Who was Jim “Black

Diamond” Smith ?

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Arthur Cravan, in his own words the “world’s shortest-haired poet, hotel-rat, muleteer, snake-charmer, chauffeur, gold-digger, grandson of the Queen’s Chancellor, nephew of Oscar Wilde …” and of course French (amateur) light-heavyweight champion boxing in 1910. Cravan is known for the straight forward criticism on art and literature in his journal ‘Maintenant’, and for his violent public appearances, influencing dadaists and surrealists of later generations. As a boxer he fought with the first Afro-American champion Jack Johnson (in Barcelona in 1916 and lost in 6 rounds) and over a 100 years ago he was knocked out by middleweight boxer Jim “Black Diamond” Smith in the first Mexico City bull ring fight, on September 15, 1918. The fight with Jim Smith, whoever he was, is Cravan's last documented ring appearance. Some weeks later he bought a boat in Salina Cruz to travel to Argentine, and was never seen again. And what happened to Jim “Black Diamond” Smith? He appears in Mexican newspapers between 1907 and the 1920ties, was a professional boxer and teacher of martial arts, but little is known about his origins. Some newspaper write he came from Australia, according to others he was Jamaican, South American, or American. A researcher writes ‘It wasn‘t until his immigration records surfaced in the Archivo General de la Nación that I learned he was a Dutch national, that he had entered Mexico through the United States, spoke Dutch, Spanish, and English, and had been born on the small Dutch island of San Eustatius in the Caribbean.’ Well, his death certificate states he was born in Dutch Guyana, but there is something Dutch about this boxing champion.

One thing is sure, Jim Smith cannot be found in Dutch sport history literature, the Dutch origin champion boxing of Mexico is not in any sports museum, publication, tv-show or dictionary. Jim Smith is part of the heritage of the Dutch Caribbean, and now back in Rancho for his next round!

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Jim “Black Diamond” Smith is Back !

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On 2 February 2023 Bastiaan van der Velden will show his preparatory research concerning “Campeón de México” Jim “Black Diamond” Smith on Aruba, one of those Dutch islands in the Caribbean, known for its long and outstanding boxing history. The fishermen of the Rancho neighborhood used conch shells as box gloves in fights, and we will show material on the boxing careers of Jim Smith and Arthur Cravan in the Rancho cultural center in Oranjestad, Aruba (February, 2 2023, 17.00-20.00 H.), opposite the former Rancho Boxing Gym.