Tiger Smalls (born Priest George Youngs Smalls on March 2, 1969) is a professional American boxing trainer who formerly held the World Boxing Organization Inter-Continental Featherweight title and North American Boxing Organization Featherweight title, as well as the Universal Boxing Association world featherweight title.[1]

Tiger Smalls
Smalls in 2011
Born
Priest George Youngs Smalls

(1969-03-02) March 2, 1969 (age 55)
New York, New York, United States
Other namesTiger - The Pride of the Wild
The One and Only
The Bad Guy
Statistics
Weight(s)Super featherweight
Featherweight
Junior featherweight
Height5'9
Reach72"
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights38
Wins21
Wins by KO11
Losses16
Draws1
No contests0

Early life

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Smalls spent his early years in the training camp of Muhammad Ali in Deer Lake, Pennsylvania and was featured in Jet magazine in 1973 at age three. He gained some minor celebrity for a photograph where Ali grimaces from one of young Smalls' punches.[2]

Career

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Smalls was a standout amateur with a reported record of 92-11. With fast hands and feet and better than average power, Smalls is reported to have won several amateur titles in the Junior Olympics, Silver Gloves, the New York Golden Gloves, the Diamond Gloves, and the Amateur Athletic Union.[3] He and also several military titles while serving in the U.S. Navy, including the 1988 All-Armed Forces bantamweight championship.

Smalls began his pro career on March 30, 1993. He became the Universal Boxing Association World Featherweight Champion in 1997 by knocking out Tony Green in the first round, and claimed the California State Featherweight title in 2002 by defeating Roger Medal with a technical knockout in the second round. Smalls earned the World Boxing Organization Inter-Contintental Featherweight title in 2003 by defeating Christian Favela. The following year, he defeated Alvin Brown for the North American Boxing Organization Featherweight Championship.

Smalls was inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame in October 2013.

Controversy

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Controversy dogged Smalls throughout his career. Smalls upset the boxing establishment when he appeared in the February 2005 issue of High Times magazine, posing for a photo wearing his belts and holding a marijuana bud. The article quoted him as saying that he regularly smoked marijuana during training.[4] Later that year, he angered ESPN when he showed up to defend his NABO featherweight title bearing a temporary tattoo for Golden Palace, the online casino.[5]

 
Tiger Smalls Receiving Key to the City

Personal life

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Tiger Smalls trains his son Prince Tiger Smalls and mentors students and fighters at the San Diego Combat Academy.[6]

San Diego Mayor Bob Filner presented Smalls with the key to the City of San Diego on March 2, 2013.

Professional boxing record

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21 Wins (9 knockouts, 12 decisions), 16 Losses (14 decisions, 2 TKO), 1 Draw[1][7]
Res. Opponent Type Date Location Notes
Loss Juan Castaneda Jr. Decision (unanimous) November 30, 2007   Santa Ynez, CA
Loss Vasyl Tarabarov Decision (split) October 13, 2007   Hoffman Estates, IL
Loss Nick Casal Decision (split) June 1, 2007   Santa Ynez, CA
Loss Vicente Escobedo Decision (unanimous) February 1, 2007   Arco Arena, Sacramento, CA
Loss Castulo Gonzalez Decision (unanimous) November 24, 2006   Boston, MA
Win Pete Frissina Decision (split) September 29, 2006   Tampa, FL
Loss Francisco Lorenzo Decision (unanimous) June 29, 2006   American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL WBC Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) super featherweight title
Loss Elio Rojas TKO January 7, 2006   Madison Square Garden New York, NY
Loss Juan Ruiz Decision (unanimous) November 22, 2005   Lancaster, CA WBO-NABO junior featherweight title.
Loss Marcos Ramirez Decision (unanimous) August 2, 2005   Kansas City, MO Lost WBO-NABO featherweight title. Aired on ESPN2[8]
Win Alvin Brown Decision (unanimous) September 22, 2004   Kansas City, MO Won WBO-NABO featherweight title.
Win Anthony Martinez Decision (unanimous) August 27, 2004   Burbank,CA WBO-INC featherweight title defense.
Win Ramon Valle Decision (unanimous) April 9, 2004   Burbank, CA WBO-INC featherweight title defense.
Loss Ismael Gonzalez Decision (split) April 9, 2004   Montobello, CA
Win Pedro Mora Decision (split) November 14, 2003   Montobello, CA
Win Cristian Favela Decision (unanimous) July 17, 2003   City of Industry, CA WBO Inter-Continental featherweight title.
Win Roger Medal TKO September 20, 2002   Burbank, CA California State featherweight title. Medal ruled unable to continue due to shoulder dislocation.
Win Mario Camarena Decision (unanimous) August 23, 2002   Montebello, CA
Win Artur Petrosyan Decision (unanimous) November 29, 2001   Inglewood, CA
Loss Marcos Licona Decision (unanimous) May 11, 2000   Irvine, CA
Loss James Armah TKO September 13, 1999   Irvine, CA California State Featherweight title.
Win Roger Medal Decision (split) August 9, 1999   Anaheim, CA California State featherweight title.
Win Eddie Croft KO March 31, 1999   Monterey, CA
Win Fernando Trejo Decision (unanimous) December 27, 1998   Inglewood, CA
Loss Marcos Licona Decision (split) May 28, 1998   Irvine, CA
Win Tony Green TKO March 22, 1997   Pikeville, KY Universal Boxing Association world featherweight title.
Loss Danny Bostic Decision (unanimous) January 23, 1997   St. Louis, MO
Win Frankie Banda KO June 3, 1996   Anaheim, CA
Loss Sergio Sanchez Points December 13, 1995   Woodland Hills, CA
Win Gary Adkins KO November 10, 1995   Asheville, NC
Win Olegario DeLeon TKO October 26, 1995   Woodland Hills, CA
Win James McCloskey TKO June 2, 1995   Latham, NY
Win Jimmy Navaro TKO 2nd February 20, 1995   Inglewood, CA
Draw Oscar Zamora Points August 29, 1994   Inglewood, CA
Win Thomas Stiltner KO July 16, 1994   Asheville, NC
Win Hilario Guererro Points April 11, 1994   Inglewood, CA
Win Oscar Aguilar KO July 19, 1993   Tijuana, Mexico
Loss Richard Thiele Points March 30, 1993   San Diego, CA

References

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  1. ^ a b "BoxRec.com". Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  2. ^ Jet magazine. Johnson Publishing Company. 12 April 1973. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  3. ^ "BoxRec.com". Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  4. ^ Ben Corbett. "Tiger Beat". High Times. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  5. ^ "ESPN Has A Fit When Tiger Smalls Unvails A "Golden Palace" Tattoo". eastsideboxing.com. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  6. ^ "San Diego Combat Academy". Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  7. ^ "Tigersmalls.com". Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  8. ^ "Ramirez prevails; Seda suffers second career loss". ESPN.com. 3 August 2005. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
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