A SHORT REIGN? : Bonecrusher Smith Had Better Savor WBA Champion Status--Mike Tyson Is Next Foe

James (Bonecrusher) Smith, the pride of Magnolia, N.C., will soon receive a chance to stretch his fame over the rest of the world.

Smith, the World Boxing Assn. heavyweight champ, is one of three boxers who can become the undisputed heavyweight champion by the end of May. But Smith will have to defeat the division’s two biggest names to pull it off.

First up for Smith is World Boxing Council champion Mike Tyson March 7 at the Las Vegas Hilton. The winner of that fight is scheduled to meet International Boxing Federation champ Michael Spinks.

Tyson is a heavy favorite to make Smith’s reign as champion short. But Smith was also the underdog when he fought Tim Witherspoon on one week’s notice and stopped him in one round Dec. 12 to win the WBA title.

“I’ve always been an underdog, from the beginning,” said Smith, a 33-year-old who turned pro when he was 28. “What I like about this fight is they gave me two months to get ready. For the WBA title, I had one week.”

Smith, a late substitution for Tony Tubbs, made the most of his chance against Witherspoon. Smith dropped the two-time champion three times in the first round to take the title before a stunned crowd at Madison Square Garden.

“I think it was destiny,” Smith said from his Fayetteville, N.C., training camp. “I wanted to be in there so bad, I waited so long.”

Winning the title made Smith a celebrity in Magnolia (population of 2,500) and surrounding areas. The knockout over Witherspoon also earned Smith a $1 million payday against Tyson, but the money won’t make a loss any easier to accept. Smith is enjoying his time on top and will not give it up without a good fight.

“I get a lot more attention, it’s a great feeling,” Smith said. “I want to keep that belt, there’s something special about winning that title.

“There’s a caution light coming into Magnolia and they put up a sign that says ‘Bonecrusher Smith, WBA heavyweight champion.’

“This is a great opportunity for me, it’s a chance to become a superstar. It’s what I wanted, a chance to earn a place in history. I think the winner of this fight will be considered the man.”

Tyson also punched his way to a title in his last bout, stopping Trevor Berbick in two to win the WBC championship Nov. 22. But a big punch is about all Smith and Tyson have in common.

Tyson, at 20 the youngest heavyweight champion in history, was groomed to win the title from the day he turned pro. Smith, the third oldest man (Joe Walcott and Bob Fitzsimmsons were older) to win the title, was a journeyman who was fortunate to get a second chance at a championship.

Although he has a business degree from Shaw College in Raleigh, Smith worked as a prison guard, counselor and car salesman before becoming a full-time boxer five years ago. He also spent two years in the Army, where he began boxing.

While Tyson appears regularly on talk shows and in magazines, Smith spends a quiet life at home with his wife Reba and two children.

Smith said Tyson’s quick road to the top may prove his undoing.

“I don’t know if I should respect him. Who has he fought?” Smith said of Tyson, who is 28-0 with 26 knockouts. “His fights were hand-picked, all part of the media hype.

“Bonecrusher had to beat his own drum. Tyson had somebody beating his drum for him, bum-dum-de-dum-de-dum. To be a champion at 20 is a great accomplishment, I tip my hat to him. But he’s trying to become great at my expense.”

Smith, 19-5 with 14 knockouts, said experience he gained by fighting Larry Holmes and Frank Bruno in 1984 and Witherspoon twice will help him against Tyson. Holmes stopped Smith in the 12th round of a title fight, but Smith had Holmes hurt in the eighth round. It was his 16th pro fight.

Smith earned the shot at Holmes stopping Bruno, of Great Britain, in the 10th round of his previous bout. Witherspoon gave Smith a 12-round beating in June 1985 before Smith avenged the loss in December.

“I had too much respect for Holmes,” Smith said. “I was new in the business, I was a little overwhelmed. In my mind I was fighting a legend. I watched him on television, saw him fight Muhammad Ali. I think back now, and I saw more than what was there.