magruder High alumnus recently won the 185-pound title of the National Collegiate Boxing Association that will be shown on CSTV on May 29.
Smith thought about joining the Naval Academy or enrolling at Maryland. However, Army came calling first so Smith entered the U.S. Military Academy to study economics. An instructor saw Smith’s potential during a mandatory freshman boxing class. A three-sport prep athlete, Smith moved well in the ring.
“I’m always looking for guys for the team,” said Army coach Ray Barone. “I could see he was an athlete. I said ‘Why not come out for the team?’ He’s an extremely powerful hitter so when you have someone hits that hard you’re always in a match. He’s like Mike Tyson. Not short and squat, but Tyson’s a hard bomber. That’s Reggie’s power.”
Smith lost his first two matches in 2004 before winning twice. The next year, Smith finished national runner-up in the 26-school competition. His narrow loss fueled daily two-hour workouts to earn another title try.
“I didn’t expect to get so far in my sophomore year,” said Smith of the finals. “I realized my potential. Going into this year, I knew I could get there.”
Smith finished 6-1 with three knockouts this season. A late-round comeback in the championship earned the national crown he expects to defend after being named team captain for next year. Even sweeter, Smith’s title secured the national club crown for Army.
A knockout is like hitting a home run with your bare hands, Smith said. Getting the crown for the whole team felt like a grand slam.
“All the hard work paid off,” he said. “It was jubilation. I was just thankful all the work meant something.”
It may mean much more. The Army’s world class athlete program could steer Smith to the Olympics and the All-Army team. Slated to become an infantry officer after graduation in 2007, Smith is undecided whether to continue boxing or lead a unit in Iraq. Mostly, he’s just trying to graduate.
But Barone knows Smith will be respected by his fellow soldiers after proving his toughness in the ring no matter how much farther he goes in the sport.
“Soldiers respect someone like Reggie who is not only intelligent, but when he says, ‘Go do that,’ he can do it, too,” Barone said. “He’s an extremely dedicated person and a good role model. Reggie’s right there with best recent [boxers] around.”
Rick Snider has covered local sports for 28 years. Contact him at [email protected].
